{"id":720,"date":"2011-07-01T16:35:26","date_gmt":"2011-07-01T20:35:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/?p=720"},"modified":"2015-06-16T14:12:23","modified_gmt":"2015-06-16T18:12:23","slug":"independence-days","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/independence-days","title":{"rendered":"Independence Days"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Fireworks<\/a><\/p>\n

Roughly $191 million in fireworks were imported into the United States from China in 2010. We\u2019re willing to bet a majority of those pyrotechnics explode the eve of July 4th<\/sup>, celebrating America\u2019s Independence. But before the skies light up in red, white and blue\u2014the day is packed with parades, barbecues and well, just kicking back to enjoy a national day off. A short three days prior, Canada also celebrates its independence in a similar manner but with a slight twist in Qu\u00e9bec. The fanfare is a little more toned down there because it\u2019s also considered \u201cmoving day,\u201d the date that\u2019s historically been the end of most lease agreements! (Who can blame them\u2014it\u2019s tough to enjoy a day of unpacking boxes.) Around the world, most countries host a national party to mark their day of independence. (And some even have two such as Latvia, Belize<\/a> and the Czech Republic<\/a>.) Though fireworks are pretty common, here\u2019s a look at how some cultures celebrate in unique ways.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Peru<\/a>:\u00a0 Although July 28th <\/sup>is Peru\u2019s official day of independence, or Fiestas Patrias, Peruvians take two national holidays to celebrate its liberation from the Spanish empire. It\u2019s traditional to play creole music or Andean serenatas in public parks the eve before and then wake to a 21-cannon salute to the raising of the flag at sunrise. The following day, a famous military parade is held in downtown Lima<\/a> where the President addresses the masses. In other parts of the country, it wouldn\u2019t be a proper celebration without agricultural and cattle fairs. Oh, and one more thing. Cockfighting and bullfighting are not only legal but also very popular in Peru, particularly on Peruvian Independence Day.<\/p>\n

India<\/a>:\u00a0 Just like the Americans (and the South Africans<\/a>, Afghanis, Fijians<\/a>, and Nigerians to name just a few), Indians celebrate their liberation from the British. India\u2019s Independence Day takes place on August 15th <\/sup>and in true patriotic style, Indians decorate their streets with flags and buntings in saffron, green and white (the colors of India) a whole month in advance. On the actual day, children attend cultural exhibitions and fly kites high in the sky. But kite flying isn\u2019t just a holiday hobby. It\u2019s an ancient Indian tradition loved by everybody from the rich to the poor\u2014and even the kings.<\/p>\n

Switzerland<\/a>: You may be surprised to learn that Switzerland declared its independence from the Holy Roman Empire all the way back in 1291. Although Swiss National Day is celebrated on August 1st<\/sup> the actual date of independence has been lost in the annals of time. (Though it\u2019s somewhere around the beginning of August.) But what better time to celebrate independence than in the midst of summer when the Swiss illuminate the Rhine Falls near Schaffhausen, light fireworks and gather to sing the national anthem. Although the Swiss have been officially celebrating Swiss Day since 1891 (yes, that\u2018s 600 years after independence), it\u2019s only since 1994 that they voted to take that day off work!<\/p>\n

Independence day around the world reminds us of the struggles endured to secure liberation. While it may not always be a case of this land is your land, this land is my land <\/em>(rather this land isn\u2019t your land, this land is my land), <\/em>without doubt Independence Day is a great time for putting our unique national identities first and, above all, celebrating freedom.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Roughly $191 million in fireworks were imported into the United States from China in 2010. We\u2019re willing to bet a majority of those pyrotechnics explode the eve of July 4th, celebrating America\u2019s Independence. But before the skies light up in red, white and blue\u2014the day is packed with parades, barbecues and well, just kicking back Read More …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"aside","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[173,63,172],"tags":[120,121,58,122],"class_list":["post-720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-aside","hentry","category-parents","category-students","category-teachers","tag-4th-of-july","tag-canada-day","tag-educational-travel","tag-independence-day","post_format-post-format-aside"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=720"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/720\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5790,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/720\/revisions\/5790"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}