为了纪念中华人民共和国的成立，我们把10月1日定为我们的国庆节。但是，世界各国确定国庆节的依据却是不一样的。有些国家以建立的时间为国庆节，有些国家以国家独立日为国庆节，有些国家以武装起义纪念日作为国庆节，另有一些国家以重大会议日为国庆节，还有一些以国家元首的生日为国庆节。有些国家的国庆日甚至并不固定在一年中的哪天，如英国的国庆日为每年6月份的第二个星期六，牙买加的国庆日是每年的第一个星期一等。不仅如此，各国庆祝国庆节的形式也不相同，下面就让我们来看一看其他国家的国庆日吧。
The USA
The National Day in America is also called Independence Day. It is one of the main legal holidays， on the date of July 4th each year to commemorate the July 4， 1776 when Continental Congress formally adopted in Philadelphia the Declaration of Independence.
At that time， the people of the 13 British colonies located along the eastern coast of what is now the United States were involved in a war over what they considered unjust treatment by the king and parliament in Britain. The war began in 1775. As the war continued， the colonists realized that they were fighting not just for better treatment； they were fighting for freedom from England’s rule. The Declaration of Independence， signed by leaders from the colonies， stated this clearly， and for the first time in an official document the colonies were referred to as the United States of America.
It is a day of picnics and patriotic parades， a night of concerts and fireworks. The flying of the American flag， which also occurs on Memorial Day and other holidays， is widespread.
美国的国庆日又称为“独立日”，是美国的主要法定节日之一，日期为每年的7月4日，以纪念l776年7月4日大陆会议在费城正式通过《独立宣言》。
当时，分布在现在美国东海岸的13个英国殖民地正和英军陷入一场战争之中，因为他们认为英国国王和议会对他们不公。战争开始于1775年，随着战争的深化，被殖民者发现他们不仅为更好的待遇而战，他们也是为摆脱英格兰的自由而战。由13个殖民地领导共同签署的《独立宣言》将这一点表述得很清楚，它也是第一份将这些殖民地称为美利坚共和国的官方文件。
今天在独立日这天，人们进行野餐和爱国游行，举行音乐会并燃放烟火。大家也普遍会悬挂起美国国旗，这一传统在美国阵亡将士纪念日和其他节日也很盛行。
Canada
Canada Day has been called a few names in the past. It used to be known as Dominion Day， the First of July， Confederation Day and July the First. Canada wasn’t REALLY “born” on July 1， but the holiday celebrates the events that took place on this day. On July 1， 1867， the British North America Act created the Canadian federal government. This act stated that Canada would become an independent dominion （territory） of England， which is why Canada Day was originally called Dominion Day.
In 1982， Dominion Day changed to Canada Day after a vote in Parliament. Not everyone was happy about this change. Some people felt that a 115?year?old part of Canadian heritage was lost. The National Day is considered as a Public Day with outings， picnics and lots of outdoor events like parades， fireworks and musical concerts. Parades generally occur in the morning and the fireworks occur in the evening. 加拿大的国庆日以前有很多种叫法，如自治纪念日、七月一日、联邦日等。加拿大并不是“诞生”于7月l日，只是在1867年的这一天《英国北美法案》确定加拿大为自治领，所以这一天是为了纪念这一事件。《英国北美法案》使加拿大成为独立于英格兰的领土，这也是为什么加拿大国庆日一开始被叫做自治纪念日的原因。
1982年，议会投票通过将自治纪念日这一叫法改成加拿大国庆日。并不是所有人都对名字的变更感到满意，有人认为这是加拿大115年以来的传统的流失。这一天被大家当做是公共假期，人们外出、野餐并举行诸多户外活动，如游行、烟火表演、音乐晚会等。游行通常在早晨而烟火表演通常在晚上。
French
Bastille Day， the French national holiday， commemorates the storming of the Bastille， which took place on 14 July 1789 and marked the beginning of the French Revolution. The Bastille was a prison and a symbol of the absolute and arbitrary power of Louis the 16th’s Ancient Regime. By capturing this symbol， the people signaled that the king’s power was no longer absolute： power should be based on the Nation and be limited by a separation of powers. In 1880，this day was officially appointed as the National Day.
People in France have a day off on 14 July. They hang colorful banners everywhere， and buildings and public places are decorated with lights and wreaths. The French people celebrate French Day with parades， fireworks and concerts with red，blue and white ribbons tying round their necks.
