A national day is a day on which celebrations mark the statehood or nationhood of a state or its people. It may be the date of independence, of becoming a republic, of becoming a federation, or a significant date for a patron saint or a ruler (such as a birthday, accession, or removal).
The national day is often an official public holiday. Many countries have more than one national day. Denmark and the United Kingdom are the only countries without a national day. Britain abandoned Empire Day, while Denmark has what is not a public holiday but an unofficial celebration called Constitution Day.[1] National days emerged with the age of nationalism, with most appearing during the 19th and 20th centuries.[2]
Nations that are not broadly recognized sovereign states are shown in pink. Defunct states are highlighted in light grey. For nations that are dependent on, or part of, a sovereign state (such as federal states, autonomous regions, or colonies), the name of the sovereign state is shown in parentheses.
Days that are not fixed to the Gregorian calendar are sorted by their occurrences.
. It commemorates the date American Samoa became a US territory and first flew the US flag in 1900. As well is the date of adoption of the American Samoan flag in 1960.
Feast day of Saint George, patron saint of Aragon and his Crown. An old legend holds that during the battle of Alcoraz in 1096, Saint George appeared in support of Aragonese army force.
Commemorates the signing of the ASEAN Declaration in Bangkok on 8 August 1967 by five Foreign Ministers, marking the establishment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Independence from the United Kingdom in 1966. As well is the anniversary of the formal proclamation of Barbados as a Republic within the Commonwealth in 2021.
No official National Day. Fatherland Day is the unofficial Basque national holiday, associated with Basque nationalism. From 2011 to 2013 the official national day was on 25 October.
It commemorates the day on which BVI gained self-governing status within British control in 1967. Previously was known as Colony Day and later as Territory Day.
It commemorates the blooming season of the iris (also called fleur de Lys), which is the symbol of the Region. Also commemorates the victory day over the Nazis in World War II and a former feast day of Saint Michael, patron saint of the Region.
Constitution Day is the unofficial national holiday of Denmark, which has no official National Day. It commemorates the signing as both the first Constitution in 1849 and the current constitution in 1953.
Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) fighters enter Asmara in 1991 and Eritrea becomes a de facto independent state; United Nations recognizes Eritrea's independence from Ethiopia in 1993 after a UN-supervised referendum on nationhood.
(Longest Day of the Year) Greenland National Day was introduced in 1983 as one of the Home Rule's traditions and is thus one of several expressions of national identity
Hari Kebangsaan, independence from the United Kingdom (as Malaya) in 1957. Also known as Hari Kebangsaan (National Day) in Malay.
16 September
Malaysia Day, formation of Malaysia by uniting Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore into a single country in 1963. Proposed to be the second national day after Hari Merdeka.
Freedom Day, withdrawal of the last British troops from Malta in 1979
7 June
Sette Giugno
Sette Giugno, bread riot of 1919 in which 4 Maltese men died
8 September
Victory Day
Victory Day, celebrating the victory of the Knights of St. John over the Ottoman Empire in the Great Siege of Malta in 1565, the end of the French occupation in 1800, and the surrender of Italy to the Allies in 1943
Sabah Day, is celebrated to commemorate Sabah's independence from United Kingdom before joining Malaysia along with Sarawak and Singapore on 16 September 1963. It has since been celebrated since 2023.
Does not have a recognized national day (see proposed British national day), although the King's Official Birthday (King Charles III's was announced as being the third Saturday in June) is sometimes considered as such, for example, in British diplomatic institutions overseas
August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days.
Bastille Day is the common name given in English-speaking countries to the national day of France, which is celebrated on 14 July each year. It is referred to, both legally and commonly, as le 14 juillet in French, though la fête nationale is also used in the press.
December is the twelfth and final month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days.
July is the seventh month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. It was named by the Roman Senate in honour of Roman general Julius Caesar in 44 B.C., being the month of his birth. Before then it was called Quintilis, being the fifth month of the calendar that started with March.
