This was an interesting question I was asked from a student today. The Singapore National Day celebrations are fast approaching, but what happens in the UK?

The short answer is: nothing. There are individual country celebrations including; St George’s Day in England, St Andrew’s Day in Scotland, St Patrick’s Day in Ireland and St David’s Day in Wales. However there is no unique national day for Britain.

There have been some suggestions for a British National Day, which could take over existing days of celebration. These include:

• May Day (sometimes falls on 1 May)
• Democracy Day (7 June) to remember the Reform Act 1832
• D-Day (6 June)
• The Queen’s Official Birthday
• The date of the signing of the Magna Carta (15 June)

It seems that Britain is not motivated in such a celebration, however it is interesting to note that a British Day is observed in Hamburg, Germany. Every year, since the 18th Century, Hamburg celebrate by waving the Union Flag, singing the national anthem, proms, and other typically British traditions covering the whole Kingdom. Apparently this all stems from the time of the House of Hanover, when a Hanoverian branch of the British royal family had the British crown.