Türkiye moves to declare March 21 as official Nowruz Holiday
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lights the Nowruz fire during the March 21 Nowruz Day Commemoration Program in Istanbul. (AA Photo)
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has initiated efforts to declare March 21 as an official public holiday in Türkiye under the name “Nowruz Holiday.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had previously announced during Nowruz (Nevruz) celebrations that the government planned to recognize the traditional festival as an official holiday.
Now, the AK Party has begun the necessary legislative steps to implement this decision.
Strengthening cultural bonds across the Turkic world
According to reports from Cumhuriyet, the initiative aims to elevate Nowruz beyond Türkiye, reinforcing its status as a shared cultural celebration among Turkic nations.
Currently, countries such as Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Azerbaijan already recognize Nowruz as an official public holiday.
The project is expected to further integrate Türkiye with other Turkic states, promoting the festival as a unifying tradition for the entire region.
The initiative will be overseen by Kursad Zorlu, the AK Party’s deputy chairman responsible for relations with Turkic states.
The legislative and diplomatic groundwork is set to begin soon, paving the way for Türkiye to join its neighbors in officially recognizing March 21 as a national holiday.
