The 25th April is a very important day in Italian history. On this national holiday the country celebrates its liberation from Mussolini’s Social Republic and from the Nazi occupation.
The protagonists of this fight were the partisans and the citizens themselves of the occupied Italian cities that organized an insurrection, against the fascist government and the Nazi occupation, which turned out to be victorious. Date symbol of the liberation was April 25th 1945, the day when the partisans freed the city of Milan. The National Liberation Committee of Northern Italy on this day proclaimed the general insurrection in all the territories occupied by the Nazi-fascists, but the actual liberation of the whole of Italy signaling the end of the war, was on May 3rd, 1945.
Why is the 25th April celebrated in Italy?
On April 25th, Italy celebrates Liberation Day, a very important occurrence for Italian people, as a symbol of the fight against the fascist government and the Nazi occupation. But why is it celebrated on this day? Italian Traditions will guide you on the discovery of the reasons that led to the establishment of this celebration.
We will also tell you about the historical events that preceded April 25th, 1945 and finally, we will explain the establishment of this holiday and the main events that take place every year on this particular occasion.
The events that preceded the insurrection of April 25th in Italy
Before learning why April 25th is celebrated in Italy, it is important to discover the historical events that preceded this date.
As early as 1943, there were thousands of resistance groups leading an asymmetrical war against the Nazi-fascists and unfortunately many partisans died trying to liberate their country. During the spring of 1945, the partisans continued their attacks against the Nazi troops, encountering many difficulties and the outcome was not always victorious: the German Nazi army was in fact better equipped and had a greater number of soldiers.
The final insurrection began on April 9th, 1945 and the German troops, now in their 7th years of war, were quickly defeated. The partisan brigades quickly liberated all the Italian cities. On April 25th, the cities of Milan and Turin were also freed, and by 3rd May 1945 all the Italian cities were freed.
The establishment of the celebration
The celebrations to commemorate the 25th of April were instituted by the Prime Minister Alcide de Gasperi on 22nd April 1946 with the approval of Prince Umberto II. However, another 3 years went by before the law 260 of 27 May 1949 “Provisions on festive occasions” established the 25th April as a national holiday. Since then, every year in the main Italian cities on April 25th many events and celebrations have been organized. This year, for example, in Cesenatico the event “cycling in memory” will be held in the streets of the center, and in Naples they are organizing “Yoga of liberation.” Besides Italy, other European countries also celebrate their Liberation Day, and these are:
- Holland and Denmark on 5 May
- Norway 8 May
- Romania 12 May.
The celebrations
As every year there are numerous events organized in Italian cities. Among them all, the most striking is certainly the solemn homage of the President of the Republic to the chapel of the unknown soldier. On this occasion a wreath of flowers is laid to remind the fallen and the dispersed Italians in war. This year, like every year, the Italians will celebrate on April 25th, just like 74 years ago the beginning of a new Republic, free and democratic Italy was celebrated.
Throughout the history of Italy there have been days that have been fundamental for the future of the nation. These days are remembered every year with celebrations and events that aim to remember everything that has happened in the past and that, in this case gave freedom to the Italians that is still enjoyed today. One of the most important events was on April 25th, 1945 when liberation from the Nazi-fascist government began. If you want to discover another Italian anniversary and its history we recommend you read this article. Now that you know why April 25th is celebrated, you just have to take part in one of the many events in the Italian cities.