Remember, remember, Empire Day, the 24th of May

Brightly, brightly, sun of spring upon this happy day; Shine upon us as we sing this 24th of May; Shine upon our brothers too; Far across the ocean blue; As we raise our song of praise; On this our glorious Empire Day

Songs similar to this one, were sung annually all over the British Country since the 24th May 1902. The idea to remind people, especially school kids, that they were part of the great mighty British Empire existed for a long time, but it was the year Queen Victoria died, that it was put into action on her birthday. The festivities of the day included singing patriotic songs, hissing the Union Jack, listening to tales and heroic stories from across the Empire, marches, dances and concerts. (http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/Empire-Day/)

When I read the page about the Empire Day, I thought that it is very interesting and kind of funny that all these countries were supposed to celebrate the British Empire. But then, I did some deeper research and learned that this day is still celebrated today. It is no longer called Empire Day, instead, the term Commonwealth Day is used and it takes place on different dates, every second Monday in March. It is declared that:

It is an opportunity for individuals, communities and organisations to promote shared Commonwealth values of peace, democracy and equality, and to celebrate the association’s rich diversity. (http://thecommonwealth.org/commonwealthday)

I think that this day of celebration and the statement are really ironic because the British Empire, despite bringing progress to its countries, does not stand for democracy, peace and equality but for forced opinions on others and oppression. So I asked myself, should the British still celebrate that day?