Pioneer Day
- What
- Pioneer Day
- When
- 7/24/2021
- Where
- Mormon Christian
Pioneer Day occurs on July 24th and is celebrated as an independence day, birthday, and thanksgiving day for Mormons. Pioneers Day has become one of the largest regional celebrations in the United States and is recognized as one of the greatest Mormon holidays.
The first company of Mormon pioneers, led by Brigham Young, officially entered the Valley of the Great Salt Lake; this event has come to signal the founding of a new homeland for the purpose of establishing their earthly Zion.
During the celebrations, major social groups interacted in ways to ritually review the society's vitality and solidarity. Customary activities including parades, devotionals, sporting events, feasts, dances, excursions, and reunions often served to remind the Saints of the religious foundations of their group identity.
In larger cities, the celebration has become more secular, and is seen as a means of coming together and celebrating the society that has been built by Mormons and non-Mormons alike. Though to Mormons the celebration may always bring to mind the pioneers of 1847, to the society as a whole the day is one to celebrate the building of the society by "pioneers" of many eras and backgrounds.