The national festival commemorates an historical event, policy or cultural related to the history of the State. In the majority of the countries, it marks the birth of the nation: independence as with the the United States, emancipation with respect to the sovereign as in France, adoption of a Constitution… In some others, it is related to the personality of the sovereign to which the nation is identified: birthday as with the Netherlands or Luxembourg, date of the oath-taking of the first sovereign as in Belgium, etc

In certain territories as the Quebec which is only a Province Canada, the Saint-Jean-Baptist, festival of the patron saint of the French Canadian, was adopted by the Parlement like national Festival of Quebec, as a celebration of the Québécois nation (date: June 24th).

The majority of the countries adopted such a tradition and underline this festival by various celebrations: military processions, fires of artifices, short speeches of the political directors (case of the July 14th to Paris), etc

It is generally a Bank holiday, been unemployed and paid. It belongs to the symbols of the national Souveraineté.

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See too

• Sovereignty

• List of national festivals