raditions for the Fourth of July

Traditions for the Fourth of July holiday are varied between families and states. There are many similarities between the traditions of the Fourth of July holiday, but there are differences as well.


I am going to discuss what happens in northeastern Pennsylvania in our traditional Fourth of July holiday get-togethers. Perhaps it can inspire you to share some good clean healthy fun.

I come from a rather large extended family, so we usually do any holiday celebrations as a family unit but we also to include some people who are not family. Most of our fourth of July celebrations occur at our privately owned campground.

Camping is a tradition in my family. We usually camp most of the summer a few days at a time. In the month of July, my children and I remain the whole time, and the fourth is the best.

Now during this month some people stay the whole month and others to stay a few days at a time. One thing is certain we are all there for the Fourth of July. It is fun for everyone.

We have a few sparkers for the little ones but who needs them when you have bonfires on a nightly basis? You can toast marshmallows or hotdogs while listening to family members sing patriotic songs.

Fourth of July activities include a friendly cook off that would leave Gordon Ramsey licking his lips in appreciation. Each of my siblings makes a special dish, which is judged, and the best ones in each category will win a prize.

Everyone tries to make a dish with a patriotic name. It is a challenge to come up with something different each year. Points are given for creativity in the name of the dish, taste, and creativity of the ingredients used. The smells of all the different items being cooked over the campfires wafts through the air.

We also try to play old-fashioned games, and spend the day talking and bonding. We have also done a special trivia game in which the answers all have to do with the July 4 in history or events, which led up to our nation's independence.


Gather the kids to play Frisbee, softball or volleyball. One of the fun activities for the kids is to play a version of tag where you have to call out a name of someone in history. This really tests their knowledge and makes you wonder how much they pay attention in school.

Two small towns near us will have Fourth of July celebrations, and we attend both of these as one huge unit. They are on different nights, which is great. We caravan which means it is usually about a 20-car procession, so it takes us a while to get anywhere. We all enjoy the fireworks, and the carnivals, which are set up both of these celebrations. However, the thing that we all liked best easily is being with family.