What to know about Fourth of July holiday origins and traditions

Associated Press — Tue, 04 Jul 2023 01:00:00 +0000

BY JIM SALTER

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Fourth of July is Americana at its core: parades and cookouts and cold beer and, of course, fireworks.

Those pyrotechnics also make it an especially dangerous holiday, typically resulting in more than 10,000 trips to the emergency room. Yet fireworks remain at the center of Independence Day, a holiday 247 years in the making.

Here are five things to know about July Fourth, including the origin of the holiday and how fireworks became part of the tradition.

WHAT’S THE ORIGIN OF INDEPENDENCE DAY?

The holiday celebrates the Second Continental Congress’ unanimous adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, a document announcing the colonies’ separation from Great Britain.

One year later, according to the Library of Congress, a spontaneous celebration in Philadelphia marked the anniversary of American independence.

But across the burgeoning nation, observations didn’t become commonplace until after the War of 1812. It quickly took off: The Library of Congress notes that major historic events in the 19th century, such as groundbreaking ceremonies for the Erie Canal and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, were scheduled to coincide with Fourth of July festivities.

HOW DID FIREWORKS BECAME A JULY FOURTH TRADITION?

The display of pyrotechnics has been a big part of Independence Day from the outset. Founding Father John Adams saw it coming.

Commemoration of America’s independence “ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more,” Adams wrote in a letter to his wife, Abigail, dated July 3, 1776.

Fireworks were around centuries before America became a nation. The American Pyrotechnics Association says many historians believe fireworks were first developed in the second century B.C. in ancient China by throwing bamboo stalks into fires, causing explosions as the hollow air pockets overheated.

By the 15th century, fireworks were widely used for religious festivals and public entertainment in Europe and early U.S. settlers carried on those traditions, the association said.

HAS A PRESIDENT EVER REFUSED TO CELEBRATE?

Presidents from George Washington to Joe Biden have celebrated the nation’s birth on the Fourth of July, with one exception: Adams.

His letter to his wife aside, Adams refused to celebrate the holiday on July 4 because he felt July 2 was the real Independence Day. Why? It was on July 2, 1776, that the Continental Congress voted in favor of the resolution for independence, though the Declaration of Independence wasn’t formally adopted until two days later.

Adams was so adamant that he turned down invitations to festivals and other events, even while serving as the nation’s second president. Ironically, Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, both died on the 50th anniversary of the document’s formal adoption, July 4, 1826.

HOW POPULAR ARE FIREWORKS?

Consumer sales of fireworks have grown rapidly over the past two decades.

Statistics from the American Pyrotechnics Association show that in 2000, American consumers spent $407 million on fireworks. By 2022, that figure rose to $2.3 billion. The biggest jump came during the COVID-19 pandemic, when public fireworks displays were shut down. Consumer sales jumped from $1 billion in 2019 to $1.9 billion in 2020.

“People went to the fireworks store beginning Memorial Day weekend and they just didn’t stop,” said Julie Heckman, executive director of the American Pyrotechnics Association. “They were firing off fireworks all of 2020. It shocked the industry, to be quite honest with you.”

Sales are expected to rise another $100 million this year, the association said. It helps that the Fourth of July is on a Tuesday, creating essentially a four-day weekend.

ARE FIREWORKS DANGEROUS?

Despite widespread education efforts, thousands of Americans are badly injured by fireworks each year, and this year is no exception.

Late Saturday night, firefighters and medics were called to Lexington Township, a suburb of Kansas City, Kansas, for reports of a shed on fire and arrived to find fireworks actively exploding from the burning shed and several people lying injured on the ground. Firefighters, medics and local police dragged the victims from the area to safety, and four people were taken to hospitals — two with serious injuries, Northwest Consolidated Fire District Chief Todd Maxton said in a statement.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that in 2022, 10,200 people were treated at emergency rooms and 11 deaths were blamed on fireworks. About three-quarters of injuries happened in the period around the Fourth of July.

About one-third of the injuries were to the head, face, ears or eyes. Finger, hand and leg injuries are common, too.

“I have seen people who have blown off fingers,” said Dr. Tiffany Osborn, an emergency room physician at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. “I’ve seen people who have lost eyes. I’ve seen people who have significant facial injuries.”

Children under 15 make up nearly one-third of those injured by fireworks. Sparklers often are blamed for burns to children under age 5. Osborn suggested giving small children glow sticks or colorful streamers instead.

For those planning to shoot off fireworks, Heckman urged finding a flat, hard, level surface away from structures and other things that could catch fire. The person responsible for the fireworks should avoid alcohol. Children should never ignite them.

Osborn encouraged having a bucket or hose nearby in case of fire or explosion. Shoot off one at a time and walk away quickly after igniting, she said, and never relight or handle a malfunctioned firework. When done, shovel up the remains and soak them before disposing.

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Turkey, traditions…and tonic

Contributed — Thu, 21 Nov 2019 23:37:51 +0000

(Turkey, traditions)

Thanksgiving is nearly here and I must say, it’s my favorite time of year. There is something really special about dedicating a day to giving thanks, getting together and dining with your nearest and dearest.

My family has some really unique traditions, started by my mom when I was a child. I will definitely pass them on to my daughter. The first is that our place card is a small gift bag with our name on it. The contents of the bag are the same every year: a Christmas ornament for the tree. My mother goes to great lengths to sum up the entire year in a single, perfect ornament. I have some ornaments that are cats, some that are artist pallets…baked goods, suitcases from traveling etc.

Essentially, whatever I was interested in that year was memorialized in an ornament. When I was younger, I thought it was cute and sweet but other than that, I never really thought much of it.

When I moved out on my own, and celebrated my first Christmas in our new house, my mom showed up with a box. It had 26 Christmas ornaments at the time, chronicling my entire life, and it was the best housewarming gift I received. I was so excited to get a tree and hang all my ornaments that first Christmas. I have already started doing this for my daughter, and one day, I will show up at her house with a box just like my mom did for me.

After we open our ornaments, we take turns telling each other what we are grateful for, and then we dive into the traditional meal with all the sides. Yours truly makes the dessert. This year I am making my mom her own mince meat pie; a pumpkin-custard pie for my sister and myself, and an apple pie for Jake, my other half.

There’s really something magical about a room full of loved ones getting together and eating together, and, if you are anything like me, you eat one or two plates too many. If you need it, I have a fabulous remedy to settle your tummy after a big meal.

Turkey day Tonic:

Brew your favorite chamomile tea

Add a squeeze of lemon

Add a pinch of ground ginger (Fresh ginger is an amazing touch)

A little bit of sugar to taste
Add the sugar, lemon and ginger to taste. Slowly sip and enjoy your settled stomach, then go for a nice evening stroll and you should digest your meal. Then you’ll have room for dessert!

Do you have any unique Thanksgiving traditions? Email them to me; I would love to read about your own family traditions, recipes…and remedies!