Does Europe Have a 4th of July?

Jean Mercedes — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 20:53:07 +0000

Johnny: Does Europe have a 4th of July?
Josh: No.
Johnny: Yes, it does. It comes right after the 3rd of July.

Ok, it’s an old joke, but it works to make a point.

Many countries have national days to mark a special occasion in that country’s history, but very few (France is an exception) celebrate as much as Americans celebrate the Fourth of July.

The old German national day was June 17th. It commemorated a day in 1953 when over 400,000 people protested against the socialist government of East Germany. At least 55 people were killed when Soviet troops squashed the uprising. (Refer to wiki.)This is not exactly the kind of event which makes you want to plan a party 40 years later to celebrate. So when the German national day got moved to October 3rd, the official day of reunification, I was hoping that more barbeque parties would be in my future. So far, no luck. I have never been invited to an “October 3rd Party” nor have I ever heard about one. It just doesn’t happen. No flags, no parties, just a few politicians formally recognizing the day somewhere. The closest you get to a national celebration is when the Germans win an important soccer game.

With this type of background, it’s no wonder that Germans (and other nationalities) do not comprehend the American Fourth of July, if they have even heard of it. The concept of celebrating a national day is completly foreign.