Americans are deeply attached to their holiday traditions, perhaps none more so than those surrounding Independence Day.

We asked our readers to weigh in on their favorite holiday traditions, from food to fireworks.

We discovered that the Land of Liberty allows plenty of room for personal choice. While there are some clear favorites, readers expressed a great deal of individuality in their July 4 choices.

Hamburger or Hot Dog?

The United States is often called a country of immigrants, and one proof is in the two favorite Fourth of July foods, the hamburger and the hot dog.

Both hail from Germany and were introduced to America by newcomers in the 1800s.

The city of Frankfurt, Germany, claims to have invented the hot dog in 1497, which is why the little sausages are sometimes called frankfurters, according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council.

Hot dogs became popular in America in 1983 when they were a huge hit at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago. That was the same year they were introduced to baseball parks.

The hamburger, another German invention, owes its name to the city of Hamburg, Germany. The now-classic American food made its way to the States sometime around 1848 with a huge wave of German immigrants.

Americans eat about 50 billion burgers a year, according to Burgers.com. Hot dogs are a distant second at about 20 billion a year, according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council.

Readers of The Epoch Times fell right in line with those numbers. Burger lovers outnumbered hot dog aficionados by about two to one.

However, most respondents, like grizzly bears, are omnivores. Fifty-seven percent would have one of each on the Fourth, and maybe a bratwurst too.

Ketchup or Mustard?

As for condiments, Epoch readers had a clear preference for mustard on their hot dogs. About 29 percent appeared to favor mustard alone.

But anything but the kitchen sink was favored by at least a few. As for “other,” condiments, readers listed sauerkraut, mayonnaise, coleslaw, tomatoes, pickles, peppers, jalapeño, salt, celery salt, barbecue sauce, cucumber—and, of course, bacon!

For hamburgers, readers were a bit more in agreement on condiments. Cheese was the most favored accompaniment for a burger, but a clear majority enjoyed nearly all of the standard toppings.

Relish was the outlier, favored by only 20 percent of readers.

As for other condiments, mayonnaise was most popular, but a few said they enjoy Miracle Whip, which is sure to open another debate.

Bacon was also popular, as were pickles, avocado, barbecue sauce, jalapeño, mushrooms, chili, thousand island dressing, and green chili.

The most surprising burger topping? Butter.

Fireworks

Americans will set off about 462 million pounds of fireworks this year, according to the business magazine Marketplace. About 95 percent of those will be consumer fireworks.

Consumer fireworks are legal in all states except Massachusetts, though some have stricter regulations than others.

Some states allow only consumer fireworks that don’t shoot into the air and don’t explode.

More than half of the respondents said they never shoot off fireworks at home. Just 10 percent said they always do.

This reporter believes all 10 percent of those respondents live in his neighborhood, which is usually thick with smoke and reverberation throughout the week of July 4.

About 1 in 5 respondents said they always attend a community fireworks display on the holiday. About half said they sometimes do.

Travel, Patriotism

Last year, more than 3 million people traveled by air around the Fourth of July, according to Booking.com.

A whopping 78 percent of Epoch respondents said they plan to take some additional time off over the holiday, but few plan to venture far from home.

Most said they plan to stay home or spend a bit of time with family and friends.

Red, white, and blue apparel is popular with Epoch readers, as more than half said they always break out the patriotic gear on Independence Day. Nearly a quarter more said they may wear something star-spangled if the mood strikes.

Nearly all, 94 percent, of respondents said they may reflect on the meaning of the day.

Our final question, a fill-in-the-blank asking readers to define “The best thing about the Fourth of July,” drew thoughtful responses.

Some were grateful to simply have a day off, which not everyone will enjoy this Fourth of July.

“As a doctor at a hospital, I usually have to work that day but I still enjoy watching the fireworks at night,” one respondent said.

Another wrote, “At least I’m only on call.”

Many spoke of the opportunity to gather with family, attend a parade, or reflect on the nation’s history.

Three words dominated the more than 6,000 written entries: family, freedom, and country.

This Epoch Reader Poll was conducted on June 25–26, 2025, via email and social media, and received 8,950 responses.