Those of us in the USA celebrate on the 4th of July. It's the anniversary of our declaring independence as a nation. I recently heard that Canada celebrates something similar (with fireworks and all) on 1 July...Canada Day. I wish I'd posted this in time, as I'd add links for that too. But this will be just Independence Day, I guess.
I'd like to start off by sharing some DIY decoration ideas. Obviously, anything red, white, and blue works. But there are some great ideas out there for how to incorporate those colours. Let's start off with some Easy 4th of July Decorations, because who doesn't like easy? O.o lol. Next are 30 DIY 4th of July Ideas, and 20 more. Finally, here are some Fourth of July DIY Home Projects for both indoors and out.
You can't have the 4th without fireworks. Now I have never made any myself. But I found a couple tutorials for those die-hard do-it-yourselfers out there. If you're going to try this, please be very careful! Fireworks (whether store bought or homemade) are dangerous. Use common sense and be cautious! That said, here's one page with some firecrackers you can make. And here's a pretty extensive site, with links and video tutorials. Again, I advise you to just buy your fireworks (and use them carefully). But if you're determined to make your own, be safe and check your local laws (as some places ban homemade fireworks).
And you can't have a 4th of July celebration without food. Traditionally, people throw burgers, hot dogs, ribs, and chicken on the grill. And meat eaters already know where to get the best deals on their meat. Vegetarians can buy "burgers", "hot dogs", "sausages", "chicken", etc made of soy and/or seitan. But it's cheaper to make your own. Not to mention that you know there are no strange chemicals in yours. So, here's a recipe for an Easy Grillable Burger. Here are some "hot dogs" made of seitan. If you don't eat gluten, you could try carrot "hot dogs" (I've yet to try these, though I keep hearing about them). There are a lot of recipes for "chicken" flavoured seitan out there. But none specifically for the grill. However, this recipe (made ahead) appears that it would stand up to a brief grilling. There ARE other things you can grill. Everything from mushrooms to tofu, to certain cheeses hold up well. Check out these Vegetarian and Vegan Barbecue and Grilling Recipes from About.com.
And here's a short collection of traditional 4th foods (including "ribs" and "sausages", but also sides, sauces, and desserts) that are all VEGAN! And OneGreenPlanet has a list of foods and drinks that they suggest (all Vegan, of course).
Can't forget beverages! While most people reach for beer, there are some who prefer mixed drinks. Here are 25 Red, White, and Blue Cocktails to Celebrate the 4th of July. And for those who cannot or choose not to drink alcohol, here are some non-alcoholic drink ideas.
Well, that's it for now. However you celebrate, I wish you all a Happy 4th of July!