National Day
The National Day is a designated date on which
celebrations mark the nationhood of a nation or non-sovereign country. This
nationhood can be symbolized by the date of independence, of becoming republic
or a significant date for a patron saint or a ruler (birthday, accession,
removal, etc.). Often the day is not called "National Day" but serves
and can be considered as one. The National Day will often be a national holiday.
Some countries have more than one National Day. For
example, Pakistan has three National Days, none of which is named the ”National
Day”. This signals the use of a ”class” of National Days, that are equally
important in the foundation of the nation, and a ”class” of less important
official public holidays.
Importance attached to the National Day as well as
the degree to which it is celebrated vary greatly from country to country. For
example, Spain's National Day Fiesta Nacional de España is held on 12 October,
the day celebrated in other countries as Columbus Day or Día de la Raza,
and commemorates the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas.
A military parade is held in Madrid celebrating the occasion.National Day in
France is 14 July and known as the Fête nationale (known outside of
France as Bastille Day) commemorating the Storming of the Bastille, which is
considered the start of the French Revolution. It is widely celebrated and the French
Tricolour is much in evidence, while the President of the Republic attends a
military parade on the Champs-Élysées of Paris. In the United States, the Independence
Day celebrations on 4 July are widely celebrated with parades, fireworks,
picnics and barbecues. In Ireland, Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March, has been
the National Day and a Public Holiday for many years. However, in the United
Kingdom the constituent countries' patron saints' days are low-key affairs. In
recent times campaigns have commenced to promote the National Days of England,
Scotland and Wales, with St. Andrew's Day being designated as an official bank
holiday when the Scottish Parliament passed the St Andrew's Day Bank Holiday
(Scotland) Act 2007. A National Day for the United Kingdom has also been
proposed in recent years.
Eleanor Robson Belmont (13 December 1879 – 24 October 1979) was an English actress and prominent public figure in the United States.George Bernard Shaw wrote Major Barbara for her, but contractual problems prevented her from playing the role. Mrs. Belmont was involved in the Metropolitan Opera Association as the first woman on the Board of Directors, and she founded the Metropolitan Opera Guild.
ReplyDeleteEric William Flynn (13 December 1939 – 4 March 2002) was a Chinese born British film and stage actor and singer.Flynn had many television roles. He appeared as Alan-A-Dale in A Challenge for Robin Hood in 1967, as Leo Ryan in the Doctor Who story The Wheel in Space in 1968, as Ivanhoe in a 1970 TV mini series, and as Major Tom Graham in series five of Freewheelers in 1971.
ReplyDeleteHe was also an established musical theatre actor appearing in shows such as Evita, Annie Get Your Gun, The Sound Of Music, My Fair Lady, A Little Night Music, and Copacabana, starring alongside the likes of Lauren Becall, Maria Freidman, and Suzi Quatro. He originated the role of Bobby in Stephen Sondheim's Company
Most countries have a fixed date National Day, but some have movable dates. An example here is Jamaica, which up to 1997 celebrated its National Day on the first Monday in August. This commemorated independence from the United Kingdom which was attained on Monday, 6 August 1962, the first Monday in August of that year. Another example is Thailand which celebrates the birthday of the king on 5 December. This date will change on the accession of the heir to the throne.
ReplyDeleteMost national days can be categorized in two large blocks:
Newer countries that celebrate their national day as the day of their independence.
Older countries that use some other event of special significance as their national day.
Denmark and the United Kingdom are among the few countries that do not have designated national days.
Robert Lindsay (born Robert Lindsay Stevenson on 13 December 1949) is an English actor known for his stage and television work, including appearances with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and in musical theatre, and his roles as Wolfie Smith in Citizen Smith, Ian Frazier in Wimbledon and Ben Harper in My Family. He has won a BAFTA, a Tony Award and three Olivier Awards for his work.
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