'Republic Day' is the name of a
public holiday in several countries to commemorate the day when they first became
republics. Some of these are former
Commonwealth realms, in which the
British monarch was
head of state until the change of status.
January 26th in India
The
Constitution of India came into force, and India declared itself as a "Republic" on
January 26 1950, a date thereafter celebrated annually as 'Republic Day' in
India. The Constitution had been prepared by the
Constituent Assembly which was set up when India gained its independence from the British in 1947. This, in fact, was a deliberate act: the 26th of January was initially India's "Independence Day", one of Mahatma Gandhi's many symbolic acts during India's Freedom Struggle against British colonial rule, and the adoption of the Constitution on this date was felt able to strengthen its initial meaning, one calling for Indians of all ages to declare their freedom from the British Raj. It is one of three annual
national holidays in India, the other two being the nation's
Independence Day on
August 15 (since
1947) and the birthday of
Mohandas K Gandhi or
Mahatma Gandhi on
October 2. And so, after the disposal of the Empire of India, King
George VI was the last and only "King" of modern India.
To mark this occasion, a grand parade is held in
New Delhi, the Capital of India, beginning from
Raisina Hill near the
Rashtrapati Bhavan (Presidential Palace), along the
Rajpath, past
India Gate and on to the historic
Red Fort in the old quarter of the city. Different infantry, cavalry and mechanized regiments of the
Indian Army, the
Indian Navy and the
Indian Air Force march in formation, decked in all their finery and official decorations. The
President of India, who is also the Commander in Chief of the Indian Armed Forces, takes the salute. The Chief Guest of the parade is a Head of State of another nation. The parade also includes many traditional dance troupes, to symbolize the cultural heritage of India. It traditionally ends with a colourful
flypast by Air Force jets in a
tiranga formation. Similar parades are held in the capitals of all the states of India, where the Governors of the respective states take the salute.
March 23rd in Pakistan
March 23rd commemorates the date
Qarardad-e-Pakistan was approved in
Lahore in
1940 and
Pakistan became the first
Islamic Republic in the world (
1956). Therefore Queen
Elizabeth II was the last ruler of Pakistan, having ruled for just over four years as head of state until the Islamic declaration.
It is celebrated with parades in
Islamabad that involve both military contingents, such as the
Pakistan Armed Forces and
Pakistan Paramilitary Forces, as well as civilian ones.
==
May 28th in
Armenia and
Azerbaijan==
In
May 28,
1918 Armenia and
Azerbaijan declared independence from the
Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic, thus forming
Democratic Republic of Armenia and
Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. It was the first sovereign
republic in the history of both countries and the first
sovereign state ever for Azerbaijan). However the holiday was not celebrated during Soviet times, and it only achieved consistency after the collapse of the
USSR.
May 31st in South Africa (1961-1994)
Between 1961 and 1994,
May 31 was celebrated in
South Africa as 'Republic Day'. This practice was discontinued in 1995 following the attainment of majority rule and the reorganisation of public holidays as a consequence. On the last Republic Day, in 1994, South Africa rejoined the
Commonwealth of Nations.
June 2nd in Italy
The 'Festa della Repubblica' is celebrated on the second day of June, and it commemorates the institutional referendum of 1946 when (by
universal suffrage) the Italian population was called to decide what form of government (
monarchy or
republic) to give to the country after the
second world war and the fall of
Fascism.
After 85 years of
monarchy, with 12,717,923 votes for and 10,719,284 votes against,
Italy became a Republic, and the monarchs of the
House of Savoy were deposed and exiled. This is one of the most important Italian public holidays which, like July 14th in France and July 4th in the USA, celebrates the birth of the nation.
September 24th in Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago celebrates 'Republic Day' on the
September 24. Trinidad and Tobago became a
republic on
August 1 1976, fourteen years after independence from the
United Kingdom. Since that day was already a holiday (
Discovery Day, now replaced by
Emancipation Day), the holiday was placed on the birthday of the then
Prime Minister,
Eric Williams, although it was officially the date of the first meeting of
Parliament under the republican constitution. The holiday was abolished in 1996 to make way for
Spiritual Baptist/Shouter Liberation Day, but was reinstated in 2002.
October 5th in Portugal
October 5 in
Portugal is known as "Implantation of the Republic" (Implantação da República). It commemorates the proclamation of the
Portuguese First Republic in 1910.
October 10th in Republic of China
October 10 in
Taiwan is a national holiday commemorating the establishment of the Republic of China in 1911, the symbolic start of the Chinese revolution with the
Wuchang uprising.
