ABSTRACT
National holiday commemorations have received sustained attention in the scholarship as important sites for the performance and reproduction of national attachments. Through the ritual display and performance of national symbols, holiday commemorations make the nation momentarily visible and tangible for those in attendance; these events become the living embodiment of the nation (see, e.g., Elgenius, 2011; Gillis, 1994; Mosse, 1975; Spillman, 1997; see more generally Durkheim, 1995 [1912]; Kertzer, 1988; Turner, 1969). By definition, such events commemorate the past, a specifically national past (see Chapter 2 of this volume). Historical memory imbues these public performances with depth, legitimacy and authenticity. These events do not happen spontaneously but rather are meticulously contrived to occur at regular intervals to connect the past to the present and the future (see Smith, 2009: 84–6; see also Edensor, 2006: 535–6; West, 2008: 346–9). Holiday commemorations are carefully designed, planned and staged to induce the collective experience of national belonging.
