Victory Day (Turkey)

Victory Day (Turkish: Zafer Bayramı) also known as Armed Forces Day is a national holiday that is currently celebrated in Turkey. It is celebrated annually on August 30 in commemoration of the victory in the 1922 Battle of Dumlupınar in the Turkish War of Independence. It has been celebrated as an official holiday since 1935, and was first celebrated on 30 August 1923. Victory Day is celebrated across Turkey and in Northern Cyprus and is a celebration of the Turkish Armed Forces and the Turkish republic. The holiday, with more extensive and participatory celebrations, started to be made especially since the 1960s.[3]

Victory Day
Soldiers of the Turkish Armed Forces during the Victory Day parade, 30 August 2007
Official name	30 Ağustos Zafer Bayramı
Also called	Armed Forces Day
Observed by	Turkey  Northern Cyprus
Celebrations	Military events
Date	30 August
Next time	30 August 2020 (2020-08-30)
Frequency	annual

August 30 was and still is the day of their graduation ceremonies of military schools in Turkey; Victory Day ceremonies are carried out and organized by the General Directorate of Protocols of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in coordination with the General Staff of the Armed Forces. The main celebration is held at Anıtkabir in the Turkish capital, where the President of Turkey leads officials in laying wreaths and then delivers a speech. A ceremony is also held at the War Academy in Istanbul, with all military promotions made on this day, while parades are held in major cities across the country with Ankara also hosting a national parade in honor of the holiday. In the evening, holiday concerts are held in major cities to honor the men and women of the Armed Forces. [1][2] In the past, the national parade was presided by the President in his mandate as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, since that parade serves as the primary principal venue for the Armed Forces to show its latest assets, many of them nationally produced and manufactured, to the general public, today, the parade, held currently in the streets of the capital, is presided over by the Mayor of Ankara and attended by government representatives in the absence of the President.