Holidays in Westarctica

Grand Duke Travis leading a toast during Westarctica's 15th Anniversary Celebration in 2016

Holidays in Westarctica fall into one of three categories, as established with Westarctican Ordinance WO-2020-002, but specific holidays were not actually codified into law until 5 October 2020 with the passing of ordinances WO-2020-003, WO-2020-004, and WO-2020-005.

National holidays fall into one of three categories:

• National Holidays
• Cultural Holidays
• Days of Observance.

History

During the first years of Westarctica's founding, when it was still known as the Achaean Territory of Antarctica, the only official holiday was 4 June, the birthday of Grand Duke Travis. The date of national independence, 2 November, was recognized, but not publicly celebrated. This tradition continued until 2016, when Westarctica Day became a recognized holiday and was elevated to the status of national holiday to be celebrated by all citizens of the country.

In 2018, a list of public holidays was created by the Grand Duke, and slightly modified on advice from members of the Royal Council. This list had no structure or precedence. In 2020, the holidays were codified by law. All of the previously-existing holidays were retained in the new structure, however, they were placed into different categories.

Holidays in Calsahara

Prior to being liberated by Westarctica in 2017, the Colony of Calsahara had a rich tradition of holidays that had begun when it was founded in 2009. The national holiday of Calsahara was originally 4 June, celebrating the founder's birthday. However, it was briefly changed to 15 March, which memorialized the first day the Flag of Calsahara was raised over the territory. Finally, in 2012, it was changed to 24 November, which is the actual day that Calsahara was founded as well as the birthday of Prince Daniel Nicholas, who briefly ruled as King of Calsahara.

Following the liberation of Calsahara by Westarctica's military in 2017, the only holidays that were carried over to Westarctica were the Ides of March (15 March) and Christmas (25 December). Incidentally, the day Calsahara was liberated immediately became a holiday.

National Holidays

These dates are considered to be the most significant, and will be handled as closure days for the government, as much as is possible.

Date	Holiday Name	Established By	Notes
New Year's Day	1 January	WO-2020-003	Celebration of the new calendar year.
Voting Holiday	First Friday in February	WO-2020-003	Although voting occurs over a three-day period, the first day of voting shall be a holiday to ensure maximum turnout.
Earth Day	22 April	WO-2020-003	Intended to be celebrated by volunteering with conservation organizations and efforts.
Founder's Day	4 June	WO-2020-003	Celebration of the birthday, contributions, and personage of Westarctica's founder, Grand Duke Travis.
Midwinter Feast	23 June	WO-2020-003	Last of the three-day Midwinter celebration, this is a continuation of the Antarctic tradition.
Citizen's Day	First Monday in August	WO-2020-003	Day to celebrate and recognize all citizens of Westarctica. Commemorates the week the Grand Duke processed over 1,000 citizenship applications.
Outreach Day	Third Monday in October	WO-2020-003	Recognizing the establishment of Westarctica, Inc. Intended for volunteering in local community.
Westarctica Day	2 November	WO-2020-003	Commemorates the mailing of the Claimant Letter in 2001. Celebration of nation's independence, culture, and history.
Summer Holiday	21 December	WO-2020-003	Commemorates the first day of Summer.

Cultural Holidays

These dates are not given any official preference in Westarctica. Instead, this category identifies those celebrations likely to be observed by significant enough portions of the population that the government should try to avoid hindering the ability for those portions of the populace from being able to request time off. Private businesses in Westarctica are encouraged to treat them accordingly. When these observances coincide with National Holidays or another Cultural one, there will be no alternate observance.

Holiday Name	Date	Established By	Notes
Eid al-Fatir	Floating Day (sometimes twice in a year)	WO-2020-004	Islam holiday
Valentine's Day	14 February	WO-2020-004	Originally a Christian feast day, now more commonly a celebration of the significant others in our lives.
Easter	Floating Sunday in the Fall	WO-2020-004	Christian holiday
Winter Solstice	Roughly 21 June	WO-2020-004	Pagan holiday
Midwinter	21 and 22 June	WO-2020-004	Continuation of Antarctic tradition and Westarctican cultural celebration.
Westarctican Pride	Third Friday in June	WO-2020-004	Gender and Sexual Minorities celebration
Yom Kippur	Floating Day in Spring	WO-2020-004	Jewish holiday
First Night of Hanukkah	Floating Day in Late November or December	WO-2020-004	Jewish holiday
Summer Solstice	Roughly 21 December	WO-2020-004	Pagan holiday
Christmas	25 December	WO-2020-004	Christian holiday often celebrated secularly

Days of Observance

While not explicitly holidays, these days commemorate people and events of significance to Westarctica. There are no government closures, although there may be a ceremony, speech, or press release from the Sovereign or Prime Minister.

Holiday Name	Date	Established By	Notes
Balleny Day	14 January	WO-2020-005	Commemorates annexation of Balleny Islands in 2005.
Constitution Day	15 February	WO-2020-005	Commemorates signing of Constitution into law in 2020.
Technology Day	3 March	WO-2020-005	Celebrates recapture of .com domain name in 2019, as well as nation's origins as an online community.
Ides of March	15 March	WO-2020-005	Date to reflect on deeds of former Sovereigns and the lessons they can teach us, both good and bad.
Coup Day	2 June	WO-2020-005	Celebrates the Great Return in 2010.
Order of the Orca Founding Day	10 July	WO-2020-005	Recognizes establishment of nation's highest honor in 2019. Celebrates achievements and contributions of notable non-Sovereign Westarcticans.
Flandrensis Day	24 September	WO-2020-005	Commemorates end of hostilities in 2010 and ongoing friendship between our two nations.
Calsahara Day	29 October	WO-2020-005	Celebrates Westarctican liberation of the Kingdom of Calsahara in 2017.
Amundsen Day	14 December	WO-2020-005	Celebrates first expedition to reach the South Pole, and first known humans to step foot on Westarctica, in 1911.