Independence Day

Zoe · Independence Day

Happy Independance Day to our American friends. Are you doing anything to celebrate or do you just let it pass you by?!

LézionCraft

I'm spending it alone actually, the way i'd prefer it. Inside. But the good news is that i've got a box of ammunition, and a TON of fireworks.

And a few good friends on-line. You guys come on over now, i love getting drunk with the voices inside my computer. LOL

I am going out now though, to get beer with my mom and step-dad.

Mala

Did I hear beer mentioned? SWEEEET! Chuck me some over when you get back.

gnome1special

That is so kind to think of us on our Independence day!

My Independence day was quite good and a bit different than I've done in the past.

My church had family camp that week in central Oregon at a beautiful reservoir. The campground is called 'Cove Palisades' named such since the lake there is in an 800 ft deep canyon whose walls of basalt rise practically straight up.

During the 100 degree weather we were suffering under large lakeside cottonwoods and sharing boat rides with those of our members who had them. I actually remembered how to water ski, but it was a bit rough on the water, so I got tired quickly. My 15 year old daughter was pretty pleased with her old-man when he didn't crash into the water at the end, but skillfully glided to a stop (quite an improvement over the previous year ... thankfully she didn't see me wipe-out then).

That evening we went in to a nearby small town of 6000 people and sat right under the fireworks display put on by the local fire-department. I've never been close enough to a large fireworks display like that such that the cardboard casings were falling all around us... just a little unnerving to say the least, but man was that a great show!

So I'm wondering what kind of event might be the equivalent in England. Seems like it's been a pretty stable country since about 1066 (OK, I'm exaggerating a little). Is there a celebration to commemorate when it became a 'United Kingdom' with Scotland?

I feel a little ashamed of my ignorance on this subject. Please be kind.

Mala

We kind of have Saints Days. St Andrew is for Scotland, St David for Wales, St George for England and St Patrick for Ireland. Now, you'd think there would be a huge shindig for each of them wouldn't you? Oh no, the only one that really gets any attention is St Patrick. Even in England we celebrate it, there are parties, and much guiness is drunk. Scotland also has Burns Night, to remember the poet Robbie Burns. They read his poetry, eat haggis, and more than likely get really drunk.

gnome1special

Cool, thanks for the run-down. We also celebrate St Patrick. I have taught my children why St Patrick is even important ... that he was the first missionary to Ireland. He is even a key figure in why we still have as much info about antiquity as we do (Ireland's remote location saved its centers of learning ... the churches ... during the violence of dark ages).

Without Ireland being Christian after the fall of Rome, the dark ages would have been longer and darker since Ireland began sending out Missionaries in order to re-evangelize Europe with a message of civility and peace interlaced within its Christian message.

No, I'm not really Irish.