17 Independence Day Memories Every Lebanese Kid Has
Remember how seriously your school used to take Independence Day? The students raising the flag were the big shots that everyone gossiped about, and you were slightly envious of them each and every year. In honor of this Independence Day, we’re revisiting 17 memories of celebrating this national holiday at Lebanese schools. What are yours?
1. Eating free man’ouche at school
Independence Day = a saj station at school. Couple with juice for ultimate experience.
2. Wearing the flag as a hat
3. Learning the lyrics to the anthem and reciting them like a poem
But it was still melodic.
4. Getting cringey commercial jingles stuck in your head
But nothing made us feel more patriotic than this video:
5. Learning about the meaning of each flag color
White is for peace and purity, red for martyrdom, and green for our cedars. Good times.
6. Wearing an army uniform
7. Singing “tam tam tam” in your heart because the teacher wouldn’t let you do it out loud
You felt like a lil rebel didn’t you?
8. Dabke-ing with your class
The party of the century.
9. Jamming to raje3 yet3amar Libnan nonstop
10. Lebanese flag face-painting
*As soon as you walk in*
Your mom: “Fout(eh) ghassel(eh) weja/ik hala2”
11. Watching the military parade and mimicking it with your family
12. Having to stand in the sun for a straight two hours during the school ceremony
But that’s fine cause that meant no French or Arabic class that morning.
13. And then listening to the boring speech by the school principal that you didn’t even pay attention to
An amazing speech, a bunch of 12-year-olds will definitely be inspired by it.
14. Your teacher giving you a kebbeh cooking workshop
15. Throwing Lebanese picnic brunches among classmates
You get the Pepsi and the chips, I get the mini pizza and labne.
16. Wearing red, white, and green as a patriotic fashion statement
And your mom low-key stressing about the fact that you don’t have any red clothes.
17. Buying Lebanese flag merch like your life depended on it
Flags that stick to car windows, cedar-shaped car air fresheners, I LOVE LEBANON bracelets…the list goes on.
