Vaduz, 15 August 2022 (TDI): The National day celebrations in Liechtenstein are underway. It is celebrating its 82nd National day today. Liechtenstein celebrated its first National day on August 15, 1940.
The Foreign Ministry of Latvia also took to Twitter to greet Liechtenstein on the occasion of its national day.
Beste Grüße an unsere Freunde in #Liechtenstein 🇱🇮 zum #Nationalfeiertag!
Greetings and best wishes from #Latvia! 👋 pic.twitter.com/C95CzU8CP0— Latvian MFA 🇱🇻 | #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 (@Latvian_MFA) August 15, 2022
National Day Celebrations
On National Day, the school children gather in Vaduz Castle to see their friends again after the summer break for the first time. The older generations follow the tradition of watching the fireworks, which begin at 10 pm.
The Liechtenstein people celebrate this day in quite a traditional way. The day begins with an official act of state on the lawn next to Vaduz Castle.
Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein and the President of the Parliament, Albert Frick, give speeches on the occasion of the national holiday.
The princely family hosts the aperitif, which is free to attend but does require a ticket that can be purchased online.
The highlight of the day’s celebrations, the fireworks, start around two o’clock in the afternoon in the Vaduz city center.
The city center is closed to traffic, allowing numerous booths, street vendors, and carousels to set up along the streets. Liechtenstein people and visitors from all over celebrate until late at night.
History of National Day
The Principality of Liechtenstein‘s government formally declared August 15 as a national holiday on August 5, 1940. The first time it was commemorated was only ten days later.
The date was selected for two reasons. Firstly, it was already a bank holiday. Mary’s Assumption is commemorated on August 15.
Second, Prince Franz Josef II, who was in power at the moment, was born on August 16. The Feast of the Assumption and the Prince’s birthday were thus combined to form Liechtenstein’s official holiday.
After the death of Prince Franz Josef II in 1989 it was decided to keep the official holiday on the same day. A law establishing August 15 as the Principality of Liechtenstein’s official holiday was established in 1990 as decided to keep the national holiday on the same day.
