Every year on August 30 Turkey celebrates a big national holiday - Victory Day (Zafer Bayrami) after a decisive victory over the Greek invaders and in memory of those killed at the Battle of Dumlupinar, which meant the end of Turkish War of Independence in 1922.
Battle of Dumlupinar was the last one in the Greco-Turkish War of 1919-1922 years, which in turn was a part of the war for independence in Turkey. The head of the Turkish army was Mustafa Kemal (May 19, 1881 - November 10, 1938) - a Turkish politician and first President of the Turkish Republic in the future.
On August 26, 1922 Mustafa Kemal ordered to attack the enemy, and on August 30, the biggest four-day battle of Dumlupinar happened in the province of Kutahya, where the Turkish army inflicted a crushing defeat of the Greek troops who were forced to retreat to Izmir. Turkish troops entered the city after the Greeks and set it on fire - Izmir was completely destroyed, leaving a fair amount of victims. Up to this day the Greeks and the Turks blame each other for that terrible fire.
On October 20, 1922 there was a peace conference held in Lausanne, which was attended by representatives of Britain, France, Italy, Turkey and other countries. The Treaty of Lausanne had secured the independence of Turkey and firmly established its boundaries. It also regulated the exchange of populations between Greece and Turkey.
There are concerts, military parades and militarized ceremonies held on Victory Day throughout the country, accompanied by Janissary marches designed to strengthen the connection of time in the mass consciousness.
This day (Zafer Bayrami) is also celebrated by the Turkish Cypriots.
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