National East Meets West Day is celebrated annually on April 25th.
This day, also known as “Elbe Day” was the date, in 1945,when Soviet and American troops met at the River Elbe, near Torgu in Germany, which marked an important step toward the end of World War II in Europe.
The Soviets, advancing from the East and the Americans, advancing from the West, meant that the two powers had effectively cut Germany in two.
On April 26, 1945, the commanders of the 69th Infantry Division of the First Army and the 58th Guards Rifle Division of the 5th Guards Army (Soviet Union) met at Torgau, southwest of Berlin. Arrangements were made for the formal“Handshake of Torgau”.
To celebrate this day, many kinds of sports team hold annual East vs. West games.
Most often, its held by high school sports teams. It does not have to be limited to sports teams. It could be any club or organization that holds competitions, and can be geographically separated into and east and west groups.
These special games usually serve a number of purposes, including:
- for charitable benefits
- Sports booster club
- to honor and/or showcase the best players of the season
