Independence day, German style

Yesterday was the 4th of July. How did I celebrate American independence? I started by waking up on a gym mat, tangled in a sheet, attempting to hide from the early-rising kids across the hall. It was the International School Hannover Region summer camp, which is a week of crafts and swimming and sports that all builds up to the big Thursday night sleepover at school. While the kids either slept in the gym or in tents outside, I curled up in a ball in the drama room, which has the advantage of thick, dark curtains. By noon the kids - one without shoes, a few still in pajamas, several nursing sunburns - finally grabbed their art projects, rolled up their sleeping bags and went home. I went home to a shower and a nap and my lovely husband. And to celebrate the 4th of July in the evening, we watched German soccer, of course.

One of the silliest questions I've ever gotten about living here is whether Germans celebrate the 4th of July. The Germans were celebrating last night but it had nothing to do with 1776. It had to do with 1-0 win over France in the World Cup quarterfinals. Our neighbors were having a barbecue and watching the game in the garden below us. Straight Norbert (there are 2 Norberts who live next door to each other on the 2nd floor. Brian and I tell them apart because one is gay Norbert and one is straight Norbert) invited us to join them. Even though they've been setting up for 3 days, straight Norbert saw us in the doorway and invited us 2 hours before the event.  We already had plans.
Later that night there were even fireworks, which looked great from our top floor balcony. But they were for the first night of Hannover's Schützenfest carnival, not for the 4th of July. Gay Norbert told us he'd be heading there after watching the game at home.

With a barbecue and fireworks and parties, were Germans celebrating Independence Day without even knowing it?

I did enjoy this article that Brian found in the Guardian about how expats around the world celebrate the 4th, or what they think about it. One quote that stood out from the article is this:  "Before leaving the US, I was certainly convinced that every country had an Independence Day that they, too, celebrated with such ferocity. But it wasn't until I left that I realised this isn't the norm everywhere else."

I think I feel the same way every October 3rd, when Germans celebrate the unification of their country by sleeping in and watching TV. There's no parade, no fanfare, no firecracker injuries.

I've spent my last 3 years of July 4ths working the summer camp, so I haven't done much celebrating. Even if I didn't do much for the 4th, at least I got up early, served about 300 pancakes and then watched TV. I even hung out with two other Americans and wore a red shirt. Maybe that means I was celebrating too, German style, without even knowing it.