Children celebrate National Sovereignty and Chidren’s Day in İstanbul’s İnönü Stadium in this 2011 photo. (Photo: Today's Zaman, Mehmet Ali Poyraz)
22 April 2012 / TODAY'S ZAMAN, İSTANBUL
April 23 celebrations, which mark National Sovereignty and Children's Day, are being held in stadiums for the last time today as part of new regulations on national day celebrations, the Sabah daily reported on Sunday.
In January the Ministry of Education cancelled festivities for May 19, the anniversary of the beginning of the War of Independence, in stadiums, citing disruptions in education. Following this decision, the presidency held meetings attended by officials representing various ministries to discuss the introduction of new regulations to all national day celebrations.
A consensus was reached to change the law that governs all national celebrations to get rid of what are widely considered totalitarian rituals introduced during the 1980s junta, to generate a more peaceful and civilian atmosphere during the celebrations......
More
