Why do we celebrate May 8 in France?

May 8, 1945 marked the victory of the Allied forces over Nazi Germany and the end of the war in Europe, but not the end of World War II.

The 3rd Reich collapsed after the Battle of Berlin which ended on May 2, 1945 with the victory of the Soviets over the German troops.

On May 7 in Reims, which is the location of the headquarters of the Allied Forces in Western Europe, under the order of American General Eisenhower the troops will push the German army to surrender, a first act of German capitulation will be therefore signed a week after the suicide of Adolf Hitler, and the fighting must stop on May 8 at 11:01 p.m.

The representatives of the German High Command thus signed at the end of 6 years of war, a new act of capitulation in Berlin on May 8, 1945 at 11:01 p.m. in the presence of representatives of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), the United States United States, United Kingdom and France.

“If this date marks the end of the Second World War in Europe, the war continues elsewhere”

If this date marks the end of the Second World War in Europe, the war continues in Asia between the United States and Japan.

It was following the American atomic bombings of Hiroshima (August 6, 1945) as well as Nagasaki (August 9, 1945) and the Soviet attack in Manchuria that Emperor Hirohito announced the capitulation of Japan on August 15, 1945.

The signing of the Japanese surrender will be signed on September 2, 1945 on Tokyo Bay, aboard an American warship, it is following this agreement reached on this date which will mark the end of the Second World War .

"In France, law 46-934 of May 7, 1946 sets the date of commemoration of the victory on May 8 of each year if that day is a Sunday"

In France, law 46-934 of May 7, 1946 sets the date of commemoration of the victory on May 8 of each year if that day is a Sunday. If this is not possible, it will fall on the first Sunday following this date. Subsequently, law 53-225 of March 20, 1953 will provide for the celebration of this day on May 8, which will then become a public holiday.

Following a Franco-German reconciliation, a decree of April 11, 1959 will abolish this public holiday even if a commemoration of May 8, 1945 is maintained every second Sunday of the month of May.

A decree of January 17, 1968 will ultimately provide for commemorating this anniversary date every May 8 at the end of the day. Subsequently, from 1975 to 1981, this day of commemoration was abandoned in favor of May 9, in memory of Robert Schumann's speech on European construction.

By law 81-893 supplementing certain provisions of the labor code, the commemoration of May 8 is reinstated and May 8 once again becomes a public holiday.

“If, in France, May 8 is a public holiday, this is not the case in the other countries of the coalition”

If, in France, May 8 is a public holiday on which the President of the French Republic lays a wreath at the foot of the Parisian statue of General de Gaulle on Place Clémanceau with a tribute in front of the tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc of Triumph before the end of the commemoration, this is not the case in the United Kingdom or the United States.

In England, there are no large gatherings, but British charities are organizing plenty of online events, and the group Care for Veterans, for example, is inviting runners to take part in a virtual 10k challenge to raise funds .

In the United States, they honor their soldiers on the last Monday in May, on Memorial Day, an official holiday there celebrated each year. It honors members of the United States Armed Forces who died in combat in all wars. The President of the United States therefore goes to Arlington National Cemetery in the suburbs of Washington DC, while parades are organized throughout the country.

Furthermore, Russia and certain countries from the former USSR celebrate Victory Day on May 9, because the German capitulation in Berlin on May 8, 1945 at 11:01 p.m. corresponded to the date of May 9, 1945 due to the time difference with Moscow time. So there is the May 9 parade where in Russia the president brings out his entire military arsenal with a military parade

Since 1985, the date of May 9 has also been celebrated in the countries of the European Union in homage to another event which is "the declaration of Robert Schuman" during which the French Minister of Foreign Affairs proposed on May 9, 1950 a new form of cooperation between the nations of the European continent. This declaration led to the creation in 1951 of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) bringing together Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

"Our history whatever the civilizations, the eras, and the countries, is littered with war..."

Our history whatever the civilizations, the eras, and the countries, is littered with war where civilians will always be the victims of a system already in place (we are thinking of the civilians in Ukraine who asked for nothing), where this what matters is our survival, our trace that we leave through the sustainability of our family, our artistic or other works, our customs, our convictions and our homeland. All these parameters define an identity behind a flag of our country, which some proudly display through their clothing style.

Here are some ideas for fashion accessories to show your belonging:

Country flag crests

badges that you can embroider on your backpack or your denim jacket or other:

https://mjcandco-shop.com/products/mode-nasa-drapes?variant=41941544796405

Dom-Tom badges on demand

Mixed NASA jackets

https://mjcandco-shop.com/collections/nasa/products/mode-pret-a-porter-nasa?variant=42014546526453

https://mjcandco-shop.com/collections/nasa/products/veste-double-face-nasa-pour-homme?variant=41135570026657