October 24th in Rhodesia (1970-1979)
Although the government of
Ian Smith declared
Rhodesia (now
Zimbabwe) a republic on
March 2 1970, it was officially commemorated on
October 24. Following independence in 1980, the holiday was abolished.
October 25th in Kazakhstan
In the waning days of Soviet rule, individual
republics of the Soviet Union sought greater autonomy. The
Soviet Union agreed in early 1990 to give up its monopoly of political power. Following the lead of
Lithuanian SSR,
Russian SFSR and others,
Kazakh SSR declared its sovereignty on
October 25,
1990, and
Kazakhstan subsequently became independent on
December 16,
1991 as the Soviet Union collapsed.
October 25, the anniversary of the adoption of the "Declaration on State Sovereignty of Kazakh SSR" by the Kazakh legislature in 1990, is now commemorated as Republic Day (), a
public holiday in Kazakhstan.
October 29th in Turkey
On
October 29 1923, the
Turkish constitution was amended and
Turkey became a
republic. This formally declared the dissolution of the
Ottoman Empire. Republic Day is celebrated throughout Turkey every year. Commemorative events usually begin in the afternoon on the previous day.
November 29th in former Yugoslavia (1945-1990)
On
November 29 1943 the
Anti-Fascist Council of National Liberation of Yugoslavia established the foundations of post-war
Yugoslavia as a
socialist republic, which was officially proclaimed on the same date in
1945. 'Republic Day' (local name: ''Dan Republike'' or ''Дан Републике'') marked the occasion two consecutive days, November 29 and
30, and was likely the most important public holiday (the other two-day holidays were
New Year and
May Day).
In
elementary schools first graders were inducted into the
Pioneer Movement on or around Republic Day. Employees merged the holiday with weekends and extra days off to form 3-, 4- or even 5-day weekends. Urban dwellers took the occasion to visit their relatives in the country, who marked the event with
pig slaughter and the ensuing feast.
In
1980s, as central and Communist Party authority eroded, dissenters targeted Republic Day celebrations for criticism. In
1987 Bosnian garage rock band ''
Zabranjeno pušenje'' came out with a song entitled ''Dan Republike'', criticizing the state of the economy and describing the general indifference to the ideals behind the holiday. The band needed to
change some of the lyrics before being allowed to air the song.
In
1990 Slovenia and
Croatia were the first former federal republics to cease observing the holiday. Other republics followed suit as Yugoslavia dissolved.
The date "29.XI.1943" figured prominently on the
Yugoslav coat of arms.
December 13th in Malta
On
December 13 1974, the
constitution of
Malta was substantially revised, turning the former
British colony into a
republic within the
Commonwealth. This occasion is marked every year as ''Republic Day'' in Malta.
December 30th in Romania (1948-1989)
On
December 30 1947, king Michael the first of
Romania (a Hohenzollern, and cousin of Queen Elizabeth of England) was forced to abdicate by the recently established Soviet backed regime. Since then and until the fall of communism in 1989, it has been one of the major celebrations in the Socialist Republic of Romania. Season's Greetings cards sent out by officials working in ministries, party offices, etc., during that period contained instead of Christmas and New Year's wishes, Happy Republic Day & Happy New Year related congratulations as well as wishes for health, and success in fulfilling the objectives set forth by the Party and its beloved leader, comrade Ceausescu ...
Republic Day in other countries
★
Armenia:
May 28 (
1918, see
Democratic Republic of Armenia)
★
Azerbaijan:
May 28 (
1918, see
Azerbaijan Democratic Republic)
★
Brazil:
November 15 (
1889)
★
Burkina Faso:
December 11 (
1958,
Upper Volta became an autonomous republic in the
French Community.)
★
East Germany
★
Estonia:
February 24 (
1918)
★
Gambia:
April 24 (
1970)
★
Ghana:
July 1 (
1960)
★
Guyana:
February 23 (
1970, also known as
Mashramani)
★
Iran:
April 1 Islamic Republic Day
★
Iraq:
July 14
★
Kenya: around
December 12 (
1963, see
Jamhuri Day.)
★
Lithuania:
May 15 (
1920, known as the
Constituent Assembly Day)
★
Niger:
December 18 (
1958)
★
North Korea:
September 9 (
1948)
★
Pakistan:
23 March (
1956, also referred to as 'Pakistan Day')
★
Sierra Leone:
April 27, (
1961)
★
Tunisia:
July 25, (
1957)
See also
★
Republic Day
★
RepublicDay.IN Be Proud to be an Indian
★
Indian Republic Day - Wallpapers and other inormation
★
National Day
★
National holiday
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