The Fourth of July – Why Do We Celebrate?
A Kid’s View of the Holiday
Parades
Parades, hot dogs, and fireworks. As a kid, that’s what the Fourth of July meant to me. Parades were fun, not just to watch, but also because there was a good chance candy would come flying through the air.
Summer Foods
Menus were full of summertime favorites like corn on the cob, potato salad, and desserts creatively showcasing red, white, and blue. And of course, someone manning a grill with plenty of hot dogs and hamburgers.
Fireworks
When it was dark, there were fireworks. We saw lots of different displays. Everything from big community shows to much smaller events in a friend’s backyard. The feelings were the same – excitement and wonder, mixed with a little bit of nerves. Hearing the explosives detonate, then watching the colorful designs burst out onto the night sky was the perfect end to a fun-filled day.
An Adult’s View of the Holiday
As an adult, I still enjoy the Fourth of July, but for slightly different reasons. Now, it’s about spending time with family and friends. Not many parades, but still, plenty of summer foods.
I still love fireworks. Whether it’s watching my kids enjoy our community’s display or supervising our family display in the backyard. I still feel the wonder and excitement of watching the fireworks light up the night sky.
Fireworks are the “big finish” for most Fourth of July celebrations across the United States. What is the point of the parades and barbecues awash in a sea of red, white and blue? Why do we set off fireworks to celebrate our country’s independence?
Why We Celebrate
On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence which formally stated their decision to break from Great Britian. For years, there had been growing frustration over Great Britain’s callous disregard for the colonists’ rights as British subjects. Armed conflict began on April 19, 1775, in Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts, which kicked off the American War of Independence.
How We Celebrate
America’s quest for independence is what we commemorate on July 4th. Founding Father, John Adams, in a letter to his wife, Abigail on July 3, 1776, stated that America’s independence should be celebrated with:
“Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.”
Fireworks provide the “pomp” and “illuminations” John Adams so appropriately wrote almost 250 years ago. Twin Feathers wishes you a Fourth of July filled with parades, fireworks, and maybe a hot dog or two with family and friends. And above all, a sense of wonder, excitement, and humble gratitude at the freedom we have in our country today.
Happy Independence Day!
God Bless!
The Fourth of July – Why Do We Celebrate?
By JD Buss
