National day
A national day is an annual holiday celebrating a nation’s identity, founding, independence, or another defining event in its history.
National identity: A shared sense of belonging to a nation, shaped by history, culture, institutions, and symbols. The holiday gives public expression to the identity it celebrates.
Bastille Day: France’s national day, observed on 14 July and associated with the French Revolution. It commemorates revolutionary events through a military parade and public celebrations.
Declaration of independence: A formal statement by a territory or people asserting political separation from a governing power. Many national days commemorate the declaration that announced a nation’s independence.
Public holiday: A date designated by law or public authority for a holiday, often involving work or school closures. National days are commonly established as official public holidays.
Indigenous peoples: Distinct peoples with historical continuity in lands later occupied or governed by colonial states. National-day dates can mark colonization and dispossession from Indigenous perspectives.
Nationalism: A political idea that a nation should have collective identity and, often, self-government. National days can affirm national unity and political sovereignty.
Independence Day (United States): A United States federal holiday observed on 4 July, marking the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. It is a prominent example of a national day centered on independence.
Nation-state: A sovereign state whose territory is associated with a particular nation. National days commonly celebrate the creation or sovereignty of a nation-state.
Commemoration: The act of recalling and honoring a person, event, or group through shared practices. The holiday repeats remembrance of a defining national event.
Historical revisionism: The reinterpretation of established historical accounts using new evidence or different perspectives. Debates over national celebrations can prompt reassessment of the histories they present.