Celebrating Independence Day in the United States

Independence Day is one of the most important national holidays in the US calendar and is celebrated every year on 4 July and particularly eventful if you’re deciding to travel to the US around that time.

The date is very symbolic for all Americans since it represents the official birth of the country. It all started on 2 July 1776, when a gathering named the “congress” covertly cast a ballot for gaining independence from the United Kingdom. 

Just two days later, the statement of freedom was endorsed. And so “Independence Day” was announced and declared as a national holiday for all Americans. For government workers, this was an unpaid holiday but that changed in 1941. 

Although not obligatory, most companies give their employees the day off as paid leave. In fact, the US system for holidays varies greatly. Unlike here in the UK where most workers get around 4 weeks of paid holiday per year, the US is much less. For example, the federal government provides ten days (so two weeks) of paid holiday per year to their employees. But for people working in the private sector, it can vary from very little (just a few days per year) to the average of around ten days per year.

In the UK (as in Europe), holiday pay is far more generous, and this is why you won’t find many working Americans travelling to Europe. You either tend to see younger Americans (students) many Americans tend to only have short breaks

If you happen to visit the United States during the Independence Day holiday, these are some of the traditions you’ll see and that you should even try to join in with: 

Dress Code

Since Independence Day is such an important day in the American psyche, you’ll see people wearing patriotic clothing such as T Shirts, blouses and so on: basically, anything with red, white and blue colours or national symbols like the Washington monument, Statue of Liberty and so on. You’ll see children and even some adults with face paint and even their pets get dressed-up too.

Food 

Americans are big on food and often, more on the unhealthy side! But on Indpendence Day, this is when the great American BBQ comes into full play (served with squashed potato, fries, coleslaw or rice). You’ve probably seen barbeques in various scenes in American films and this pretty much reflects how Americans like to relax. But on Independence Day, a BBQ is almost obligatory.

Individuals purchase cakes from the pastry shops that are particularly intended during the current day. They contain the flawless red, white and blue shades of the banner. The hues are excluded distinctly in the cake yet additionally cupcakes and different sweets. These embellishments are done through sprinkles, a toothpick banner or natural products. 

Activities

As if just normal eating wasn’t enough, Americans also enjoy competitions with food. For example, watermelon or wiener eating rivalries (eating as many hotdogs as you can) or games are completed on this day. Kids and grown-ups entertain themselves with games like ball games, three-legged races, swimming exercises, and other such games and this is just the beginning.

Firework Shows

Many cities and towns celebrate the end of the Independence Day spectacular firework shows and as you can imagine, with a strong emphasis on different shades of the American flag: red, blue and white. 

Apart from being spectacular in their own right, it’s a good opportunity to observe how American families often come to the shows together and gives you a sense of how important family is to them.

Family Events 

Independence Day (together with Thanksgiving and Christmas) is often considered a day where families get together. Most American families are separated by significant distances for most of the year due to work commitments so this holiday allows them to get together. Obviously, this isn’t always the case, but a significant number of people do travel on this day so the day before, the airports are often overwhelmed. 

Marches

In the UK, we sometimes celebrate carnivals but in the US, they call them “marches” or “parades” Most cities and towns celebrate the Fourth of July with marches which incorporates fire engines, the military (including veterans), floats from local companies, local sports teams and any network of special associations or groups that march through the centre of town. This is definitely one of the events you should definitely attend because it will give you a real feel of how Americans get together on such an important national holiday.

Home Decorations

Almost all Americans show their pride for their country by decorating the outside of their homes such as displaying flags using a residential flagpole, hanging red, white, and blue balloons, and other adornments. If you happen to be hiring a car, take a deliberate detour away from the main highways and simply explore different suburbs.  

Travel Arrangements

Ideally, you should try to arrive to your chosen destination 1-2 days before and book your flights and especially accommodation as early as possible to get the best prices. Not all families get together at a family home: some actually meet up together at a more holiday-style location so planning and booking in advance is crucial. 

Working people tend to fly to their families the day before so avoid travelling on the 3rd July if you possibly can. Remember that in the United States, flying is much more common than in the UK due to the distances involved. For an American, flying is as common as ‘taking the number 10 bus to the town’ here in the UK!

Finally, don’t forget that you’ll need to get an ESTA visa exemption before you travel (one per person). In other words, you don’t need an official VISA but you will not be permitted to enter the US without having your ESTA certificate processed before you travel. Normally it’s a quick process which is completed online and has to be completed within at least 48 hours of your departure. Certain circumstances mean that it might take longer to process but this ESTA guide has all the details.