Independence Day is a day of the year where a country celebrates its freedom from control by another country ^[i]. The following are the independence days of various countries and how they celebrate their freedom day:

Fact 1:

Argentina celebrate their independence day known as Acta de la Declaración de la Independencia Argentina every 9th of July . It was on July 9, 1918 where the Congress of Tucuman passed a resolution announcing the independence from Spain of the Provincias Unidas de America del Sur.

Citizens in Argentina celebrate their freedom day with political parades. Schools are closed for the day; special services are held at the Cathedral and also performances at the Colon   Theater ^[ii].

Fact 2:

Belize was a British Crown Colony since 1864 and declared its independence on September 21, 1981. Belizeans love to party, putting up their national flag, held parades and dances and food displays of their national food. It is a weeklong celebration starting every September 10 (St. George’s Caye Day) up to their freedom day ^[iii].

Fact 3:

Bulgaria celebrates Independence day on September 22 to celebrate its sovereignty from the Ottoman Empire in 1908.

Bulgaria was invaded by the Ottoman Turks in in 1394 and by 1396 the whole country has been occupied. In 1878, Bulgaria was granted autonomy as the Principality of Bulgaria and thirty years after, Prince Ferdinand of Bulgaria proclaimed the nation’s independence. However, Bulgaria was invaded by the Soviet Union in 1944 resulting to any independence commemoration void. In 1988. the Parliament of Bulgaria reinstated the the Bulgarian Independence Day which has been observed until now.

The country celebrates their independence day with official speeches, parades, public performances, church service and laying of wreaths to monuments and other memorials along with other festivities ^[iv].

Fact 4:

Columbia was under Spain since 1500 and in July 20, 1810, citizens in Bogota formed a representative council to go against the Spanish authority and finally achieved independence in 1810. Independence day in Columbia is celebrated where offices, schools and colleges are closed; festivals are held in various cities and events showcasing traditional dances and songs of the region ^[v].

Fact 5:

Denmark celebrates Constitution Day every 5th of June to commemorate the day of signing of the Danish Constitution in 1849 by Frederick IV. The signing of the constitution established Denmark as a constitutional monarchy. June 5 is also significant for Denmark because women were given the right to vote. The 1953 Constitution was honored as it was adopted on the very same day ^[vi].

Fact 6:

Every July 21, Belgium commemorates its independence from Netherlands Day in the year 1931. The London Conference of 1830-1831 gave the approval for Belgium’s independence. The day was also to observe the founding of the independent kingdom and crowning Prince Leopold I of Saxe-Coburg was appointed king of the Belgians ^[vii].

Fact 7:

The Cooperative Republic of Guyana celebrates its independence every May 26 to commemorate its freedom from Great Britain in 1966. Guyana was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1489 but the Dutch were the first to established colonies and later on was controlled by the British. Under the British rule, the country was known as the British Guiana.

British Guiana gained its independence from Britain on May 26, 1966 ^[viii].

Fact 8:

Iceland gained its independence from the Danish crown in 1944 and chose June 17 as the official holiday because it was Jon Sigurdsson’s birthday. He led Iceland in the nationalist cause.

Icelanders celebrate their independence day by hosting parades, street theater, shows and dances. They call their freedom day,”þjóðhátíðardagurinn” (the day of the nation’s celebration) ^[ix].

Fact 9:

Montenegro is one of the youngest countries in the world gaining their independence in May 21, 2006. The union of Montenegro and Serbia held a referendum in on the mentioned historic date where 55.5% voted for the independence of Montenegro and was recognized by Serbia and the countries of the United Nations^[x].

Fact 10:

The Seychelles became an independent republic on June 29,1976 with James Mancham as its first president but was removed after a coup d’ etat and made France-Albert René its president until 2004. He turned over the position to his associate, James Michel who is the current president^[xi].

Independence day is celebrated with the family for picnics and watching fireworks in the   evening^[xii].