My dinner for June 27 was delivered by a courier bubbling over in delight about the coming Fourth of July, which he identified as my national day (adding that he was Peruvian and his national days came at the end of July — surprising details below). I suppressed my complex reservations about American Independence Day (some of which I will unload later) and chose not to add that we were at the eve of one of my people’s celebratory days — Stonewall Day, June 28 (the tank top I was wearing had a rainbow flag on it) — though I did point to my gym shorts, whose white cross on red is in fact the Swiss flag, adding that Swiss national day was coming in August (August 1, to be precise). I didn’t develop the theme of my absurd pride in the remnants of Swissness that cling to me, most especially the egalitarian, aristocrat-free ideals the federation has espoused since the original alliance was formed in 1291, over 7 centuries ago; there is nothing like it in all of Europe.
After he left, I checked out the Fiestas Patrias peruanas, or Peruvian National Holidays, which officially are celebrations of Peru’s independence from the Spanish Empire (Wikipedia entry here), but in fact have become an entire holiday season, in character very much like the secular Christmas season (at, however, the end of July). It sounds delightful.
Two sides to national days. Switzerland (celebrating 1291), the US (celebrating 1776), and Peru (celebrating 1821) all clearly have two aspects to their events: one, a celebration of independence, so of liberty and of freedom; and two, a celebration of community and its establishment (a history of community development will precede the break of independence, while establishment of a formal community will typically come later, and might not come at all, though it’s necessary for political nationhood).
The Stonewall riots / uprising in 1969 crystallized the queer community that had been in formation for some time (I was there, dodging the cops, for several years before a range of political organizations became widely available and gay pride parades sprung up). Added to liberation and community-building for women, Blacks, Latinos, and more.
Both liberation and community building come with a variety of symbolic resources, beyond celebratory holidays and activist organizations, notably: mass demonstrations, flags and other visual symbols, and anthems. I have to put off the flag and anthem of American nationhood for a separate posting, even as Independence Day looms (my Life Before Moving is impossibly crowded; please have patience with me).
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