Officially known as National Day of Sri Lanka, February 4th is the date on which Sri Lanka commemorates its independence from British rule in 1948.
Just like the United States, Sri Lanka also has an Independence Day from its British colonial rulers. However, Sri Lanka’s Independence Day comes nearly 200 years after that of the United States, and its path to and following independence is quite different.
Similar to the Indian independence movement, efforts were made pre-World War II to pressure the British to allow Ceylonese self-rule, but they were regularly suppressed by the Raj. The advent of World War II brought pressure to the British and its colonies, prompting some under British rule to even support Germany in hopes that it would result in a British withdrawal. Nevertheless, Britain retained control of Ceylon, and with Japan’s entry into the war, the island became a front-line base that was bombed by Japan.
Towards the close of the war, pressure for independence in both India and Ceylon was mounting, and the British had their own domestic issues to consider after the Blitz. Even though Britain wished to retain some control over the island and implement a gradual move towards Ceylon independence, the island pushed for total self-rule. Independence was finally granted by the Ceylon Independence Act 1947. In the end, what resulted was Ceylon being declared the Dominion of Ceylon in 1948, with its own constitution and self-rule, but still nominally a member of the British Commonwealth.
Ceylon retained this status as a dominion, an autonomous state yet still having allegiance to the British Crown, for twenty-four years. It was only with the adoption of a new constitution in 1972 that Ceylon changed its name to Sri Lanka and changed its status from a dominion of the British Empire to a free republic within the British Commonwealth.
Currently, National Day is celebrated in Sri Lanka through events like flag-raising ceremonies, military parades, and cultural performances. The official celebrations normally take place on Galle Face Green or Independence Square. This year in Sri Lanka, Google has even posted a Google Doodle celebrating National Day.