When I worked at Caterpillar, my division had a facility in Leicester, England.  Working internationally, there is the time difference to accommodate, but also a holiday difference. 

The US has federal holidays like Thanksgiving or Veteran’s Day.   As a teacher, we came in for 190 days, so didn’t have paid holidays.  The district calendar had some weekdays that we had off, like Good Friday or the day before Thanksgiving.  England has a different system.

In the UK, they have “bank holidays”.  When my British colleague, Gary, told me that he’d be out on Monday for the bank holiday, I asked him what holiday.  I thought it might be something interesting like Saint Crispin’s Day.  I don’t know if that’s a thing, but I’m here to learn.

Gary didn’t know.  He said it was just a bank holiday.  That makes no sense to me.  A holiday should have some purpose.  In matters of cultural exchange, it’s best not to push too hard for logic or explanations.  I didn’t pursue the question, but subsequently learned that England has a number of bank holidays that don’t signify anything.  Again, that sounds dumb.

England has some regular bank holidays like New Year’s Day or Christmas, but many of them are nonsense.  They have the first Monday in May and the last Monday in August.  It’s like they aren’t even trying to be a serious country.

London was settled by the Romans just after Jesus was crucified.  England has existed as some form of unified state for a thousand years.  A holiday is a way to unify the culture and to emphasize historic national events.  With the exception of Brexit, the UK hasn’t done anything consequential in a long time, but they used to matter a great deal. 

“The sun never sets on the British empire.”

A long time ago, people used to say that.  It’s possible that drifting into insignificance is related to having generic holidays.

Holidays should signify something worthwhile to pass along the culture and unify the country.  The traditions and activities should support the theme.  People don’t put much thought into the culture or the theme, but they should.  Otherwise, a country can end up like the UK.

What’s the theme for the 4th of July?

Don’t say it’s about fireworks and picnics.  Those are activities, not a theme. 

In my Happy Independence Day! post, I started with, “You only get to keep what you can defend.”

That’s true of people, companies and nations.  You don’t have to like it or believe it, but that’s what happens.

Capture the flag would be an appropriate activity for an Independence Day picnic.  King George couldn’t protect his flag, so we got a new one.

It’s possible to come up with a rationale for why any typical picnic activity relates to the Independence Day theme, but it’s worth the effort to consider traditions that strongly support the theme.

How about a picnic tradition where an interloper can steal your pie if it’s left unprotected?  You might think that the very old and the very young may not get any pie, but people could band together in a mutual defense pact. 

Fine, that idea needs more work.

The Declaration of Independence presents a litany of complaints about King George, all amounting to the imposition of an absolute tyranny.  Independence Day could be a day for parents to demonstrate that they are not tyrants and will entertain complaints from family members.  There would need to be some protocol established so it isn’t just a small-minded bitch session, but it could be instructive.

I have friends who go shooting on the 4th of July.  I get it, but that is an activity, not a theme.  Taking a self-defense course or playing paintball support the defense theme.

There are other themes for the 4th of July.

Most of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence were wealthy, and risked everything by signing it.  They valued liberty over security.  Do something with that.

It takes some effort to learn about the founding of America, but it’s worth learning and passing along that history.  Independence Day is not a day to apologize for the strongest country on the planet.