A genuine Englishiander gives us this rundown of what his people do on The Fourth of July (besides watching American TV). One thing they do is watch fireworks:
“Crowds of people dress in red coats and gather under large scaffolds, which are extensively rigged with explosive fireworks. At an agreed-upon time across the country, the fuses are lit and the fireworks shoot downward, into the throng that has gathered underneath. This serves to remind the British people of the pain and suffering that came from the defeat endured by the King’s Army, and to prepare younger generations of English men for the eventuality of a second battle in which the Crown retakes what is rightfully British land.”
Benedict Arnold parties are also quite popular. English people love to host Benedict Arnold parties, to which they invite all their friends. No one ever comes to the parties, though, which is satisfactory to all concerned.
When I lived in England for two years think the fourth of July was the day we had to send our US passports into the Home Office to get our visas renewed. (Although I may not really remember that but just made it up. Sounds good though.)
On another note, it does bug me that so many people no longer call the holiday Independence Day, but the Fourth of July, intimating that we are quickly losing sight of what it signifies.
I don’t know about that. I have been looking for information on what the day was called and found the act of Congress that made this day a federal holiday on June 28, 1870. They refer to it as the fourth day of July without any more explanation. They explain New Year’s Day and Christmas, but not the Fourth.