Patriotic Party

Table of contents

Introduction

 

Patriotism, defined as a love of one's country, refers to those individuals who can clearly state that "I am proud to be a ...!" And as such, what better way to celebrate this human trait than by having a patriotic party? Below you'll find a number of tips to help you organize your patriotic party for yourself as well as your friends. But first, a little more on the topic:

 

Many people mistake patriotism with nationalism, where the latter is not necessarily regarded as a crucial element to the former. Patriotism emphasizes a much more objective enthusiasm about a place of residence or a place of birth. An example would be an individual who may not agree with the political policies of his or her country, but still feels a love for said country. In short, patriotism is that act of love which aspires to better a country beyond its current state.

 

The word patriotism comes from the Latin patria and from the Greek patrith - the latter who associated patriotism with language, culture, law and the eternal quest for common good. Examples of this became more apparent during the 18th century, where the definition was elaborated to include goodwill to all citizens and a responsibility toward one's fellow citizens. This, however, in itself raises the question about whether patriotism isn't akin to a form of racism: does goodwill and responsibility only pertain to members of the same nationality or is it to all mankind? And if the latter, wouldn't that serve to erode the very principle of a love of one's country?

 

These are indeed hard questions to answer, but may be answered at a later time. For now, it's time to get going to organize that most joyous of occasions - the patriotism party - where you'll be able to invite friends from all the corners of the world and celebrate each other's nationality.

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Patriotic Party Invitations

Get started on your patriotic party by creating a couple of dazzling invitations! Below you’ll find a couple of novel ideas which you are free to use. Just keep in mind that, should you need any of the materials or items as described below, you’ll be able to purchase them in the appropriate retail stores or on the internet. That being said, remember to include the following details in your patriotic party invitations:

  • Party Name: Depending on which country you are from, you will have to give your party an according name. Ideas here include “Jack’s Deutsche Fest” or “Sarah’s Spanish Fiesta”

  • Salutation

  • Date & Time

  • Venue/Location

  • Dress Code

  • Contact Details

  • Additional information…

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The Flag Invitation

An excellent invitation for the patriotic party, the flag will be a hit with your friends, especially if they originate from other countries.

 

So as you can guess, this invitation will require you to get a flag for each of your friends, of the countries they originated from. Once you have the flags, it’s time to get in touch with someone who can do either screen printing or embroidery, as hey will have to convey the invitation details to the flag.

 

Once done, all that’s left to do is deliver!

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The Patriotic Food

Proud of your country? Well, so are billions of people in the world. And one thing all of them have in common, is probably a love for food, especially those from their own countries. Though why not get creative with this patriotic party and celebrate the acceptance of other cultures by creating an invitation using foreign foods?

 

As you can guess, this will require you to do some shopping not only for these foods, but also something to put them in. In addition, you will have to buy or make an invitation card with all the party details.

 

Once done, all that’s left to do is combine the card and the food and get ready to deliver.

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Patriotic T-shirt Invitation

Free clothing is always cool, especially if it looks good. For this invitation you will have to get a t-shirt for each of the friends you wish to invite. These can either be ordered online or bought from the appropriate stores in your area (oh, and be sure to get your friends’ sizes first).

 

When you have the t-shirts, it's on to the design, for which you may need some software. If you don't already have the appropriate software on your computer, have a look on the internet for some free screen-printing software or pay a visit to your local software retailer and ask them for advice.

 

Now when you are designing the image, take care to ensure that it remains in line with the Patriotic theme. This design will typically be for the front while the details of your party will be on the back (you can add some minor Patriotic decorations there, too).

 

Once you have the design, simply take it to your local screen printer and ask them to print it onto your t-shirt. Just note that it would be a good idea to let them know which software you will be using before you start the design to ensure it is compatible with theirs.

 

And finally, when your t-shirts are printed, all that's left to do is get ready to deliver!

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Patriotic Party Dress Code

Most countries have some sort of traditional dress code, which is the ideal thing to wear to a patriotic party. Though in many cases it may prove too much of a burden to get hold of traditional clothing just for one event. For those instances, casual or semi-formal wear will do just the trick.

 

Whatever you decide, be sure to mention it on your invitations under the “Dress Code” section.

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Patriotic Party Decorations

Here are a couple of ideas for patriotic party decorations – all of which can be bought from the internet or an appropriate store in your area.

  • Country Flags

  • Posters

  • Streamers

  • Balloons

  • Art

  • Furniture (typical to a specific country)

  • Models of famous buildings of a particular country

 

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Patriotic Party Guest Arrival & Announcement

Make a list of the different nationalities you expect to have at the party. Then, before the event, learn a sentence or two in their native language to greet your friends with on the day of the party.

Patriotic Party Favors

Party favors are those items you use to thank your guests for coming, but also to ensure that they remember your party for days, weeks, months and possibly years to come. Below you will find a couple of our ideas, all of which you will be able to find at the appropriate retailer in your area or on the internet.

  • Country flags

  • Statuettes of items/buildings/etc. in a specific country

  • International music CDs

  • Posters

  • Books

  • Calendars

  • Key rings

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Patriotic Party Activities

Trivia

Log on to the internet or pay a visit to the appropriate store in your area for some quiz sets on the current theme.

 

When it’s time for the activity, divide into groups and see which of your friends know their international trivia the best.

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Patriotic Acronyms

Patriotic Acronyms is a fun game that everyone can enjoy, regardless of their nationality.

 

The game starts off with each one of the guests thinking up a four letter word. Once each guest has one, simply write it down on a piece of paper and put it in a hat or a bowl.

 

The purpose of this game is to assume that each word is an acronym. As such, one person should draw a word from the hat or the bowl and state the first noun that pops into his or her head that begins with the same letter as the acronym. The next person in a clockwise direction should provide a verb beginning with the same letter as the second letter of the acronym. The third person should supply an adjective or adverb beginning with the same letter as the third letter of the adjective and the fourth person a noun beginning with the same letter as the fourth one of the acronym.

 

Seeing as it’s a Patriotic Party, you and your friends will have to take care to choose words in line with the theme. But, it’s also very important to shout out the first word that comes into your mind.

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The Guided Makeover

Does your country have it’s own style of makeup? If so, then this activity will be ideal as it will not only prove an interesting experience for everyone else, but also prove to be educational.

 

As such, for this activity you will need quite a bit of makeup, which we suggest you get before the event. When it’s time for the activity to start, you and your friends will have to divide into two groups – those being made up and those who will be applying the makeup. As soon as everyone is done, it’s time to switch so that there won’t be a clean face left at the end of your party.

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Fashion Show

We all know international fashion – it’s what most women live for and what men admire. For this activity you will need some sketch pads, random sheets of materials, wire, tinfoil, a variety of objects etc.

 

The purpose of this activity is to create something that resembles a specific country’s traditional clothing. As such, you and your friends will have to divide into teams.

 

Now, to start off, you will have to design your garment based on the materials available. Use the sketch pad for this. When that’s done, it’s on to making the garments. Have some scissors, wire cutters, sticky tape, needle, thread, etc. handy.

 

And finally, when everyone is done, it’s time for a fashion show! Make the event a bit more competitive by awarding the first place winners with a special prize.

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Food & Drink

Make a list of the various nationalities that will be attending your party and then prepare some traditional foods and drinks for all the guests to enjoy. Naturally this will take some research, so we advise you to use the internet as a cost-effective source of information.

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Reader ideas