Growing up, my best memories of July 4th, the U.S. Independence Day, were picking out my clothes in shades of red, white and blue, helping my mom put our U.S. flag outside our house and getting to run around with fire sparklers around our backyard at night.
Sparklers were for the younger kids (say 8 years old and up), while the big kids were helping the adults set off fireworks on our side yard. You’re not allowed to light off your own fireworks now in NJ for safety reasons, come to think about it, I’m pretty sure that you weren’t allowed to back then either.
I can still smell the savory scents of the day: hotdogs, sauerkraut, hamburgers, sausage, peppers and onions coming from the grill, and the aroma of mom’s potato salad, barbecue chicken and corn on the cob coming from the kitchen. We barbecued all day in our backyard, and my parents would have their friends over. And, everyone brought their kids, so the kids were always off playing on their own.
My mom would also make a U.S. flag cake, decorated with blueberries, strawberries and whipped cream, and my dad would stand over the grill until everyone had their fill. I can still hear him calling me his “bicentennial baby” because I was born in the year of my nation’s bicentennial, 1976.
Sometimes, after the barbecue, we would all get packed up in the car and head to our local beach on the Atlantic ocean to watch the fireworks shot off from boats at night. We would spend time in the arcades on the boardwalk playing games before the sun went down for the fireworks show. Then, we’d head onto the moonlit beach wrapped up in beach towels to keep out the chill of the cool ocean breezes and look up to the evening sky in anticipation of the lights and booms.
In my experiences there were never any ill-sentiments toward England on this day, although we are all well aware of who we fought for independence from. The day, to me, is a summer celebration of our country, our flag and our colors. (I have bought matching tank tops with the U.S. flag on them for me and my girls to wear today.)
Another way I have celebrated the 4th of July was watching fireworks over the Washington Monument with my friends and husband when we lived close to our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. Also, back in my single days, my friends and I watched the New York City fireworks from Jersey City, NJ and, more recently, we have taken family trips down to the beach to watch the Atlantic City, NJ fireworks.
But one year, when I was 17 years old, my July 4th was silent. In 1993 I was a foreign exchange student in Japan and lived with a Japanese family in Fukui, Japan. July 4th came, and there was no celebration. It was just another day in the week. This was soooo eerie to me! I remember feeling a bit homesick on that day, thinking about all the celebrations being had at home.
So, I’m writing this post, and thinking…ok, I need to get into a whole explanation about the history behind our independence from England, etc., and I just keep talking about get togethers and fireworks. But, maybe that’s just exactly what the day has become for mainstream America? An annual celebration appreciating our country with family and friends. I’ve got to go get my flag shirt on!
Does your country celebrate an Independence Day? If so, how do you celebrate? And, if you are from the U.S., have you ever been out of the country on the 4th of July? If yes, how did you feel?
This is an original post to World Moms Blog by our founder and Editor in Chief, Jennifer Burden, of New Jersey, USA. Jennifer can be found blogging and recapping the week on Saturdays, here, on World Moms Blog.
Photo credit to Steve Burden.
Happy 4th July! Great to read about how you celebrate this day, lovely to have a day to be with friends and family! (And I hope you are not online today to respond to comments! 🙂 )
In Norway we celebrated our “independence day” on 17th May, which is our Constitution Day – and not actually the day we gained Independence (that didn’t happen until about 91 years later!) But anyway – I take the oppurtunity to link to my article about our day 🙂
http://worldmomsblog.com/2011/05/17/norway-eye-on-culture-national-day/
Hi Asta!
Yep, I was out celebrating! It’s a fun day for our family at the beach! 🙂
Jen
Happy Independence Day Jen! Hope you have a great day with your family.
Malaysia celebrates Independence Day on August 31. It’s marked by a huge parade at Merdeka Square (Independence Square) early in the morning of the day, attended by the King, other royal families, the Prime Minister and all the Cabinet members. It’s also a huge occasion for Malaysians and many bring entire families to witness the parade. It’s always broadcast live on local terrestrial stations, and has even become a tourist attraction.
Hi Alison!
Thank you! I’d love to hear more about your experience of Malaysia’s Independence Day! Maybe a future blog post?
Thank you for reading!
Jen
Australia Day is 26th January and we celebrate in much the same way. I agree though that It’s very much a celebration of our country and a day to spend with family and friends, a time for being thankful for the country we live in and the freedom we have.
I experienced a 4th of July when I was in America many years ago – probably the only thing that was different were the readily available fireworks. We have laws against personal use or purchase of fireworks. Mind you we always have massive fireworks displays put on across the country.
I loved reading about your memories of this special celebration
Hi Fiona!
It depends on the U.S. State. Fireworks are illegal to sell in some states and readily available in others. In NJ you really don’t see them like you used to, which for safety reasons, is a good thing.
That is great that you were able to experience and compare the Independence Day celebrations of 2 countries!
Jen
Great post, to which I can totally relate! It has always been about the celebration, the colors, the food & fireworks. We moved to a small town in the fall of last year, so we were very excited to see how they celebrate here. So far, it’s been a fun morning in town with a pancake breakfast, kid bike parade followed by the town parade, which included floats from the Snoqualmie native tribe to antique tractors to PFLAG moms to mariachis! We came home for naps and some downtime (hence my retreating to the internet for a few minutes of “me” time), before the big neighborhood block party this evening. It seems we are in a zone that is just outside city lines, so the big fireworks are ok…and have been going off since last night! Happy 4th!
It sounds like your town has quite the celebration, Tara! I hope you had a great day, and thanks for checking in during nap time! 🙂
Jen
Canada Day is observed on July 1st. Although there are always plenty of fireworks displays to choose from, we don’t go because the noise plus the crowds is too much sensory overload for my son with autism. What we do, though, is find a quiet spot to park, where we can watch the displays from a distance. It’s still exciting for the kids, and it’s a nice family bonding moment for all of us.
Great post!
Kirsten
Hi Kirsten,
Thanks for sharing how you celebrate Canada Day with the whole family, while preventing sensory overload for your son with autism. You are always thinking!
Jen 🙂
Belated Happy 4th July to you and all the other Americans, Jen. Our national day holiday is nothing like your Independence Day ones…
Do I feel a post coming on, Karyn? lol!
Thanks for your wishes!
Jen 🙂