Generally,
the American and British cultures are not that far apart, but both sides like
to point out these minor differences, and exaggerate them. So let's focus on
the day that is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, and....freedom!
What is the difference in celebrating Independence Day in USA and British
National Day?
National Days are not
celebrated in Britain in the same way as they are in a number of other
countries. Britain
has a number of days of celebration which go largely uncelebrated, and others
which are associated with the constituent coutries of the UK. The latter category
includes St
George's Day (23.04) in England, St
Andrew's Day in Scotland (30.11), St
David's Day in Wales (1.03) and St
Patrick's Day (17.03) in Northern
Ireland.
So… how is celebrated the Britishness
… with a cup of tea among ‘favourite’ friends…?
No
way… Only St Patrick's Day in Northern Ireland (and the republic of Ireland)
and St Andrew's Day in Scotland (from 2007) are taken as an official
holiday. All the other national days are normal working days.
At present, the Queen's Official Birthday is
marked as a de facto national day by British diplomatic
missions overseas but not in the UK itself. Other days which could be seen as taking the form of a British
national day in recent years, albeit not annual events; it would be the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and
the Wedding of
Prince William and Catherine Middleton.
Alright…moving
to the 4th of July in America most of people imagine it like this…
…and
it’s not a stereotype! Independence Day is a day of family celebrations
with picnics and barbecues, showing a great deal of emphasis on the American
tradition of political freedom. Activities associated with the day include
watermelon or hotdog eating competitions and sporting events, such as baseball
games, three-legged races, swimming activities and tug-of-war games.
Above all, people in the United States express and give thanks for the
freedom and liberties fought by the first generation of many of today's
Americans. The Statue of Liberty is
a national monument that is associated with Independence Day.
That would be enough for this subject today. I suppose that next time
you’ll read some information about American Fast Food… not only hotdogs ;)
See
you next week!
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