Spring Festival

The traditional spring festival of Hıdrellez was celebrated across Turkey with modest events as the night of May 5 coincided with the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

Some 500 Bulgarians and Chinese on Saturday celebrated the upcoming Spring Festival by attending and applauding the gala show titled "Let's Share the Chinese New Year Together". 

Thousands of people across Turkey celebrated the spring festival of Nevruz on March 21.

Modern

Modern history traces the origin of Mother’s Day to the UK and the United States in the late 19th century, however the roots of the Spring festival celebrated on the second Sunday in May stem back to antiquity. Ancient Greeks held an annual spring festival to honor Rhea, the Titan daughter of Gaia, the earth goddess and sky god Uranus.

The annual spring festival at one of Turkey's internationally acclaimed universities, which has been organized for the past 28 years, was canceled due to a dispute between the rectorship and the student committee organizing the festival. 

In Sakarya University, near Istanbul, a "spring festival" was organized, as they do every year. We did not have such festivities in my college years but I have been invited to such festivals recently; they are quite fun. Pop music groups are invited; young people sing songs and have fun. I am guessing that such festivities are organized in most of the universities around the country. 

Japan's leader Shinzo Abe risked Chinese and Korean ire April 21 by sending an offering to a controversial war shrine, and saying he may not repeat a formal apology for the country's World War II rampage.

Militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) have opened fire on Turkish soldiers in the eastern province of A?r?, injuring four soldiers, Turkish military said in a statement on April 11. 

BELGRADE - The Belgrade spring festival, which will encompass a number of culture and sport events, exhibitions, competitions, concerts will be held in April and May.

As the Tourist Organization of Belgrade has stated, besides the events that are regularly held in the capital at this time of the year, the offer has been enriched with new content this year.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu urged people to bury guns in the ground instead of youths, referring to the decades-old conflict between the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and Turkey, at a spring festival organized by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Istanbul on March 21.