Also, TIL UK doesn’t have a national day: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_National_Day
Historically St Georges Day (April 23rd) has been an English National Day, but not so much in the last 100 years or so. It’s not even a public holiday any more. But it’s still a reasonably well known thing
There have been some campaigns and stuff to refocus and increase the importance of it, but many (not all) of these have some connotations with the Right and that kind of Nationalism
Interesting, thanks! Personally, do you have any day you consider national day? St Georges Day or another?
Funnily enough, Saint Jordi (the Calan name of that saint) is a very big thing in Catalonia too, on the same date: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_of_Books_and_Roses
Not the guy who you were talking to, but I’m English and I can honestly say there’s not a single day that truly feels like a celebration of being “British”.
I think the closest anyone really gets to a day of unity (and not just for the individual countries) may be Remembrance Day? November 11th.
Apart from that, we’re like a dysfunctional family all celebrating our own things on our own days 😂
England is like that one sibling who thinks they’re the most important person in the room. Their other siblings hate them for all the bullshit they went through growing up because of them. England brushes it off as character building or some shit and continues to be an abusive older brother.
In Hungary, 15th March is a public holiday commemorating the ultimately unsuccessful 1848 revolution against the Habsburg rule, similar to the 23rd October memorials of another failed revolution, this time against the Soviets in 1956.
The national day of Hungary however is 20th August, in memory of the first king St Stephen I.
They kept the mummified right hand of the fella, it’s on display in a cathedral dedicated to him, so to this day you can still high five the founding father if you’re so inclined.
Interesting, thanks!
Some additional days:
- February 28: Andalusia National Day
- April 23rd: England National Day - Saint George
- March 1st: Wales National Day - Saint David
- May 19: Brittany Day
- July 11: Flanders
- July 25: Galician Day
- September 11: Day of Catalonia
- September 27: French Speaking Community of Belgium
- October 25: Day of the Basque Country
- November 30: Scotland National Day - Saint Andrew
It’s interesting how most of these days are in summer or autumn, hardly any are in winter.
They are probably mostly anniversaries of important historical events, which tend to occur when the weather is nice.
Sometimes I feel also because it’s just more pleasant to celebrate when the weather is nice.
A good example is Luxembourg which just decided to have it’s national day in June because why not:
It is celebrated on 23 June, although this has never been the actual birthday of any ruler of Luxembourg.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Duke's_Official_Birthday
Britain has also been doing that since at least Edward VII. His mother, Queen Victoria was born in late May so there was no need for this type of trickery.
I was very confused at first about that weird scoring system. Maybe I should take a nap
![[National days of European countries] We could maybe have a post on each national day, and hopefully someone from that country can present it?](https://discuss.online/pictrs/image/d7ea5847-b45c-4d61-a45f-89ead91515ad.png){kind=link}