So today I wanted to take a bit of a break and just talk about independence. I read this great article from the Huffington Post about independence around the world.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/02/independence-day-celebrat_n_222582.html
The article talks about the post-colonial world and how so many nations have a day to commemorate as their day of independence. Like us most countries claim independence from England which has been the record holder for most colonies owned since the days of exploration. Pakistan celebrates their break from England in a similar fashion to America, its all about fireworks and giving glory to their flag. They celebrate their independence on August 14th every year since 1910.
Similarly is India who celebrates their independence the next day on August the 15th. Their Prime Minister raises the flag over the Red Fort and there are many celebrations in the capital, New Dehli.
Most of the time when we think of the colonial world we think of Africa, Asia and the Americas but even Europe's map looked different at the beginning of the 20th century. Finland gained their independence from Russia on December 6th 1917 and celebrates by showing the film "The Unknown Soldier" based on a book of the same name by Väinö Linna.
Further Reading:
A pretty comprehensive list of national days off:
http://www.mapsofworld.com/national-day.html
The original Huffington Post article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/02/independence-day-celebrat_n_222582.html
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