January 1· Holiday
New Year's Day
The first day of the new year — a public holiday by law in all eight Turkic states; in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan 1–2 January are days off.
1 January is a public holiday by law in all eight Turkic states. Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have 1–2 January off, and in Kyrgyzstan the break is longer together with Orthodox Christmas.
In the Turkic world New Year is a family holiday: festive tables are laid, trees decorated and children given presents. At midnight the heads of state address the nation, and fireworks light up Baku, Istanbul, Astana, Ashgabat, Tashkent and Budapest.
Different traditions
In Azerbaijan 31 December is celebrated together with the Day of Solidarity of World Azerbaijanis. Türkiye has its yılbaşı night and Hungary its Szilveszter night, with big street celebrations. In Central Asia New Year is the second great festival of the year alongside spring Nowruz.
Video
Photos
Baku at night · AlixSaz / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 
Istanbul and the Bosphorus Bridge at night · Andrey Filippov 安德烈 / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 
Astana at night · Matti Blume / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 
Ashgabat by night · Hans Birger Nilsen / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 
Fireworks in Budapest · Christo / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 
The Flame Towers seen from the Boulevard · Xoncha / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Kazakhstan: other days
- January 7Orthodox Christmas
- March 1Day of Gratitude
- March 8International Women's Day
- March 15Constitution Day
- March 21Nauryz Meiramy
- May 1Unity Day of the People
- May 7Defender of the Fatherland Day
- May 9Victory Day
- May 31Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Political Repression and Famine
- July 6Capital Day
- October 3Founding of the Organization of Turkic States
- October 25Republic Day
- December 16Independence Day
- 10 Dhu al-Hijjah in the Islamic calendar — the feast of the Hajj pilgrimage; moves about 11 days earlier each yearEid al-Adha