Fireworks and our July Fourth celebrations are so iconically connected that you have probably been planning a Fourth of July timeshare vacation to enjoy your favorite pyrotechnics show.
But have you ever wondered how fireworks on the Fourth first started?
The day in 1776 that the Continental Congress actually decided to go for independence from Great Britain, John Adams made this famous statement:
This day will be most memorable in the history of America.
I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as a great anniversary festival, with pomp and parade, bonfires and illuminations (fireworks) from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.
And since then all of America has certainly done its best to follow through on Adam’s exhortations.
So, the answer to why fireworks on the Fourth of July is that they have been a part of America’s Independence Day celebrations right from the very beginning.
And from Adams’ statement it’s clear that he and the populace already knew about fireworks.
That’s because fireworks – stuffing gun powder into hollow bamboo tubes – were first created by the Chinese as far back as the 7th century.
The noise was so loud that the Chinese thought fireworks must surely scare off evil spirits, and thus setting off these things that created loud bangs became an important part of every festival.
That tradition of using fireworks at festivals traveled around the globe. While the evil spirit connection eventually vanished, the thrill of pyrotechnics made fireworks indispensable to festivals of all kinds.
Over the centuries the improved technology of manufacturing fireworks made them even more popular, as they were produced with color, shapes, and even sounds other than the big boom.
The very first celebration of Independence Day was in 1777, six years before Americans knew whether the new nation would even survive the war, and fireworks were most definitely a part of the festivities.
Fireworks have been with Americans since the nation’s very beginning, and today more fireworks are ignited for the Fourth of July than for any other national celebration in the world.
Whether you are celebrating the Fourth in a timeshare rental in a big city with spectacular fireworks displays, or in small town America with home-grown parades and sparklers – Happy Fourth of July!
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