Video Editors: Vivek Gupta, Sandeep Suman
Nearly 8 years old, Saanika Desai has never been formally taught the relevance of 4 July in America, but the chirpy young girl from San Jose, California knows the answer. "Fourth of July is Independence Day," she smiles, before adding that she visits her friend's place and watches the fireworks that commemorate the day.
Observed as a federal holiday in the United States, the fourth of July marks the day the Declaration of Independence, a historic document drafted by Thomas Jefferson, was signed, freeing 13 colonies from British rule – which subsequently formed the United States of America.
"It's very important to us because it is the day when we finally, you know, got our freedom from Great Britain. We love to have parades, and fireworks and all the fun, fun things," said Siddharth Tripathi, a 12-year-old from Dallas, Texas.
Talking about what they love about the day, both of them agreed that it's the fireworks they most look forward to.
"I go to my friend’s house and we watch fireworks, sometimes we do the barbecue, and we wear the flag colours – red, white, and blue," said Saanika, remembering her best memory of the day yet.
For another 12-year-old, Shreyans Jain from San Mateo, California, this will be the first time he celebrates the American Independence Day in the USA. "Usually, this time I'm in India because of summer break. This is the first time I will be doing fourth of July fireworks and celebrate with my family together," he said to The Quint.
What the Day Means
The United States of America has the largest immigrant population in the world, according to the UN. Except for native Americans, most others who call the country their homeland can trace their ancestry to other nations.
Shreyans and Siddharth understand the relevance of the day for immigrants in US. Sharing his thoughts on what freedom means, Shreyans said, "The fourth of July represents freedom in America, because America is a place where you can be free and do whatever you want, no matter your race, or your skin colour."
"I am an Indian, but I was born in America, so I do know how important it is to have freedom and how important it is to know how our predecessors fought for us to have our freedom," said Siddharth.
Meanwhile, for little Saanika, Independence Day means "fireworks".
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