Posted on August 15, 2013
Today is a big day in Liechtenstein, South Korea, and the Republic of Congo.
- People in Liechtenstein flock to the castle in their capital city, Vaduz, to see a ceremony, hear some speeches, and share drinks in the castle gardens. They enjoy a fair in the afternoon and a fireworks spectacular over the castle's tower at night.
Unlike
most national holidays, this isn't the anniversary of Liechtenstein
winning its independence or thwarting would-be conquerors. The
holiday was invented in 1940 to be on the day of the Catholic holiday
“the Feast of the Assumption” and to be the day before the
birthday of Prince Franz Josef II. A nickname for the holiday is not
“Independence Day,” but rather “Princely Celebrations.”
(Well, the German translation of the phrase!)
In South Korea, people celebrate liberation from Japanese rule in 1945 and the declaration of the South Korean state in 1948. There are official celebrations in Seoul, and people fly the flag on their homes and businesses. Museums and other public places are open for free—and people can even travel on public transport systems for free!
The
name of the Korean holiday translates to “Restoration of Light
Day.”
People
of the Republic
of the Congo
are celebrating their 1960 independence from France today. This
African nation has had some difficulty with the “republic” part
of their national name—becoming a single-party state for two
decades and suffering through a civil war that ousted a
democratically elected government! I guess that this nation did NOT
get involved in the Second Congo War, which was the deadliest war in
modern African history—the nation most devastated by that war is
the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Very similar name, right next
door, but not the same country.
Check
out Liechtenstein with this video.
Enjoy
this gallery of photos of
South Korea.
Here
is
a gallery of photos of the Republic of the Congo.
Also on this date:
Here are my Pinterest pages on August holidays, historical anniversaries in August, and August birthdays.
And here are my Pinterest pages on September holidays, historical anniversaries in September, and September birthdays.
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