Who doesn’t want to celebrate the Fourth of July with barbecued hot dogs, Boston baked beans, Coca Cola, patriotic music, and – what else? – FIREWORKS! This is what every small and grown up kid is waiting for, the fabulous Fourth with its equally fabulous fireworks displays. Are you ready for it?
Some Background
FIREWORKS WERE INVENTED IN CHINA back in the 12th Century, actually as an offshoot of its invention of gunpowder. The Chinese originally used fireworks to scare away evil spirits, but later their power, roar, and awesome brilliance made it obvious how ideal fireworks would be for celebrations.
To this day, the Chinese use fireworks for all sorts of occasions, most notably their fabulous New Year and Harvest Moon Festivals, when the country really proves its expertise with these incendiary giants. Understandably, China is the largest manufacturer and exporter of fireworks in the world.
Rockets and Bomb Blasts
THERE ARE BASICALLY TWO TYPES of fireworks ground and air. The first usually employs a specially rigged frame — like the shape of an American flag or maybe the bust of George Washington — that sizzles into firey recognition before a mesmerized crowd. The later involves fireworks that are shot into the air with eardrum bursting sound and light and color.
Rockets make fireworks spectacular! Wow! That’s what we use in today’s world, mostly: aerial shells that explode and explode and reverberate and light up the sky in the most glorious, breathtaking fashion.
IF YOU PLAN ON ATTENDING A FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION, THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU MIGHT WEAR. YOU JUST CAN’T GET TOO NATIONALISTIC ON THIS DAY, AND YOU JUST CAN’T WEAR TOO MUCH RED, WHITE, AND BLUE. HERE ARE SOME FUN ITEMS TO CONSIDER:
- Rich, silk-feel polyester men’s ties. They boast a blue field with white stars down one side, and waving red and white stripes down the other. Handsome, and wrinkle-resistant!
- An American apple pendant. This is really charming! It features the stars and stripes on a silver-plated apple pendant that can be kept and worn for many years to come.
Believed in Our Destiny
It’s interesting to think about the optimism of the early American pioneers: They used fireworks long before the Revolutionary War was even fought. The first Independence Day celebration with fireworks was in 1777 – 6 years before we actually won the war and became a nation.
—But we believed in our own destiny and we used fireworks to underscore it. What a dynamite idea!
Today, there are so many shapes and forms of fireworks, it is mind boggling. A Dahlia, for example, is a spherical splash of brilliantly colored fire stars, and few real firework displays are without many of them. A Ring is a rocket that, when shot off, forms a fire-y ring of stars.
IN ADDITION TO THESE spectaculars, there is an endless variety of ground fireworks that can be custom made to fit any occasion or locale. In fact, there are numerous companies in the United States alone that specialize in commercial fireworks displays, complete with just about any size and shape the customer might want.
WHILE YOU ARE ENJOYING THIS YEAR’S FIREWORKS, WHY NOT EQUIP YOURSELF WITH SOME REAL AMERICANA TO HEIGHTEN THE FUN? SOME IDEAS:
- An Americana cuff bracelet. This can make your Fourth ensemble come to life! Features pearlized seed beads strung on springy wire and colored red, white, and blue. It makes a great statement of pride in the USA!
- American flags on sticks. This is something to get for your whole family. And friends. The inimitable stars and stripes to hold up and wave and feel good about.
Around the World
ALL AROUND THE WORLD, fireworks at one time or another are literally lighting up the sky. Here in the United States, we have many such occasions, but none quite equal the Fourth of July extravaganzas. Millions of spectators in New York City look to the sky to witness Macy’s annual Independence Day celebration, with fireworks shot off from 6 barges in the East River and the Hudson.
This is when New York literally goes wild, and the sky above rumbles and explodes and lights up with color and light – it is a dazzling display, to the say the least. Even the many planes that fly over this busy metropolis have to be rerouted for nearly an hour as the fireworks blaze on!
At the same time, in Nashville, Tennessee, a fireworks spectacular called Let Freedom Ring explodes along the banks of the Cumberland River, just as fireworks proclaim our national holiday all across the land.
NOTHING, HOWEVER, REALLY COMPARES to Washington D.C for a real July Fourth celebration, when over 40,000 shells explode at a rate of 1,500 per minute! With all the splash and splendor of the Day, the real action comes at the end of the Big Show, held on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol building. After we have been entertained by a dazzling collection of the nation’s top stars and celebrities then,
Suddenly!
— the band strikes up the moving strains of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture and the majestically wild fireworks begin, exploding in time to the music, one after the other, after the other…OH! OH !OH! This is the meaning of thrilling!
