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 d

ate of independence, of becoming a republic or a significant date for a patron s
aint or a ruler (birthday, accession, removal, etc.). Often the day is not calle
d "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 o
f a "class" of National Days, that are equally important in the foundation of th
e 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 cel
ebrated vary greatly from country to country. For example, Spain's National Day
Fiesta Nacional de Espaa is held on 12 October, the day celebrated in other count
ries as Columbus Day or Da de la Raza, and commemorates the anniversary of Christ
opher Columbus's arrival in the Americas.[1] A military parade is held in Madrid
celebrating the occasion.[1] The National Day in France is 14 July and known as
the Fte nationale (known outside of France as Bastille Day) commemorating the St
orming of the Bastille,[2] which is considered the start of the French Revolutio
n.[3] It is widely celebrated and the French Tricolour is much in evidence, whil
e the President of the Republic attends a military parade on the Champs-lyses of P
aris. In the United States, the Independence Day celebrations on 4 July are wide
ly celebrated with parades, fireworks, picnics and barbecues. In Ireland, Saint
Patrick's Day, 17 March, is the equivalent of a national day and has been a publ
ic holiday for many years. However, in the United Kingdom the constituent countr
ies' patron saints' days are low-key affairs. In recent times campaigns have com
menced to promote the National Days of England, Scotland and Wales, with St. And
rew's Day being designated as an official bank holiday when the Scottish Parliam
ent 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.
Most countries have a fixed date National Day, but some have movable dates. An e
xample is Jamaica, which up to 1997 celebrated its National Day on the first Mon
day 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. Isra
el's Independence Day is not fixed relative to the civil Gregorian calendar, bei
ng formally linked to 5 Iyar on the Jewish calendar, but may also be moved to an
y day between 3 and 6 Iyar in order to avoid preparing for or celebrating either
Independence Day or Memorial Day (which immediately precedes Independence Day)
on Shabbat; the practical effect of this is that Independence Day may be celebra
ted any day between 15 April and 15 May. Another example is Thailand which celeb
rates the birthday of the king on 5 December. This date will change on the acces
sion of the heir to the throne.
Most national days can be categorized in two large blocks:
Newer countries
ce.
Older countries
nal day.
Denmark and the
gnated national

that celebrate their national day as the day of their independen

that use some other event of special significance as their natio
United Kingdom are among the few countries that do not have desi
days.

Contents [hide]
1 List of National Days
2 See also
3 References
4 External links
List of National Days[edit]

See also: List of national independence days

Map with reasons for national days
Regions that are not sovereign states or part of a federal system (shared sovere
ignty) are shown in pink.
Nation Date
National Day
Afghanistan
19 August
Independence from United Kingdom control over Af
ghan foreign affairs in 1919
Albania
28 November
"Dita e Pavarsis", declaration of independence fro
m Ottoman rule in 1912
Alderney (British Islands)
9 May Liberation Day, the end of the German Oc
cupation of the Channel Islands during World War II 1945
Algeria
1 November
Start of the War of Independence in 1954
American Samoa (United States) 17 April
US Flag Day
Andalucia (Spain)
28 February
Da de Andaluca [4]
Andorra
8 September
Our Lady of Meritxell Day, patron saint of Andor
ra
Angola 11 November
Independence from Portugal in 1975
Anguilla (United Kingdom)
30 May Anguilla Day; the beginning of the Angui
llian Revolution in 1967
Antigua and Barbuda
1 November
Independence from the United Kingdom in
1981
Aragon (Spain) 23 April
St George's Day, patron saint
Argentina
25 May First Patriotic Government, the Spanish viceroy is remov
ed and replaced by the Primera Junta during the May Revolution
Argentina
9 July Declaration of Independence, from Spain in 1816
Armenia
28 May Republic Day, independence from the Transcaucasian Democ
ratic Federative Republic 1918
Armenia
21 September
Independence from the Soviet Union recognised in
1991
Aruba (Kingdom of the Netherlands)
18 March
Flag Day; adoption of th
e flag in 1976
Ascension (United Kingdom)
2nd Saturday in June
Australia
26 January
Australia Day, date of the founding of Sydney, t
he first European settlement in Australia, 1788
Austria
26 October
The Neutrality Constitution of 1955
Azerbaijan
28 May Republic Day, independence from the Transcaucasian Democ
ratic Federative Republic 1918
Bahamas
10 July Independence from the United Kingdom in 1973
Bahrain
16 December
Accession Day of Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the
first Emir of Bahrain
Bangladesh
26 March
Independence Day, declaration of independence fr
om Pakistan in 1971
Bangladesh
16 December
Victory Day, the day the Bangladesh Liberation W
ar ended in 1971
Barbados
30 November
Independence Day, from the United Kingdom in 196
6
Basque Country (Spain) 25 October
Day of the Basque Country
Belarus
3 July Independence Day, liberation of Minsk from German occupa
tion by Soviet troops in 1944
Belgium
21 July Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld takes the oath as first
king of the Belgians in 1831
Belize 10 September
Independence from Spain in 1798, alternatively celebrate
d as Battle of St. George's Caye Day [5]
Belize 21 September
Independence from the United Kingdom in 1981
Benin 1 August
Independence from France in 1960
Bermuda (United Kingdom)
24 May Originally Queen Victoria's birthday; no
w "Bermuda Day" to celebrate the islands' heritage and culture
Bhutan 17 December
Ugyen Wangchuck elected hereditary king in 1907

Bolivia
6 August
Proclamation of Republic (independent from Spain
) in 1825
Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 March Dan nezavisnosti; Proclamation of indepe