Celebrating National Sovereignty & Children's Day

April 23 of every year is celebrated as National Sovereignty (Ulusal Egemenlik) and Children's Day (Çocuk Bayramı) in Turkey.  It is an official non-working holiday nationwide where all government offices or entities, state and private schools, as well as most businesses are usually closed on this day.  Official ceremonies are usually held by the local government entities to commemorate the creation of Turkish Parliament (Grand National Assembly) which took place on the 23rd of April in 1920.  The major celebration on this day takes place at the Ataturk Mausoleum in the capital city of Ankara where a ceremony is held and wreaths are being laid at the monument of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of Turkish Republic.

Celebrating International Women's Day

A tribute to all the women in the world, March 8 is celebrated as International Women's Day and this year's theme is declared as The Gender Agenda: Gaining Momentum.  On the other hand, the United Nation's theme for the 2013 celebration is,  "A promise is a promise: Time for Action to End Violence Against Women."

Güllaç - Turkish traditional holiday dessert

When it comes to any major religious holidays in Turkey such as the Kurban Bayramı or during the month of Ramadan, güllaç is the most popular milk dessert that's commonly served right after the iftar dinners.  Pronounced as "gu-lach" in Turkish, this traditional dessert is quite easy to make.  Its made mainly with milk, sugar, rose water, pomegranate seeds, a special kind of flaky pastry for güllaç, and finely grated pistachios.  The güllaç pastry made especially just for this dessert can easily be bought right at the local grocery stores and supermarkets in Turkey.