29 October
Hello everyone!
Turkey is a relatively young nation. Its land formed the
backbone of the Ottoman Empire, which crumbled in the aftermath of its defeat
in the First World War. Though not strictly colonised by another nation, it took
a few years for the place which we now see as Turkey to officially declare itself
a nation, free from any Allied occupation. This announcement was made on
October 29th, 1923: Republic Day.
This is one of the most notable days in the Turkish
calendar. It remembers the birth of the nation and reemphasises the importance of
their favourite son, Mustapha Kemal Ataturk (the airport in Istanbul is named
after him). It was Ataturk who expelled the Allied forces in 1922 and his
parliament which formally disbanded the Sultanate, which had ruled for
centuries before. When the Republic was officially announced on 29th
October in the following year, Ataturk became modern Turkey’s first President.
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| Ataturk - hero of a nation |
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| A billboard (possibly) reminding people of the date of Republic Day |
Festivities take place across the country. One of the
recommended places to enjoy Republic Day is a small town on the south coast
called Kaş. By remarkable coincidence – it genuinely was as we decided to go
before discovering the date of Republic Day – we happened to be staying in Kaş
at this particular time.
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| Location of Kas on a map of Turkey |
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| A photo from an old celebration of Republic Day in Kas' main square |
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| A local drummer in Kas' main square |
Turkey, however, has been experiencing a turbulent period in
its history. Rocked by bombings in its capital, Ankara, earlier in the month,
we were told upon our arrival in the south that a big party wasn’t likely to
occur in Kaş for Republic Day. Perfectly understandable.
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| The aftermath of the Ankara bombings (picture from BBC) |
Ever the optimists, we spent the morning of October 29th
strolling around the alleys of the town, looking for signs of celebration. What
we saw were masses of Turkish flags adorning almost every building. Pride for
the nation was clearly unshaken by the earlier atrocities.
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| An old amphitheatre in Kas |
Kaş’s main plaza is situated next to one of its many small
harbours. As we ambled towards it in the afternoon sun, the volume seemed to
increase. When we caught sight of the square, we saw a small group of men
positioning tables from their restaurants…into the square. A canopy of flags hung over the entire square, gently flapping in the light wind. Clearly something
was going on.
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| The main square in Kas, filled with tables in preparation for the evening's events |
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| The main square in Kas |
Turns out the big party was on after all! We excitedly made
our reservation and were told to be in the square soon after sunset, at around
6:30pm.
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| Sunset - complete with Turkish flag - from our apartment in Kas |
The next few hours were brilliant. It may not have been a
truly authentic experience – we were by far not the only foreigners sat at
tables in the square – but it was an explosion of Turkish pride.
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| Two locals capturing their Republic Day |
Red flags were waving frantically as songs capable of perforating
eardrums boomed from speakers and the lungs of hundreds of Turks. Possibly
thousands. The square was packed, with every table (apart from the table for 29
near us, which arrived so late I wouldn't call it fashionable) enjoying the
food being prepared by the plethora of restaurants situated on the three
land-facing edges of the square. The other side, where land meets sea, was
dominated by a stage flashing its pyrotechnics and hosting a band.
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| Near the stage, a team of people holding flaming torches paraded through the square |
Whilst devouring the salad buffet (my plate mainly consisted
of hummus), it was announced that the national anthem would play. Everyone
rose. Spines tingled. It was amazing to witness the fervour the locals have for
their country. I know this is true in most countries; it still doesn’t make it
any less awe-inspiring.
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| Flag-waving and cheering shortly after the anthem had finished |
The band played throughout the evening aside from taking
cigarette and drink breaks. Lots of people were drinking, particularly their
local liqueur of Raki, which surprised me somewhat. I was told that this is one
of the few days in the year where ‘everyone drinks’.
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| People toasting the Turkish nation |
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| A local man singing his heart out |
Any area of the square which wasn’t heaving with tables
filled with fish, kebabs and alcohol was space in which to dance. Dance we all
did. Even if the band only had a few songs, which they mingled with apparently
putting on a CD of more popular hits.
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| The band |
Later on, the night sky looking out towards the
Mediterranean was illuminated by a series of fireworks. As you’ll see on the
video below, the noise from the square almost drowned out the bang from the
fireworks.
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| Fireworks celebrating Republic Day in Kas' main square |
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| Flag-waving and cheering as the fireworks exploded |
With what happened in Ankara earlier in October, I would
have completely understood if no large celebration had occurred for Republic
Day in Kaş. The Turkish population, rather than mourning death, opted to
celebrate life. And how. It was a privilege to be a part of. Happy birthday,
Turkey!
Love you all
Matt
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