It is Independence Day!!

This is something that I find very annoying, and have noticed it getting worse year after year.  The holiday to be celebrated this week is not the “4th of July” holiday, it is INDEPENDENCE DAY! We celebrate INDEPENDENCE DAY on the 4th of July. Only two signers actually signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th. INDEPENDENCE DAY is celebrated on July 4 because that is the day when the Continental Congress adopted the final draft of the Declaration of Independence. The significance is not the date, but the Declaration of Independence itself.

The official name of the holiday is INDEPENDENCE DAY, and it is so written on the US Office of Personnel Management website: http://www.opm.gov/Operating_Status_Schedules/fedhol/2008.asp where all official federal holidays are listed.

There are several holidays that fall on the same date year after year and none of the others are referred to by date. They are all referred to by the proper title of the holiday.

Examples:

New Years day is Jan. 1 (nobody refers to “Jan. 1 celebrations”)

Groundhog day is on Feb. 2

Valentine’s day is on Feb. 14

St. Patrick’s Day is March 17

Flag Day is June 14

Veteran’s Day is Nov. 11

Christmas is Dec. 25

There has been great diminishment of the word “Christmas” at Christmas time, but nobody has yet regulated the holiday to “the Dec. 25th festivities.” (but that may yet happen)

I believe that calling Independence Day “the 4th of July” is forgetting the reason for the day and eroding patriotism.  If you don’t have any special feelings for the USA, but enjoy sparklers, grilling hot dogs, drinking beer, and having a day off, then by all means call it the 4th of July, but if you love the USA, and are a patriot, please remember it is Independence Day that we are celebrating.

Please be patriotic and proudly tell everybody you meet this week “Happy Independence Day”.