Children’s Day was first celebrated in Turkey in 1924, emphasizing that children are the future of a nation. This message was recognized by the United Nations in 1979 and became the start of the International Children’s Day. Today, children from more than 100 countries around the world visit Turkey for this celebration, where they reside in Turkish homes and interact with Turkish children and their families, spreading knowledge and sharing understanding about each other’s countries and cultures.

At TCCP, our organization of International Children’s Day in April each year creates awareness of and celebrates the rich cultural diversity of our Pittsburgh region. All schools and communities in the Greater Pittsburgh area are invited to participate in the festival. Besides sharing the joy and the uniquely diverse atmosphere, students from participating schools and/or communities have the opportunity to introduce their cultural heritage through performances, such as a short dance program, song, poem or any another medium of their choice.

TCCP co-organized the celebrations with Snowdrop Elementary School. The celebrations took place in the Kelly Strayhorn Theatre in East Liberty and at the Carnegie Library of Homestead. The festival featured performances of children from several ethnic communities in Pittsburgh, including:

• Indian dance from Sri Venkateswara Temple,
• Korean Central Church of Pittsburgh Dance Group,
• Snowdrop Elementary School Turkish Folk Dance Group,
• Kyiv Ukrainian Dance Ensemble,
• Pakistani traditional clothes exhibition,
• Bulgarian-Macedonian dance from Bulgarian-Macedonian National Educational and Cultural Center,
• Irish folk dance  from Burke Irish Dance School,
• Jewish chorus from Temple Sinai Weekend School,
• Arabian chorus from Universal Academy of Pittsburgh,
• Chinese folk dance from Oriental Star Dance School.

The festival is open to the public, and is an excellent opportunity to bring together children and their families from different schools and cultures who call Pittsburgh home.

More pictures from the 2007 International Children’s Day can be found at the photo gallery.