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Belgian National Day ( nl, Nationale feestdag van België; french: Fête nationale belge; german: Belgischer Nationalfeiertag) is the national holiday of Belgium commemorated annually on 21 July. It is one of the country's ten public holidays and marks the anniversary of the investiture of Leopold I as the first King of the Belgians in 1831.


History

In the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars, Belgium became part of the United Netherlands. After a period of growing unrest, the
Belgian Revolution The Belgian Revolution (, ) was the conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces (mainly the former Southern Netherlands) from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium. Th ...
forced Dutch forces out of the country between August and October 1830. By November, the different revolutionary factions had coalesced around the idea of national independence and began drafting a
constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princi ...
for an independent Belgian state. It was decided that it would become a
constitutional A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princi ...
and popular monarchy, reflecting the
romantic nationalism Romantic nationalism (also national romanticism, organic nationalism, identity nationalism) is the form of nationalism in which the state claims its political legitimacy as an organic consequence of the unity of those it governs. This includes ...
popular at the time. Searching for a monarch, the revolutionaries decided on Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha who was a German aristocrat popular in the United Kingdom. Leopold arrived in
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
in early July 1831 and, on 21 July, swore allegiance to the constitution, becoming the country's first monarch. 21 July 1831 is thus considered to mark the start of the modern Kingdom of Belgium. Belgian National Day was originally celebrated on 27 September, the date of the expulsion of Dutch forces from Brussels during the Revolution's "September Days". In 1890, this was changed by law to 21 July to strengthen the association between the observance and the monarchy and constitutional order. Since 1991, 27 September has become the official observance of the
French Community of Belgium In Belgium, the French Community (french: Communauté française; ) refers to one of the three constituent constitutional linguistic communities. Since 2011, the French Community has used the name Wallonia-Brussels Federation (french: Fédé ...
. In World War I and World War II, Belgium was occupied and public displays of patriotism were banned. As a result, celebrations of 21 July became a common form of symbolic resistance.


Programme

Belgian National Day is celebrated across Belgium and in Belgian emigrant communities abroad on 21 July. It is a public holiday, being one of ten observed nationally each year. Historically, National Day is marked by a televised speech by the King. The main festivities occur in Brussels. They traditionally begin with a ''
Te Deum The "Te Deum" (, ; from its incipit, , ) is a Latin Christian hymn traditionally ascribed to AD 387 authorship, but with antecedents that place it much earlier. It is central to the Ambrosian hymnal, which spread throughout the Latin Chu ...
'' at the
Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula nl, Kathedraal van Sint-Michiel en Sint-Goedele , native_name_lang = , image = Saints-Michel-et-Gudule Luc Viatour.jpg , imagesize = 200px , imagelink = , imagealt = , landscape ...
, attended by the King and other dignitaries. In the afternoon, the
Belgian Armed Forces The Belgian Defense Forces ( nl, Defensie; french: La Défense) is the national military of Belgium. The King of the Belgians is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. The Belgian Armed Forces was established after Belgium became indepen ...
and police are reviewed by the King and parade around the
Rue de la Loi The () or (Dutch), meaning "Law Street", is a major street running through central and eastern Brussels, Belgium, which is famous due to the presence of several notable Belgian and European Union (EU) governmental buildings. The road runs fro ...
and the perimeter of the
Brussels Park Brussels Park (french: Parc de Bruxelles, ; nl, Warandepark) is the largest urban public park in central Brussels, Belgium. Formerly known and still sometimes colloquially referred to as the Royal Park (french: Parc royal, nl, Koninklijk Park ...
in front of the
Royal Palace This is a list of royal palaces, sorted by continent. Africa * Abdin Palace, Cairo * Al-Gawhara Palace, Cairo * Koubbeh Palace, Cairo * Tahra Palace, Cairo * Menelik Palace * Jubilee Palace * Guenete Leul Palace * Imperial Palace- Mas ...
. Foreign contingents from Belgium's European Union and NATO allies have also participated. Refreshments and displays by Belgium's public and emergency services, armed forces, charities, and civic associations are set up for the public in the Park and nearby Place Royale, Rue de la Régence and Place Poelart. There is also a
flypast A flypast is a ceremonial or honorific flight by an aircraft or group of aircraft. The term flypast is used in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. In the United States, the terms flyover and flyby are used. Flypasts are often tied in w ...
by the
Belgian Air Force The Belgian Air Component ( nl, Luchtcomponent, french: Composante air) is the air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces, and until January 2002 it was officially known as the Belgian Air Force ( nl, Belgische Luchtmacht; french: Force aérienne belg ...
. In the evening, there is a fireworks display. Since 2003, there has also been a concert known as the "National Ball" (''bal nationale''). In 2019, the festivities in Brussels were attended by an estimated 100,000 people. Elsewhere in Belgium, celebrations often involve church services, flea markets, and public concerts. Belgian flags are commonly displayed in shops and private houses. Belgium's climate means that rain is common on National Day and is popularly referred to in French as the "National Downpour" (''drache nationale'').


Notable events

On National Day 2013, King Philippe formally ascended to the throne following the abdication of his father Albert II.


References


Further reading

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External links

{{commons category-inline, Belgian National Day National days Belgian culture July observances 1890 establishments in Belgium Annual events in Belgium Recurring events established in 1890 Parades in Belgium Belgian Revolution Summer events in Belgium Public holidays in Belgium