North Cyprus Holidays

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If you are coming on holiday to North Cyprus, you may wish to know when the main North Cyprus public holidays take place!  North Cyprus International is delighted to provide you with a list of public holidays, followed by a fuller explanation of the significance of each holiday.

North Cyprus celebrates both religious holidays and national days.   Many of the holidays are shared with Turkiye mainland.  On these days most of the official offices will be closed, so they are useful to know.

There are other local village festivals (such as date/walnut/strawberry festivals etc), which you can find on our article  on North Cyprus Festivals (https://northcyprusinternational.com/north-cyprus-festivals/).

Please note, due to the change of name of the country “Turkey” to “Turkiye”  in 2022, we are using the new name for the mainland.

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

 1st        January – New Year’s Day
23rd      April – National Sovereignty and Children’s Day
1st        May – Labour Day
19th      May- Commemoration of Aturtük, Youth and Sport’s Day
20th      July- Peace and Freedom Day
1st        August- Social Resistance Day
30th      August – Victory Day
29th      October- Turkish Republic Day
15th      November Independence Day (proclamation of TRNC)
The Şeker (Sugar) Bayram (Eid) after Ramadan and Kurban (Sacrifice) Bayram (Eid) follow the Muslim lunar calendar and therefore the dates differ from year to year.

 January 1st – New Year’s Day – Yılbaşı

North Cyprus follows the tradition from elsewhere in the world, of celebrating New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.   As in other countries – many people in the TRNC have New Year’s Eve parties.  There are also firework displays to welcome in the New Year. Although it is not a religious holiday, the tradition of Christmas trees has reached the TRNC – and you’ll see trees decorated with lights in some houses and hotels – with gifts are often exchanged at New Year. 

 April 23rd – Turkish National Sovereignty and Children’s Day- Ulusal Egemenlik ve Çocuk Bayramı

This day was first celebrated in Turkey on April 23^rd1920, during the War of Independence.  April 23^rd was dedicated to Turkish children by the founder of the Turkish Republic – Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who believed that children should be celebrated as they were the future of the new nation.  To this day, the festival is still celebrated in both Turkiye and TRNC (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus).  Children celebrate with a gala, dressing in national costumes with traditional music.

May 1st – Labour & Spring Day – İşçi ve Bahar Bayramı

Many countries celebrate “May Day”, May 1^st, for different reasons.

In North Cyprus, this day has been adopted as “Labour Day” on which economic and social achievements of workers are celebrated.  It’s a public holiday and therefore government offices are closed on this day, although many private employers also choose to celebrate it with their staff.

 May 19th – Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day – Atatürk’ü Anma, Gençlik ve Spor Bayramı

As in Turkiye, the TRNC commemorates Youth & Sports day.

This is an annual Turkish national holiday to commemorate the beginning of the Turkish War of Independence on the 19th May 1919.  Atatürk himself proclaimed May 19th as “Youth and Sports Day”.   During this holiday young people sing the national anthem and recite poems. There are parades, sports and cultural activities- some include the performance of traditional folk dances and drama.  A main theme commemorates Atatürk and his companions from the beginning of the national struggle in 1919.

 July 20th – Peace and Freedom Day – Turkish Intervention – Barış ve Özgürlük Bayramı

July 20^th 1974 is the most important day in the history of North Cyprus.  On the 15th July 1974, following years of oppression of the Turkish Cypriots by the majority Greek Cypriots, a coup d’état was organised by Greek armed forces with the aim of “Enosis” or the union of the island with Greece.  The terrorists who launched this coup (EOKA) who were against the then president, Archbishop Makarios and his government.  5 days later, on 20th July 1974, Turkish troops thankfully intervened to provide a safe haven in the north of the island for the Turkish Cypriots.  On Peace and Freedom Day there is therefore a big military parade in Lefkosia and a stunning flypast in “Red Arrows” style, over Kyrenia harbour.

August 30 – Victory Day – Zafer Bayram

This day marks a celebration of Turkiye’s liberation from the invading Greek troops in 1922. The victory is seen as a turning point in the foundation of Turkiye.

October 29 – Turkish Republic Day – Cumhuriyet Bayramı

This marks the foundation of the post-Ottoman Republic of Turkiye in 1923

November 15 – Republic Day of T. R. N. C. – Cumhuriyet Bayramı                                                                                         

Turkish Cypriots first proclaimed North Cyprus in 1975, a year after the split with the Greek Cypriots. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) was established on 15 November 1983, by the Turkish Cypriot community and Turkish Cypriot Leader/Northern Cypriot State President Rauf Denktash. 

Movable date – Eid al-Fitr – Seker or Sugar Bayram – Marking the End of Ramadan fasting 

Seker Bayram, which is also called the Sugar Festival, takes place at the end of the fasting month of Ramadan and will last for three days. This religious festival is celebrated with family and by giving presents and sweets to visitors.  During this feast older members of the family will be respected by kissing their hands and many Turkish Cypriots will attend their local mosque.  You will find in Nicosia (Lefkosa), a fun-fair, traditional food and crafts. 

Just before Eid, restaurants in North Cyprus will usually be empty on the 27th night of Ramadan, which is known as Kadir Gecesi or the night the Qur’an was revealed to Muhammad.

Movable date – Eid al-Adha – Feast of the Sacrifice – Kurban Bayramı

Kurban Bayram is a 4 day celebration and will start two months after the Seker Bayram. In the UK this is known as Ed-al-Adha. This feast will commemorate the sacrifice of Ishmael by Abraham, which is a Qur’anic version of the Abraham-and-Isaac story, and in Turkiye it’s common to celebrate this festival by sacrificing and roasting of sheep. This custom however has faded in Cyprus, where Turkish Cypriots are not generally very strict on Islamic observances,  but the festival is still celebrated.