Victory in Europe Day

In France, May 8 is the national holiday called "Victoire du 8 mai 1945". This is the day for celebration of the victory against Germany in World War Ⅱ. In Paris, a military parade holds on Champs-Elysees and the president pray for the soldiers.

"Yasukuni Shrine" at Tokyo, the shrine for soldiers died in wars

Today, I realised that France won the WWⅡ, when I watched the live emission of the parade. The memorial day of the war also exists in Japan, "End-of-war memorial day" on August 15, but it's far from it in France. Every year the national memorial ceremony holds for war dead, it's not like "a parade", silent, solemn atmosphere. We can see TV programmes about the war, the atomic bomb, etc. This memorial day is important for us not to forget the misery of war, although not a lot of people are passionated with it these days...

I suppose that France and Japan have different perspective about the war as the winner and loser. You can see it in the national anthems.

The Japanese anthem says about the peaceful reign of the emperor :

Kimigayo

The reign of the emperor

For thousand, or eight thousands years long

Until small rocks

Become a huge rock

And be covered in moss

On the other hand, the French anthem :

La Marseillaise

Arise children of our country The day of glory has arrived Against us tyranny's Bloody standard is raised Listen to the sound in the fields The howling of these fearsome soldiers They are coming into our midst To cut the throats of your sons and consorts

Arm citizens Form your battalions March, march Let impure blood Water our furrows

It's a little bit exciting. (*This is my personal opinion)