Written by Kushaan Agarwal, a grade 9 student.

There are various days which we know about. Many governments celebrate a day honouring an important historical event, like the Republic Day, Independence Day in India. Have you ever thought about what days in other countries are like? There is this one day, celebrated in many countries in Europe, which signifies one of the most important days in their history. Read on to find out.

What is it?

This day is the day when Nazi Germany, that is the dictatorship under Adolf Hitler, came to an end after they surrendered. It is celebrated annually on the 9 of May and is considered extremely important. It is like our Independence Day, since they finally got independence from the ruthless Nazis after fighting for about 12 years, between 1933 and 1945. It was on the early morning of 9 May 1945 that the Nazis surrendered.

Why did they surrender?

Adolf Hitler had committed suicide just one week prior to this. The man who he asked to rule after him wanted the Nazis to surrender so that the war ends, and many countries like France, US and more, which were against the USSR, start helping Germany and defeat the Soviet Union. So, the main reason for this was that he hoped that the other large powers would turn against the Soviet Union. This, however, did not happen since they surrendered and the war also ended.

Thus, this day also marks an important contribution to the end of World War 2.

Where all is this celebrated?

This day is not only celebrated in Germany, but also in many more countries like Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan to name a few.

What happens on this day?

This day is generally a sad and somber day so as to pay tribute to the many lives lost in the war. However, on this day, Victory Day Parades are organised, in which people march around their towns in honour of this day.

People also gather at monuments, and especially at monuments related to the war.

In Russia, this day was celebrated on 23 June of this year. A parade was organised, and thus no social distancing was pertained to, considering the current pandemic.

Written by Kushaan Agarwal
Kushaan is an aviation enthusiast. He also loves to play basketball and tennis, among other sports

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