National Holidays Around the World

1. Israel declared independence on May 14, 1948, but the Jewish calendar is lunar and the holiday may occur in April or May

2. Commemorates the passage of the law on permanent neutrality

3. August 15, 1971 was the date of independence from the UK, December 16, 1971, was the date of independence from British protection

4. March 26, 1971 is the date of independence from West Pakistan, December 16, 1971 is Victory Day and commemorates the official creation of the state of Bangladesh

5. July 3, 1944 was the date Minsk was liberated from German troops, August 25, 1991 was the date of Independence from the Soviet Union

6. Ugyen Wangchuck became first hereditary king

7. January 1, 1984 was the date of Independence from the UK, February 23, 1984 was the date of independence from British protection

8. June 25, 1991 was the day the Croatian Parliament voted for independence; following a three-month moratorium to allow the European Community to solve the Yugoslav crisis peacefully, Parliament adopted a decision on October 8, 1991 to sever constitutional relations with Yugoslavia

9. Turkish Cypriots celebrate November 15, 1983 as Independence Day

10. Generally viewed as the National Day

11. February 24, 1918 was the date Estonia declared its independence from Soviet Russia; August 20, 1991 was the date it declared its independence from the Soviet Union

12. A Union-wide holiday, the day that Robert SCHUMAN proposed the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community to achieve an organized Europe

13. Although often incorrectly referred to as Bastille Day, the celebration actually commemorates the holiday held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille (on July 14, 1789) and the establishment of a constitutional monarchy; other names for the holiday are Fete Nationale (National Holiday) and quatorze juillet (14th of July)

14. May 26, 1918 was the date of independence from Soviet Russia, April 9, 1991 was the date of independence from the Soviet Union

15. Day of the national referendum to decide whether to remain with the UK or go with Spain

16. July 1, 1997 is celebrated as Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day

17. This holiday was celebrated under the Saddam Husayn regime; the Government of Iraq has yet to declare a new national holiday

18. November 18, 1918 was the date Latvia declared itself independent from Soviet Russia; May 4, 1990 is when it declared the renewal of independence; August 21, 1991 was the date of de facto independence from the Soviet Union

19. February 16, 1918 was the date Lithuania declared its independence from Soviet Russia and established its statehood; 11 March 1990 was the date it declared its independence from the Soviet Union

20. The actual date of birth was 23 January 1896, but the festivities were shifted by five months to allow observance during a more favorable time of year

21. December 20, 1999 is celebrated as Macau Special Administrative Region Establishment Day

22. Also known as Saint Elijah's Day

23. June 12, 1898 was date of declaration of independence from Spain; July 4, 1946 was date of independence from US

24. Also called Camoes Day, the day that revered national poet Luis de Camoes (1524-80) died

25. Local holiday is Schoalcher Day (Slavery Abolition Day) July 12 (1848)

26. January 1, 1962 is the date of independence from the New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship; it is observed in June

27. June 26 (1960) in Somaliland

28. Year when Columbus first set foot in the Americas

29. Also the anniversary of Ben Ali's assumption of the presidency, November 7 (1987)

30. January 22, 1918, the day Ukraine first declared its independence (from Soviet Russia) and the day the short-lived Western and Central Ukrainian republics united (1919), is now celebrated as Unity Day