老外都怎麼過國慶：騎馬？吃肉狗？
The National Day is a designated date on which celebrations mark the nationhood of a nation or non-sovereign country. This nationhood can be symbolized by the date of independence, of becoming a republic or a significant date for a patron saint or a ruler (birthday, accession, removal, etc.). Often the day is not called "National Day" but serves and can be considered as one. The National Day will often be a national holiday.
國慶節是特定的某個日子，爲了慶祝一個國家或非主權國家的誕生或獨立。這種國家地位可以用獨立日作爲象徵，表示這天起該國成爲共和國，要麼以守護神或統治者的重大時間作爲國慶日（生日、就職、下臺）。這一天通常不稱爲“國慶日”，但是與國慶日的作用無二。國慶日也通常是國家法定假日。
Many countries have more than one National Day. For example, Pakistan has three National Days, none of which is named the "National Day". This signals the use of a "class" of National Days, that are equally important in the foundation of the nation, and a "class" of less important official public holidays.
許多國家不止一個國慶節。例如，巴基斯坦有三個國慶節，但是沒有一個以“國慶節”命名。這就涉及國慶節的“等級”，在國家建立過程中同等重要同時與卻不那麼重要的官方公衆假日。
Most countries have a fixed date National Day, but some have movable dates. An example is Jamaica, which up to 1997 celebrated its National Day on the first Monday in August. This commemorated independence from the United Kingdom which was attained on Monday, 6 August 1962, the first Monday in August of that year. Israel's Independence Day is not fixed relative to the civil Gregorian calendar, being formally linked to 5 Iyar on the Jewish calendar, but may also be moved to any day between 3 and 6 Iyar in order to avoid preparing for or celebrating either Independence Day or Memorial Day (which immediately precedes Independence Day) on Shabbat; the practical effect of this is that Independence Day may be celebrated any day between 15 April and 15 May. Another example is Thailand which celebrates the birthday of the king on 5 December. This date will change on the accession of the heir to the throne.
許多國家的國慶節是固定不變，不過也有國家的國慶節是變化的。牙買加就是一個例子，直到1997年開始在8月的第一個星期一慶祝其國慶節。他們是爲了慶祝1962年8月6日脫離英國獨立，當時是星期一，而這個日子是那年8月的第一個星期一。以色列的獨立日根據他們本國的格列高利曆每年的日期也不同。通常是猶太曆的5伊雅爾月，但是爲了避免在安息日裏同時慶祝獨立日或紀念日（緊跟在獨立日的前面）也有可能變動至3伊雅爾月和6伊雅爾月之間。結果就是以色列的獨立日慶典也許在4月15日至5月15日任何一個日子。泰國的國慶節也不是固定的，他們在12月5日慶祝國王的生日。但是這一日期隨着繼承人登基的日子不同而變化。
在君主制國家，國慶節國家元首通常乘坐馬車穿越街道向民衆致敬。
Importance attached to the National Day as well as the degree to which it is celebrated vary greatly from country to country. For example, Spain's National Day Fiesta Nacional de España is held on 12 October, the day celebrated in other countries as Columbus Day or Día de la Raza, and commemorates the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas. A military parade is held in Madrid celebrating the occasion. The National Day in France is 14 July and known as the Fête nationale (known outside France as Bastille Day) commemorating the Storming of the Bastille, which is considered the start of the French Revolution. It is widely celebrated and the French Tricolour is much in evidence, while the President of the Republic attends a military parade on the Champs-Élysées of Paris. In the United States, the Independence Day celebrations on 4 July are widely celebrated with parades, fireworks, picnics and barbecues. In Ireland, Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March, is the equivalent of a national day and has been a public holiday for many years. However, in the United Kingdom the constituent countries' patron saints' days are low-key affairs. In recent times campaigns have commenced to promote the National Days of England, Scotland and Wales, with St. Andrew's Day being designated as an official bank holiday when the Scottish Parliament passed the St Andrew's Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Act 2007. A National Day for the United Kingdom has also been proposed in recent years.
各國國慶節的慶祝儀式都不盡相同，受重視程度也不同。例如，西班牙國慶節Fiesta Nacional de España在10月12日，這一天在別的國家則是哥倫布發現美洲紀念日（Día de la Raza），是紀念克里斯多夫·哥倫布來到美洲的週年慶典。馬德里會舉行閱兵式來慶祝國慶節。法國的國慶節則是7月14日，法語中稱爲Fête nationale（法國之外的地方稱之爲巴士底日），是紀念攻佔巴士底獄，也是法國大革命的開端。那天全法普天同慶，隨處可見法國三色旗，與此同時法國總統出席巴黎香榭麗舍大街的閱兵式。美國的國慶節也就是獨立日，每年的7月4日，他們通常會在那天遊行、放煙火、野炊和燒烤以示慶祝。愛爾蘭3月17日的聖帕特里克日相當於他們的國慶節，已作爲國家假日很多年。但是大英帝國的各個聯合區域的守護神的節日沒有受到重視。最近多個運動開始提升英格蘭、蘇格蘭和威爾士國慶節的關注度。蘇格蘭議會通過了2007年的《聖安德魯日休假法案》，於是聖安德魯日成爲了法定節假日。
