VE Day 2022: When is Victory in Europe Day and how to celebrate it?
WORLD War II ended 77 years ago but we still celebrate the triumph every year with VE Day, which is today.
VE Day is a special British celebration which honours the street parties and joyous outpouring when the war ended.
When is VE Day 2022?
VE Day falls on May 8 every year.
VE Day stands for Victory in Europe Day which took place on Tuesday, May 8, 1945.
It is celebrated across the UK on the same day every year.
The day has been acknowledged every year since 1945.
What happened on VE Day?
It was the day on which allied forces announced the surrender of Germany in Europe.
It marked the end of Adolf Hitler’s war and sparked celebrations around the world.
The day before, at 2.41pm on May 7, 1945, Germany surrendered.
Hitler had taken his own life a week earlier leaving Grand Admiral Donitz of the German army to admit defeat.
The Normandy landings in June 1944 proved instrumental in achieving victory for the allies, as did the huge eastern offensives of the USSR.
Six years of a war that had cost millions of lives had finally come to an end.
A crowd of 50,000 packed Piccadilly Circus waving flags.
A national holiday was declared and there was dancing in the street and singing.
At 3pm Prime Minister Winston Churchill broadcast from the War Cabinet Office to tell the nation war was over.
It was the same room Neville Chamberlain had announced that the country was at war in 1939.
King George VI also spoke to the nation on the radio, paying tribute to those who “laid down their lives” during the war.
The Royal Family made eight appearances during the day, waving to crowds on the balcony at Buckingham Palace.
The two young princesses - Elizabeth and Margaret – even slipped out of the palace to join the crowds.
Some had started the celebrations early and didn’t wait for the official celebrations on May 8.
For those who had lost loved ones, it was a bittersweet day and many widows did not take part in the jubilations.
In America, the day was dedicated to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who had recently died.
President Roosevelt remains the longest-serving president in US history, holding office from 1933 to 1945 and winning an unprecedented four elections.
In France, huge crowds went to Paris to celebrate.
After the war, although the celebrations, times were still tough and rationing didn’t officially end until 1954.
British and Commonwealth Armed Forces were still fighting in Burma, Singapore and Thailand.
It was not until August that Japan surrendered after the US dropped the first two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The Second World War came to an end six years and one day after it started on September 2, 1945, when official surrender documents were signed on the deck of the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay by the Japanese.
How to celebrate VE Day?
The momentous day is still celebrated and remembered by people around Britain each year.
2022 will mark the 77th anniversary and will finally see celebrations go as usual after Covid-19 restricted them for two years.
It will be celebrated with gatherings, street parties and acknowledgement from the Armed Forces.
Food is a big aspect of VE day due to the rationing during the war, many people rushed to celebrate with special treats.
Pubs are also frequented during the celebration.
Is VE Day a bank holiday?
In 2020, the May Day bank holiday was moved from May 1 to May 8 - to mark 75 years since Nazi Germany surrendered.
It has only been moved once before, when it was again shifted from May 1 to May 8 to mark 50 years since VE Day.
In 2022 there is no bank holiday for VE day.
The next bank holiday is on June 3, 2022 for the Jubilee celebrations.