It is one of the country's ten public holidays and marks the anniversary of the investiture of Leopold I as the first King of the Belgians in 1831.

Searching for a monarch, the revolutionaries decided on Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha who was a German aristocrat popular in the United Kingdom.

In 1890, this was changed by law to 21 July to strengthen the association between the observance and the monarchy and constitutional order.

They traditionally begin with a Te Deum at the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula, attended by the King and other dignitaries.

In the afternoon, the Belgian Armed Forces and police are reviewed by the King and parade around the Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat and the perimeter of the Brussels Park in front of the Royal Palace.

[5] Elsewhere in Belgium, celebrations often involve church services, flea markets, and public concerts.