Turkey Month by Month - Discover Turkey: Experience the Best of Turkey - page 74

Nevruz
Kurds and Alevis celebrate the ancient Middle Eastern spring festival with much jumping
over bonfires and general jollity. Banned until a few years ago, Nevruz (21 March) is now
an official holiday with huge all-night parties, particularly in Diyarbakır and southeastern
Anatolia.
Çanakkale Deniz Zaferi
Turks descend on the Gallipoli (Gelibolu) Peninsula and the towns across the Dardanelles
on 18 March to celebrate what they call the Çanakkale Naval Victory - and commemorate
the WWI campaign's 130,000 fatalities. The area, particularly the Turkish memorials in
the southern peninsula ( Click here ) , is busy with busloads of people.
April
Anzac Day, Gallipoli Peninsula
The WWI battles for the Dardanelles are commemorated again on 25 April, this time with
more emphasis on the Allied soldiers. Antipodean pilgrims sleep at Anzac Cove ( Click
here ) before the dawn services; another busy time on the peninsula.
İstanbul Film Festival
For a filmic fortnight, Beyoğlu's wonderful vintage cinemas host a packed program of
Turkish and international films and events (see http://film.iksv.org/en ) , with cheap-as-çay
tickets available. An excellent crash course in Turkish cinema, but book ahead.
İstanbul Tulip Festival
İstanbul's parks and gardens are resplendent with tulips, which originated in Turkey be-
fore being exported to the Netherlands during the Ottoman era. Multicoloured tulips are
often planted to resemble the Turks' cherished 'evil eye'. Flowers bloom from late March
or early April.