法国国庆日又称为巴士底狱日。l789年的7月14日，巴黎人民攻占了巴士底狱，象征着法国革命的开始。巴士底狱是一个监狱，它象征着路易十六的封建政权和绝对权力。通过攻占这一标志性的地方，人们也就宣布了国王的权力不再是绝对的：权力应该以国家为基础并受到各方权力的限制。l880年，7月14日被正式确立为法国的国庆日。
每年7月14日，法国全国放假一天。到处都挂起彩旗，所有建筑物和公共场所都饰以彩灯和花环。人们脖子上围着红、白、蓝三色彩带，举行游行、烟火表演和晚会，庆祝这一节日。
Singapore
The National Day in Singapore is celebrated every year on the 9th of August in honor of the birthday of the nation. On 9th August 1965， Singapore separated from the Federation of Malaysia and became an independent country. The first National Day is celebrated in 1966 in Singapore.
The National Day in Singapore is celebrated with a grand parade in the Padang （Singapore National Stadium） with amazing live performances， music and fireworks. This Parade has become the biggest national event in Singapore. On this day many political leaders appear at the public events and talk about the nation’s heritage， laws， history， people， recent events and future projects. The Singaporeans dress themselves up in the patriotic colors like red and white. The National Day fireworks are usually accompanied with the patriotic songs.
新加坡的国庆日是在每年的8月9日，为了纪念这个国家的诞生。1965年的这一天，新加坡从马来西亚联邦中独立出来，成为一个独立的国家。1966年，新加坡人在8月9日庆祝了他们第一个国庆节。
这一天人们会在巴东（新加坡国家体育馆）举行大型的游行，有精彩的现场表演、音乐和烟火。这种游行是一年中最隆重的一件事。这一天，许多领导人会出现在公共场合，谈论国家的传统、法律、历史、人民以及最近发生的事情还有将来的计划。新加坡人会穿上具有爱国主义色彩的衣服，如红色和白色。烟火表演时还会奏响爱国歌曲。
The UK
In Britain， the National Day is always the king’s or the queen’s birthday. The birthday of the current queen of the UK， Queen Elizabeth II， is April 21st. However， because of the changeable weather in April， the real British National Day has been moved to the second Saturday in June. Besides， each state in the UK has its own national holiday， like St. David in Wales， St. Patrick in Northern Ireland， St. George in England and St. Andrew in Scotland. But only St. Patrick’s Day and St. Andrew’s Day are taken as official holidays in the UK.
英国的国庆日是国王或女王生日。现任英国女王伊丽莎白二世的生日为4月21日。但是，在英国，4月天气多变，阴晴不定，所以真正的英国国庆日被改到了6月的第二个星期六。
另外，英国各地区也都有各自的国庆日，如威尔士的圣大卫日、北爱尔兰的圣帕特里克日、英格兰的圣乔治日和苏格兰的圣安德鲁日。但在英国，只有圣帕特里克日和圣安德鲁日为法定假期。
Ireland
March 17th， the National Day of Ireland， is called St. Patrick’s Day. Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland， who traveled throughout Ireland to spread Christianity across the country. Legend has it that Patrick raised people from the dead. He was also said to have given a sermon from a hilltop that drove all the snakes from Ireland. He died on March 17th in 461 AD. His sacrifice and loyalty to Christianity was remembered by Irish people. So that day was remembered as St. Patrick’s Day ever since.
One traditional icon of the day is shamrock， the national flower of Ireland. Today， people celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with parades， wearing of the green， and drinking beer. One reason St. Patrick’s Day might have become so popular is that it takes place just a few days before the first day of spring. One might say he has become the first green of spring.
爱尔兰的国庆日在3月17日，叫圣帕特里克日。圣帕特里克是守护爱尔兰的圣徒，他为传播基督教，足迹踏遍了爱尔兰全境。传说帕特里克有起死回生之力。据说他还在山顶上下咒，将蛇驱逐出爱尔兰。他死于公元461年3月17日。爱尔兰人为了纪念他对基督教的虔诚和献身精神，将这一日定为圣帕特里克日。
这一日的传统祭物为三叶草，是爱尔兰的国花。今天的爱尔兰人以游行、穿绿衣服和喝啤酒来庆祝。圣帕特里克日之所以如此流行，还有一个原因是它就在春天来临之前，有人说他化为了春天的第一片绿叶。