When is Independence Day in Venezuela?
Independence Day is a public holiday in Venezuela. It is observed on July 5th.
Known in Spanish as 'Diade Independencia' or 'Cinco de julio', this day is the National Day of Venezuela and commemorates the signing of the 1811 Venezuelan Declaration of Independence.
Did you Know?
The Italian explorer, Amerigo Vespucci, named the country "Veneziola" (little Venice) after noting how the stilt houses in the area of Lake Maracaibo resembled Venice.
History of Independence Day in Venezuela
The long revolutionary road to the end of European rule of Latin America began in Venezuela on July 5th 1811. Rebelling against high taxes and a lack of self-rule, Venezuelan colonists led by Fransisco de Miranda took advantage of Napoleon's invasion of Spain and declared independence from Spain.
The Spanish resisted the movement for independence and this first revolution was quashed in 1812. However, this first declaration of independence was the spark for a nationalist movement that would result in independence under the leadership of Simon Bolivar in 1821.
By the start of the twentieth century, the fervour for independence had spread across the Americas. Today, the French overseas department of Guiana is the only remaining territory under European political control in the region.
The original Venezuelan Declaration of Independence document is kept at the Museo de la Casa de las Primeras Letras Simón Rodríguez (Simón Rodríguez House of the First Letters Museum) in the capital, Caracas.
This day is also celebrated as Armed Forces Day in Venezuela.
Did you Know?
The oldest mountain in the world is Mount Roraima. This Venezuelan table mountain is two billion years old. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's book The Lost World was inspired by Roraima, where plant and animal species found nowhere else on earth were discovered in the 1890s.
How is Independence day in Venezuela Celebrated?
To mark their national day, many families and friends gather with traditional music, dancing, and foods like arepas (fried or baked cornmeal cakes commonly filled with ham and cheese).
