**MegaStarkan**
15-03-09, 01:29
Government to sponsor major Nevruz celebration
In past years former Culture Minister Atilla Koç attended Nevruz celebrations and jumped over the Nevruz fire.
The Turkish government is planning to organize a big celebration for the spring festival of Nevruz on March 21 at Ankara’s Atatürk Culture Center. President Abdullah Gül and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will jump over a bonfire, a traditional part of festivities ahead of Nevruz that is believed to take away illness or pain from the person jumping over it.
The leaders of all of Turkey’s political parties have been invited to the event, where Prime Minister Erdoğan is expected to deliver a speech.
Following the launch of television broadcasting in the Kurdish language, the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) has taken another big step and will launch TRT Türk, which will broadcast in Turkic republics, on March 2.
Prime Minister Erdoğan, Turkish singer Tarkan, Azeri singer Azerin and Uzbek singer Savara Nazarhan are expected to participate in the opening ceremony for the channel. The celebration at the Atatürk Culture Center will be broadcast live on TRT Türk in Turkey and in Central Asian republics. The date of the opening ceremony coincides with the spring festival of Nevruz and so a separate cocktail party wlll be held the same evening to celebrate Nevruz. Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli and pro-kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) leader Ahmet Türk have been invited to the opening ceremony and cocktail party.
In past years former Culture Minister Atilla Koç attended Nevruz celebrations and jumped over the Nevruz fire.
Government preparing for Nevruz
While the the main opposition CHP has presented a bill to Parliament that would establish Nevruz, the Kurdish New Year’s celebration on March 21, and May 1, Labor Day or May Day, as official holidays, the government has stepped up its efforts to recognize Nevruz as an official holiday. The Ministry of Labor and Social Security is working toward establishing the legislation to celebrate May 1 as Labor Day and the Ministry of Culture Tourism is preparing to declare Nevruz as an official holiday.
Despite public pressure to recognize May 1 as an official holiday for labor and solidarity, no initatives had been made in this regard until recently. A major reason for this was the death of 34 people during a celebration in Taksim Square on May 1, 1977, a date since referred to as “Bloody May 1.”
Faruk Çelik, minister of labor and social security, said his ministry is making the necessary preparations to celebrate May 1 as Labor Day, adding: “I have positive views about making May 1 an official holiday. May 1 had been recognized as Labor and Solidarity Day in the past. I want it to be recognized as an official holiday. May 1 should be a holiday for workers. It should be celebrated as Labor Day. According to a Cabinet decision, we have agreed to celebrate it as Labor Day. We are going to bring the issue up again in the next Cabinet meeting. If approved, I believe May 1 will be recognized as an official holiday.” Çelik noted that although the ministry is in favor of recognizing May 1 as an official holiday, the government will have the final say and they will respect any decision the government makes. Noting that he would support the observance of May 1 as Labor Day, Ertuğrul Güney, minister of culture and tourism, said he would take steps toward making Mar. 21 an official holiday if there is a consensus. “Personally, I want March 21 to be an official holiday. If there is a consensus among leaders, I will support it. The government is ready to take iniative on this matter as well,” he said.
May 1 is an official public holiday in many countries. In 1923, May 1 was announced as Workers’ Day in Turkey. In 1924 mass celebrations were banned. It became an official holiday in 1935 as the “spring and flower” holiday. In 1977, a mass celebration attended by around 500,000 people was organized. But unknown perpetrators opened fire on the crowd from a nearby hotel and 36 people were killed, either by shooting or by trampling in the panic that ensued.
Source Today's Zaman (http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=168893)
In past years former Culture Minister Atilla Koç attended Nevruz celebrations and jumped over the Nevruz fire.
The Turkish government is planning to organize a big celebration for the spring festival of Nevruz on March 21 at Ankara’s Atatürk Culture Center. President Abdullah Gül and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will jump over a bonfire, a traditional part of festivities ahead of Nevruz that is believed to take away illness or pain from the person jumping over it.
The leaders of all of Turkey’s political parties have been invited to the event, where Prime Minister Erdoğan is expected to deliver a speech.
Following the launch of television broadcasting in the Kurdish language, the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) has taken another big step and will launch TRT Türk, which will broadcast in Turkic republics, on March 2.
Prime Minister Erdoğan, Turkish singer Tarkan, Azeri singer Azerin and Uzbek singer Savara Nazarhan are expected to participate in the opening ceremony for the channel. The celebration at the Atatürk Culture Center will be broadcast live on TRT Türk in Turkey and in Central Asian republics. The date of the opening ceremony coincides with the spring festival of Nevruz and so a separate cocktail party wlll be held the same evening to celebrate Nevruz. Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli and pro-kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) leader Ahmet Türk have been invited to the opening ceremony and cocktail party.
In past years former Culture Minister Atilla Koç attended Nevruz celebrations and jumped over the Nevruz fire.
Government preparing for Nevruz
While the the main opposition CHP has presented a bill to Parliament that would establish Nevruz, the Kurdish New Year’s celebration on March 21, and May 1, Labor Day or May Day, as official holidays, the government has stepped up its efforts to recognize Nevruz as an official holiday. The Ministry of Labor and Social Security is working toward establishing the legislation to celebrate May 1 as Labor Day and the Ministry of Culture Tourism is preparing to declare Nevruz as an official holiday.
Despite public pressure to recognize May 1 as an official holiday for labor and solidarity, no initatives had been made in this regard until recently. A major reason for this was the death of 34 people during a celebration in Taksim Square on May 1, 1977, a date since referred to as “Bloody May 1.”
Faruk Çelik, minister of labor and social security, said his ministry is making the necessary preparations to celebrate May 1 as Labor Day, adding: “I have positive views about making May 1 an official holiday. May 1 had been recognized as Labor and Solidarity Day in the past. I want it to be recognized as an official holiday. May 1 should be a holiday for workers. It should be celebrated as Labor Day. According to a Cabinet decision, we have agreed to celebrate it as Labor Day. We are going to bring the issue up again in the next Cabinet meeting. If approved, I believe May 1 will be recognized as an official holiday.” Çelik noted that although the ministry is in favor of recognizing May 1 as an official holiday, the government will have the final say and they will respect any decision the government makes. Noting that he would support the observance of May 1 as Labor Day, Ertuğrul Güney, minister of culture and tourism, said he would take steps toward making Mar. 21 an official holiday if there is a consensus. “Personally, I want March 21 to be an official holiday. If there is a consensus among leaders, I will support it. The government is ready to take iniative on this matter as well,” he said.
May 1 is an official public holiday in many countries. In 1923, May 1 was announced as Workers’ Day in Turkey. In 1924 mass celebrations were banned. It became an official holiday in 1935 as the “spring and flower” holiday. In 1977, a mass celebration attended by around 500,000 people was organized. But unknown perpetrators opened fire on the crowd from a nearby hotel and 36 people were killed, either by shooting or by trampling in the panic that ensued.
Source Today's Zaman (http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=168893)