KEY POINTS

1. What is a national day?

- National day is usually a day that commemorates an important event in a country’s history.
- In many countries which used to be colonies, the national day is known as Independence Day because it
remembers the day they became free of their old empire.
- However, there are exactly two countries in the world that have no offical national day: Denmark and
Britain.
2. Why Britain doesn’t have a national day?
- Britain is very unusual in that it is a multi-national state made up of four non-sovereign countries: England,
Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The whole country can't celebrate England Day or Scotland Day.
Maybe an even bigger reason is that Britain developed its present-day political state very gradually, over
many centuries, rather than in the flash of a revolution or unification or independence, as happened in most
other countries.
- Moreover, virtually no other country on earth has been so undisturbed by revolution or outside invasion as
Britain, which is a big part of why they are almost alone in lacking a national day.
3. Which day should be a national day in Britan?
Date Statue Territories Name
1707 Acts of Union England, Scotland, Wales. Kingdom of Great
1707. Britain.

1801 Acts of Union. England, Scotland, Wales, United Kingdom of

Ireland. Great Britain & Ireland.
7/12/1922 The Anglo-Irish England, Scotland, Wales, United Kingdom of
Treaty. Northern Ireland. Great Britain & Northern
Ireland.
- The 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty commonly known as The Treaty and officially the Articles of Agreement for
a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was an agreement between the government of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War
of Independence.
- Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed in London on 6 December 1921.
- Anglo-Irish Treaty provided for the establishment of the Irish Free State within a year as a self-governing
dominion within the "community of nations known as the British Empire.
- Anglo-Irish Treaty also provided Northern Ireland, which had been created by the Government of Ireland
Act 1920, an option to opt-out of the Irish Free State, which the Parliament of Northern Ireland exercised.
- 5/12/1922 - Following the lead of the House of Lords, the British House of Commons approved the Irish
Free State Constitution Act 1922, sanctioning the new Constitution of the Irish Free State. The Act and the
Constitution were given royal assent that evening at 6 o'clock formally granting independence to Ireland.
- 6/12/1922 - The Irish Free State was established by the proclamation of King George V of the United
Kingdom.
- 7/12/1922 - The day after the Irish Free State came into existence, both houses of the Parliament of
Northern Ireland voted unanimously to exercise the option to not remain part of the new nation. The six
predominantly-Protestant northern counties (Fermanagh, Antrim, Tyrone, Londonderry, Armagh, and
Down) approved a resolution to remain in a union with Britain, and the UK adopted its present name of the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
4. Why is it worth being commemorated more than other events?
- Although the UK doesn't have a national day, there are a number of days of celebration which are
associated with celebrating the constituent countries of Britain and their traditions.
- To distinguish various special days like these events, 07/12 is an appropriate day for national day as this
time marks an important historical milestone of the United Kingdom which has united England, Wales,
Scotland, and Northern Ireland until now.
5. How would Britain celebrate this event?   
- Holding spectacular fireworks displays at famous spots like London, Edinburgh, Liverpool, ...
- Painting faces with a flag of the UK.
- Allowing people pour into the streets to celebrate with colorful costumes.
- Performing intercultural performances of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.