By Kaan Bozdogan
ISTANBUL (AA) – Tech giant Google on Monday marked the 95th anniversary of Turkish Republic with a special home-page “doodle.”
Today local users of the search engine at google.com or google.com.tr can see a Turkish flag fluttering in a rich blue sky. Clicking on the doodle brings up information about Oct. 29, Republic Day in Turkey.
“It's a festive day off from work for most Turkish citizens, who are free to enjoy parades, torchlight processions, and feasts, ” Google said, explaining the doodle.
“Last year in … Istanbul, around 50,000 fireworks lit up the massive Bosphorus Bridge. Turkey’s flag flies everywhere on Republic Day, its design evoking the history of civilization in the area. ”
The official proclamation of the Turkish Republic by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk took place on Oct. 29, 1923, when the name of the nation and its status as a republic were declared.
The Turkish Grand National Assembly (parliament) then voted unanimously to make Ataturk, a revolutionary statesman, first president of the Republic of Turkey.
Since then, Turkey has celebrated Republic Day every year on Oct. 29.
