An Independence Day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's assumption of independent statehood, usually after ceasing to be a colony or part of another nation or state; more rarely after the end of a military occupation.

Most countries observe their respective independence days as a national holiday, and in some cases the observance date is controversial or contested. Not all countries observe an independence day holiday, choosing to celebrate other national days instead of or alongside an independence day.

Fraternal Day is a legal holiday in the state of Alabama in the United States. It is celebrated annually on the 2nd Monday in October on the same day as Columbus Day and American Indian Heritage Day.

Fraternal Day was originally celebrated on the 2nd Thursday of October beginning in 1915.^[1]