Important dates in July

 4^Th July – American Independence Day

This is the National Day of the United States of America. It is a federal holiday, commonly known as the Fourth of July, commemorating the Declaration of Independence adopted on July 4^th 1776, which declared independence from the United Kingdom of Great Britain.

During the American Revolution (18^th century), the legal separation of the 13 colonies from Great Britain took place on 2^nd July 1776, when the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of Independence, proposed in June, by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia. After voting for independence, Congress turned its attention to the statement explaining this decision, which had been prepared by a Committee of Five, Thomas Jefferson being its principal author. Congress debated and revised the Declaration, finally giving it approval on 4^th July.

In a remarkable coincidence, both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, two of the people signing the declaration, who later served as Presidents of the USA, died on the same day; 4^th July 1826, which was also the 50th anniversary of the Declaration. Although not a signatory to the Declaration of Independence, James Monroe the Fifth President of the USA died 4^th July 1831. Calvin Coolidge, the Thirtieth President, was born 4^th July 1872, the first and only President thus far to be born on Independence Day.

Popular Independence Day festivities are generally associated with fireworks, parades, BBQ’s, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, family reunions, political speeches and ceremonies, and various other public and private events in celebration of the history, government, and traditions of the USA

Bastille Day, 14^th July

French National Holiday (La Fete Nationale) commemorates the 1790 Fete de la Federation, held on the first Anniversary of the storming of the Bastille (the fortress-prison which represented royal authority) in the centre of Paris on 14^th July 1789, during the reign of King Louis XVI. The anniversary of its storming was the flashpoint of the French Revolution and was seen as a symbol of the uprising of the modern nation. The middle class had formed the National Guard, sporting tricolor cockades (rosettes) of blue, white and red. These cockades and their colour scheme, soon became the symbol of the revolution and later of France itself. The monarchy was abolished in September 1792 and King Louis XVI having been found guilty of high treason was executed by guillotine on 21^st  January 1793. His wife Marie-Antoinette was executed by guillotine on 16^th October 1793.

In February 1794 the French Flag (tricolor) was created.  Its 3 colours, the Blue, the White and the Red, being disposed vertically. The blue and red were the colours of the Paris Commune (Parisian bourgeoisie), the White was the colour of former royalty and chiefs of army and the Red was also said to symbolise the blood that was shed during the wars.

In Paris, festivities such as the Bastille Day Military Parade, are held, on the morning of 14^th July, in front of the President of the French Republic, government ministers and its foreign ambassadors to France. The parade passes down the Champs Elysees, from the Arc de Triomphe to the Place de la Concorde and the event is well televised. Fireworks illuminate The Eiffel Tower and many celebrations take place throughout France.

St. Swithin's Day, 15^thJuly

This day is when people take a careful note of the weather, because tradition says that whatever the weather on St. Swithin's Day, it will continue so for the next 40 days.

The well known weather-rhyme dating from Elizabethan times is:-

'St. Swithin's day if thou dost rain
For forty days it will remain
St. Swithin's day if thou be fair
For forty days 'twill rain nae mair.'

St. Swithin (or to be precise, Swithun) was a Saxon Bishop of Winchester who was born circa 800 in the kingdom of Wessex and educated in its capital, Winchester. He died 2^nd July 862. He was famous for charitable gifts and building churches. His emblems are raindrops and apples.

Legend says that as the Bishop lay on his deathbed, he asked to be ‘buried humbly’ outside the west door of the old minster, so that people could walk across the grave and also to allow rain to fall on it, in accordance with his wishes. Many years later, on 15^th July 971, the monks of Winchester moved St Swithin’s remains to a shrine inside the minster.  According to legend there was a heavy rain storm either during this ceremony or on its anniversary (said to express his displeasure at being moved). This led to the old wives' tale that if it rains on St Swithin's Day, it will rain for the next 40 days, and if its fine on 15th July, 40 days of fine weather will follow.

However, according to the Met Office, this old wives' tale is nothing more than just that.  Apparently, on 55 separate occasions, when it did rain on St Swithin's Day, this was put to the test and 40 successive days of rain did not follow.

An old saying is that if it rains on St Swithin’s Day, the saint is christening the apples.

Therefore many apple growers ask St. Swithin for his blessing each year because they believe:-

·        The rain blesses and christens the apples.

·        No apple should picked or eaten before July 15th.

·        Apples still growing on St Swithin's day will ripen fully.