I read an article about a former Army ROTC cadet whose sergeant used to quiz the squad on American history. When someone answered a question by calling the July holiday "the Fourth of July" instead of "Independence Day," the sergeant made the whole squad drop for push-ups. The writer's point: we treat this holiday as just a date on the calendar, when we'd never do that for Christmas or New Year's — so why don't we call it by its actual name by default?
It makes sense, too — we're not celebrating a date, we're celebrating the declaration of our independence. The name says what actually happened.
Do we say "Happy 25th of December" or "Happy 1st of January"? Well, no, we often say "Merry Christmas," "Happy New Year," or "Happy Holidays."
Perhaps we should start saying "Happy Independence Day." Or Sgt. Thayer will make you do push-ups. 🙄
So — Independence Day or the Fourth of July? Does it matter to you?