Posted
on July 4, 2016
Of
course, it's the fourth of July everywhere that uses the Gregorian
calendar (and every nation in the world has to use the Gregorian
calendar to some extent, even the five who haven't officially adopted
it) – but the Fourth of July is a holiday in the United States.
I
got to wondering – is it also a holiday in the United States
Territories?
Yes...and
no. And to some extent there is unhappiness for at least some
residents about the irony of celebrating independence when their own
territories are themselves denied independence.
In
Guam, there are beach parties, picnics, fireworks, and American
flags. But the people of Guam are denied meaningful representation in
the U.S. federal government, since they have only one non-voting
delegate in the House and don't participate in the Presidential
election. Some people of Guam urge commonwealth status, statehood, or
the merging with other territories or with Hawaii....or of course
independence! So far, the U.S. government has rejected proposals.
In
Puerto Rico, those who want statehood tend to celebrate the Fourth
with music, food, and fireworks. But some people want Puerto Rico to
become fully independent, and they tend to celebrate other holidays
instead. Since most workers have the day off, though, beaches and
other tourist destinations are crowded with families having fun
together.
In
the U.S. Virgin Islands, one of the islands (Saint John) has a
month-long carnival that ends on the Fourth of July. There are
Calypso musicians, parades, the crowning of Ms. St. John and the
Carnival King, and big fireworks displays.
 |
| Some aspects of St. John's Fourth is typical U.S. stuff (like above), but other aspects is more typical of Caribbean and Carnival (like below). |
In
American Samoa, people have the day and do typical day-off kinds of
things, like resting or recreating or getting together. But there
isn't much in the way of parties, celebrations, or fireworks.
Finally,
in the Northern Marianas, the week-long Liberation Day Festival ends
on the Fourth of July. There is a parade with floats (like the one seen here), a beauty pageant, entertainment, and
carnival-like booths for food and games.
Check out some gorgeous photos of these five territories:
 |
| (Above and below) American Samoa |
 |
| (Above and below) Guam |
 |
| (Above and below) Northern Marianas |
 |
| (Above and below) Puerto Rico |
 |
| (Above and below) U.S. Virgin Islands |
Also
on this date:
Plan ahead:
Check
out my Pinterest boards for:
And
here are my Pinterest boards for:
No comments:
Post a Comment