National Day of the People's Republic of China

In the autobiography that I received from China, Curry (my pen pal) mentioned something about the "National Holidays." I was immediately intrigued to know what this meant. We have several national holidays here in America, so I didn't know if he was referring to something specific, or just holidays in general. I decided to look more into China's National Day. 

 

Flag Raising Ceremony for National Day

National Day is a holiday celebrating the formation of the People's Republic of China. The country was founded on September 21st, 1949, and the first National Day was celebrated ten days later, on October 1st, 1949. In corresponding with Curry, I learned that the National Holidays start on October 1st and extend until October 7th. These seven days are called Golden Week. Besides the Spring Festival Holiday, this is the longest holiday in China. This year marks the 65th National Day of the People's Republic of China.

Military Parade for National Day

Encyclopedia Britannica says that at the first National Day Ceremony in 1949, Mao Zedong waved the new China flag in Tiananmen Square. Today, the flag is raised there to kick off the National Day festivities, as shown above. There is also a military parade like the one shown in the photo, fireworks, singing and dancing shows, and state dinners, according to Travel China Guide. There is a lot of traveling and tourism during this time as well. National Day and Golden Week are a very special, exciting time for people in China.

China's National Day reminded me of Independence Day here in America. There is a lot of patriotism shown and it seems like a lot of fun. I think being in China during Golden Week would be very interesting and an exciting experience. It is definitely going on my bucket list.

Sources:

"China National Day: October 1st, Golden Week." China National Day: October 1st, Golden Week. Travel China Guide, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.

Curry. "Autobiography Correspondence." Message to the author. 08 Nov. 2014. E-mail.

The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "National Day (Chinese Holiday)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.