Reflections of national day celebrations in Kocaeli in local newspaper (1923-1950)

Holidays are the days that unite the society, nourish the feelings of national unity and solidarity, and ensure the transfer of national culture to new generations. Holidays, ceremonies and commemoration days have a special place in Turkish culture. Attention was paid to the celebration of national holidays in order to embody the transnationalization of the state after the National Struggle and to ensure that the republican regime was adopted. It has been understood that the holiday celebrations in Kocaeli were carried out meticulously by the celebration committees formed in accordance with the program sent from the center, up to the cities, towns and villages. In the light of the information obtained, it was seen that important preparations were made for the national holiday celebrations in Kocaeli. With the ceremonies, speeches, performances, competitions and poems recited during the holidays, it was aimed to unite the state and the nation and to adopt the reforms made to the public. In this study, information about how the days that are accepted as national holidays throughout the country were celebrated in Kocaeli between 1923-1950, what preparations were made for the holiday celebrations and the content of the celebration programs were presented. In the preparation of the study, the information reflected in the Kocaeli local press between the specified dates, the source works and academic studies on this subject were used.