Listening to a bit of the Kagen hearings this week I particularly enjoyed the remarks by some of the more conservative members of the Senate regarding the great wisdom of the Founding Fathers. Now, while they were specifically referring to the Constitution, I say their collective wisdom went far deeper. These fellows had tremendous foresight to pick the 4th of July for our national holiday. Could they have picked a better date? Really? I don’t think so. Could you imagine how much it would suck to have a National Day that wasn’t in the middle of Summer? They even went so far as to plan the day at very begging of Summer, before it gets really hot and muggy.
What a bunch of geniuses they were.
Just for giggles I went out to the Internet(s) and did an informal survey of nations around the world and when they celebrated their National Day’s. I was hoping to find a bunch of well known popular states with National Days in the middle of winter so I could point out the differences between good (us) and bad (them) So, what country could I compare us too? Well, what did I discover? Seems that the entire Western world is predisposed to having their national days in the middle of summer, leading me to believe, there might be some other forces at work, once again the damn conspiracies just never end do they.
Case in point? Look to the North, our cousins, and for me both figuratively and actually who enjoy one of the worlds highest standards of living in lovely Canada. To my Canadian readers (do I have one?) congratulations on 153 years of countryhood today, July 1st. That’s pretty danged close the 4th if you ask me. Hmmm.. K, look south.. Mexico, September 16.. technically, that’s still summer, albeit late summer. It seems that our Mexican neighbors wanted to wait for the heat to break before staging their big day. Makes sense as summers in Mexico can be brutal.. note that they do love to party down there, so they’ve added another big celebration, Cinco de Mayo, which we gringos like to confuse with the 4th of July, but is in fact, more of a kick the French out day.. something many Americans would get behind. Fact is, our fun loving southern cousins have effectively bookended summer with a couple big parties, kudo’s to them.
Speaking of the French, Bastille day is July 14, see the pattern emerging? Germany observes October 3 as Unification Day.. I would suggest they were looking for a day that fell around the real German National month, Octoberfest. We ALL know about that little party, so they get a pass. Italy goes for June 2, Croatia, June 25, see.. The United Kingdom.. Well they don’t get a “national day” since you have to have been granted Independence from something to qualify and the only thing the English have been granted Independence from that I know of is participation in the World Cup. But they do like the Queens Birthday which they observe, get this, on the last Saturday in June. Since the Worlds Favorite Monarch was actually born on April 21, well how is it that they’ve just slid the celebration two months forward to get better weather. You tell me that there aren’t forces in play planning all these events.
New Zealand? February 6, Australia January 26.. more proof.. the Southern Hemisphere nations have rigged their calendars to put their National Days right in the middle of the southern summer.
Japan, Feb 11.. ok bucks the trend, but in my experience Japanese, to uptight to party anyway.
So what it looks like to me, is that the entire world likes to have a big summer fete with fireworks and watermelon and gin and tonics.. and we have our beloved Founding Fathers to thank for it. So, this weekend when you’re lighting off your fireworks and eating your dogs and chips think back to that hot, sweaty conference room in Philadelphia 234 years ago when a bunch of guys in wigs and tights, knowing the future importance of the events of the day decided to “git’r done” and Declare Independence on one of the nicest days of year statistically. Had today’s processes and argumentative politicians been there, it would have gone to committee and we’d be celebrating fireworks in November, which would have stunk. Here’s the Founders. Thanks fellows.
