Google doodle marks 95 years of Turkey's Republic Day

By Kaan Bozdogan

ISTANBUL

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.