When is Azerbaijani Republic Day observed?
Republic Day (Azerbaijani: Respublika günü) is the national holiday of Azerbaijan. It may also be known as 'Azerbaijan national identity restoration day'.
It is celebrated on May 28th. Since 2006, if May 28th falls on a weekend, the following Monday will be a holiday.
This holiday commemorates the founding of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan in 1918.
History of Azerbaijani Republic Day
By 1918 Azerbaijan had been part of the Russian Empire for over one hundred years. Following the Russian revolution, the Russian Empire had collapsed.
As a result, the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic was formed in March 1918, comprising modern-day Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia. This republic only lasted until May 26th 1918 when Georgia left the republic. Armenia and Azerbaijan followed suit two days later.
The Declaration of Independence, creating the Azerbaijani Democratic Republic, was signed on May 28th 1918 in the building of the former Palace of the Governor in Tiflis, Georgia.
The Azerbaijani Democratic Republic was the first secular and democratic parliamentary republic in the Muslim world. It was also the first Muslim republic to give women the right to vote in 1918, before the United States, France and a number of other progressive countries. This fledgeling nation was short-lived as Azerbaijan became part of the Soviet Union less than two years later.
Like most national holidays in the Soviet Union, Republic Day was not celebrated during Soviet times. The holiday was reinstated in 1990 following the collapse of the USSR.
Did you know?
Baku in Azerbaijan is 28 metres below sea level, making it the world’s lowest capital city.
Flag of Azerbaijan
The flag of Azerbaijan consists of three equal horizontal bands of blue, red, and green. In the centre red band, there is a white crescent and an eight-pointed star. Blue represents Azerbaijan's Turkic heritage, red symbolises progress, and the green represents Islam. The flag was first used during the period of the Azerbaijani Democratic Republic and was re-adopted on February 5th 1991.
Did you know?
The national animal is the karabakh horse.
