On 5 Iyyar 5608 (14 May 1948), in Tel-Aviv, the establishment of a Jewish state was proclaimed. This new country now needed a national public holiday – an Independence Day. From that date until now, sixty years, we have been celebrating; every year with its events, every decade with its particular characteristics. The nature of the celebrations changed with the prevailing spirit of the period in accordance with the then historical, political, military and cultural developments. Traditions become permanent, new ideas were added, routine on the one hand and the unexpected on the other. Events perceived at the beginning, simply because they were first and were created as if from nothing, became, over the years, understandable on their own whilst others, after sixty years, were almost forgotten – this is the nature of things. This book endeavours to recall the first days, the beginnings – difficult but gladdening and full of national and personal pride. For the tenth anniversary, the people were called upon to participate in national festivities organized and managed throughout the whole year. “We deserve a little happiness”, said Teddy Kollek on behalf of the establishment. This was the tenth anniversary of Independence, a year of joy, universally welcomed in a country proud of its military successes, of its economic development and of its social achievements, here in the Motherland. The victory in the Six Day War brought ‘national joy’ during the year and the Begin government made peace, warming the heart in the thirtieth year. This book seeks to outline the path of the festival and its celebrations, its ceremonies, its official events, its military parades and the extensive public decorations, its graphic productions and the work involved in decorating, all of which expressed the spirit of the time and place. Official independence posters and postage stamps highlighted the national objectives and commemorated the sadness and bereavement of Remembrance Days. Private manufacturers produced postcards, greetings cards, reliefs and dolls, study books, toys, games and drawings all of which emphasised love of the soldier and the army during the festival and thereafter. These constituted the essence of the Independence Days of the first decade. Then came the transformation. Finished were the military parades, the production of graphic commodities greatly diminished and the joy was no longer what it had been. Independence celebrations and their accompanying products became more privatised. The ‘national’ became ‘personal’. The noisy celebrations and the dancing in the streets were replaced by most of the populace setting up barbeques and sending the joy of the festival up in smoke. This was somewhat annoying but together with this, the State of Israel had become a ‘normal’ country in which its residents accepted independence as a matter of course. Sad, but at the same time, a good thing.