10 Things Every Pakistani KnowsToo Well About 14th August

‘Choda August’, aka Independence Day, aka Youm-e-Azadi is celebrated every year on the 14th of August for Pakistanis and is one of their many beloved national holidays. Not familiar with what Pakistan celebrates? Well Mr. Muhammad Ali Jinnah worked pretty hard to give Muslims and others who wanted to move to a sovereign and independent Pakistan, which ended the British Raj.

Despite all the hardships, 70 years later, Pakistanis living in the motherland, from Karachi to Peshawar, and Pakistanis living all around the world, get together to celebrate it on one day (unlike Eid lol).

So here are 14 things that Pakistanis experience on 14th of August:

1. Distant ‘hawai firing.’

Fireworks? Pff! There’s obviously a shortage of fireworks, so the Pakistanis turn to guns :D This is just how we celebrate and people finally get to play with their toys.

Source: BILAL CHUDHARY / YouTube

2. Patakhay

Now as a rule of thumb, if the gun is taller than you, you’ve got to play with the patakhay. If your house isn’t too noisy from the gun shots, you’ll be able to hear fire crackers going off around the neighbourhood. 

Via: imgur.com

3. Pindi Boys

Pindi bouys, Pindi bouys everywhere! More than anyone in Pakistan, it’s the ‘Pindi Bouys’ who are happy to be free. So expect to see loads of them with their flashy bikes, flashy clothing, with their shades on that they’ll be rocking at night and their enthusiasm along with their love for their beloved country.

Source: MangoBaaz

4. Pindi Boys dancing mid road

What does a 20 something Pakistani guy do when it’s independence day and all I have is a motorbike and a crew? We’re definitely not having bloc bbqs so for entertainment we hit the roads to celebrate. All we do is go from one place another but all of a sudden everything comes to halt when the ‘Pindi Boys’ decide to stop mid road and show off their dance skills. Are they dancing to Pakistani songs? No buddy, get ready to jam to Honey Singh on your independence day, and you can definitely expect to hear ‘Just do that do that do that do that pani wala dance‘.

Via: collegehumor.com

5. Decorated cars cruising around town

It’s not only the ‘Pindi Boys’ amazing dance moves providing the entertainment to you or their screaming and shouting, but their cars are also important not to miss (and don’t worry you won’t). Decorated with all sorts of magical trinkets and what not, their cars will definitely stand out.

Source: pakwheels.com

6. Traffic jams

We’ve covered the Pindi Boys, right? So, yeah, there’s a lot of traffic that happens when a bunch of dudes are singing in the road with people poppin wheelies all around with gun firing sounding across the the cities. BUT, don’t worry, it’ll be entertaining!

Source: Zambeel Films / The Crew Films

7. Green and white everything!

When it’s finally the 14th of August, everything turns green and white. Clothes, cars, billboards, shops, everyone on TV – before you know it, everywhere you turn you’ll see green. Oh and don’t forget the green and white faces.

Via: Tumblr

8. Patriotism oozing for every corner

On this day one should expect every sing Pakistani to be patriotic. When I was working in Rawalpindi, the whole office was decorated, faces were painted, everyone was in great spirits and best of all - the hippie guy came in with a guitar and we sang dil dil Pakistan till the cows came home… literally

Source: dawn.com

Source: raafay-awan.blogspot.com

9. News channels keeping us informed with the “Official” celebration

They’ll bombard us with interviews featuring little kids telling us how much they love their country (we know what really happens “hanjee baita cameray may dekh ker Apnay bolna hai Pakistan Zindabaad”), numerous ‘naujawano ka dhol ki thaap per raks’ – never gets old. But apart from that, good old PTV will show us just about every clip recorded since the time of Pakistan’s birth. And eventually giving us the updates on the ‘Laathi Charge‘ carried out by the police at night because things got outta control.

Via: Tumblr

10. Some random number wishing you

The awkward moment you receive a lovely patriotic Pakistan Independence Day message from someone you don’t know but you still send one back anyway.

But apart from all the things to expect, 72 years later here we are as a free nation with Imran Khan reviving the spirit of the country.

Here’s to many lifetimes more prosper to come and wishing everyone a festive independence day.

#PakistanIndepdence #IndependenceDay #Aug14 #14Aug #Jinnah