May is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days.
Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 to 1992. It came into existence following World War I, under the name of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes from the merger of the Kingdom of Serbia with the provisional State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, and constituted the first union of South Slavic peoples as a sovereign state, following centuries of foreign rule over the region under the Ottoman Empire and the Habsburg monarchy. Peter I of Serbia was its first sovereign. The kingdom gained international recognition on 13 July 1922 at the Conference of Ambassadors in Paris. The official name of the state was changed to Kingdom of Yugoslavia on 3 October 1929.
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of a dependent territory or colony. The commemoration of the independence day of a country or nation celebrates when a country is free from all forms of colonialism; free to build a country or nation without any interference from other nations.
Republic Day is the name of a holiday in several countries to commemorate the day when they became republics.
A military parade is a formation of soldiers whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as drilling or marching. Large military parades are today held on major holidays and military events around the world. Massed parades may also hold a role for propaganda purposes, being used to exhibit the apparent military strength of a country.
Public holidays in Italy are established by the Italian parliament and, with the exception of city or community patronal days, apply nationwide. These include a mix of national, religious and local observances. As for Whit Monday, there is an exception for South Tyrol. In Italy there are also State commemoration days, which are not public holidays.
Constitution Day is a holiday to honour the constitution of a country. Constitution Day is often celebrated on the anniversary of the signing, promulgation or adoption of the constitution, or in some cases, to commemorate the change to constitutional monarchy.
Heroes' Day or National Heroes' Day may refer to a number of commemorations of national heroes in different countries and territories. It is often held on the birthday of a national hero or heroine, or the anniversary of their great deeds that made them heroes.
Independence Day is a national holiday in the Philippines observed annually on June 12, commemorating the declaration of Philippine independence from Spain in 1898. Since 1978, it has been the country's National Day.
The republics in the Commonwealth of Nations are the sovereign states in the organisation with a republican form of government. As of June 2022, 36 out of the 56 member states were republics. While Charles III is the titular Head of the Commonwealth, the King is not the head of state of the republican members. The King is however, the reigning monarch in the Commonwealth realms. The Head of the Commonwealth role does not carry with it any power; instead, it is a symbol of the free association of Commonwealth members.
Croatia held an independence referendum on 19 May 1991, following the Croatian parliamentary elections of 1990 and the rise of ethnic tensions that led to the breakup of Yugoslavia. With 83 percent turnout, voters approved the referendum, with 93 percent in favor of independence. Subsequently, Croatia declared independence and the dissolution of its association with Yugoslavia on 25 June 1991, but it introduced a three-month moratorium on the decision when urged to do so by the European Community and the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe through the Brioni Agreement. The war in Croatia escalated during the moratorium, and on 8 October 1991, the Croatian Parliament severed all remaining ties with Yugoslavia. In 1992, the countries of the European Economic Community granted Croatia diplomatic recognition and Croatia was admitted to the United Nations.
The decolonisation of Oceania occurred after World War II when nations in Oceania achieved independence by transitioning from European colonial rule to full independence.
The independence of Croatia was a process started with the changes in the political system and the constitutional changes in 1990 that transformed the Socialist Republic of Croatia into the Republic of Croatia, which in turn proclaimed the Christmas Constitution, and held the 1991 Croatian independence referendum.
The Constitution of Kiribati is the supreme law of Kiribati, which was implemented in 1979. The constitution was subsequently amended in the years 1995, 2016, and 2018. The constitution established the principles of the Bill of Rights and the protection of the Fundamental Rights and Freedoms of the individual.
↑ "Bastille Day – 14th July". Official Website of France. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Commemorating the storming of the Bastille on 14th July 1789, Bastille Day takes place on the same date each year. The main event is a grand military parade along the Champs-Élysées, attended by the President of the Republic and other political leaders. It is accompanied by fireworks and publics [sic] dances in towns throughout the whole of France.
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