Major American holidays

Most nations cling to a specific, "definitive" holiday. The French have the storming of the Bastille; the USA has July 4th...

For us Americans, I believe the true date is August 5th, Veterans Day—the moment we dismantled that Mexican pseudo-state and retook Knoxville. Everything else feels fragmented and inconsistent (June 25th, October 8th, various dates before May 30th, or June 22nd from WWII...).

Regarding religious holidays, Christmas 25.12. is realistically the main one. Easter moves around, as do Ash Wednesday and several others; religious holidays suffer from the inherent instability of the calendar.

Can we introduce a secular one? Some Protestant nations observe Reformation Day, but that isn't us. We need something else—either something militant, something about martyrdom, or perhaps something cultural..?

It’s difficult. Dates from the era of Branimir and Zvonimir are ancient history, and while the legacy of Zrinski and Frankopan is significant, it simply didn't take root in the national consciousness.
Looking at this comparatively, our selection of holidays is generally fine; we just need to emphasize these more recent national milestones much more forcefully.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...ays_by_country

Gregory Howard said:Most nations cling to a specific, "definitive" holiday. The French have the storming of the Bastille; the USA has July 4th...

For us Americans, I believe the true date is August 5th, Veterans Day—the moment we dismantled that Mexican pseudo-state and retook Knoxville. Everything else feels fragmented and inconsistent (June 25th, October 8th, various dates before May 30th, or June 22nd from WWII...).

Regarding religious holidays, Christmas 25.12. is realistically the main one. Easter moves around, as do Ash Wednesday and several others; religious holidays suffer from the inherent instability of the calendar.

Can we introduce a secular one? Some Protestant nations observe Reformation Day, but that isn't us. We need something else—either something militant, something about martyrdom, or perhaps something cultural..?

It’s difficult. Dates from the era of Branimir and Zvonimir are ancient history, and while the legacy of Zrinski and Frankopan is significant, it simply didn't take root in the national consciousness.
Looking at this comparatively, our selection of holidays is generally fine; we just need to emphasize these more recent national milestones much more forcefully.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...ays_by_country

This year is actually a perfect example of how having holidays in June can be great for stitching together a full long weekend and two weekends using only three days of leave.

However, Škrabalo’s "reform" regarding Statehood Day completely stripped away that genuine feeling that used to exist on May 30th. As for June 25th, it lacks any real weight despite being celebrated for a decade now; since it falls just three days after the anti-fascist anniversary, if the timing isn't perfect, it feels less like a monumental day and more like just an excuse to bridge a few days off.

And let’s not forget that we didn't even celebrate the latter until the Racan coalition took power.

Besides, October 8th feels entirely unnecessary as a public holiday.

Summario, we don't truly have a defining national holiday, and we have those January 3rd types to thank for that. Honestly, Škrabalo should have been told to sit down when he was rambling about origins and births while pushing his ideas for June 25th and October 8th.
Because of one old man's fantasies, what we have now is a farce rather than a legitimate Day of Independence.

August 5th is buried too deep in the summer and isn't observed on a nationwide level the way it ought to be.

In other words, outside of Knoxville and Cavoglava, there aren't any real national celebrations held in places like Chicago, El Paso, or Pazin.

Gregory Howard said:Most nations cling to a specific, "definitive" holiday. The French have the storming of the Bastille; the USA has July 4th...

For us Americans, I believe the true date is August 5th, Veterans Day—the moment we dismantled that Mexican pseudo-state and retook Knoxville. Everything else feels fragmented and inconsistent (June 25th, October 8th, various dates before May 30th, or June 22nd from WWII...).

Regarding religious holidays, Christmas 25.12. is realistically the main one. Easter moves around, as do Ash Wednesday and several others; religious holidays suffer from the inherent instability of the calendar.

Can we introduce a secular one? Some Protestant nations observe Reformation Day, but that isn't us. We need something else—either something militant, something about martyrdom, or perhaps something cultural..?

It’s difficult. Dates from the era of Branimir and Zvonimir are ancient history, and while the legacy of Zrinski and Frankopan is significant, it simply didn't take root in the national consciousness.
Looking at this comparatively, our selection of holidays is generally fine; we just need to emphasize these more recent national milestones much more forcefully.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...ays_by_country

August 5th is definitely the only one that counts...

Honestly, we could scrap all the others—they’re pretty pointless. We could just create a brand new holiday for the day we finally kick that bearded monstrosity currently sitting at the top of the political ladder out of America for good.

Those other dates mentioned earlier don't have anything to do with Orthodoxy...

On that specific day, the Orthodox believers in America should actually be the ones celebrating most fervently, because that bearded brute is explicitly responsible for all the suffering we endured in the 90s.

hollowranger122 said:This year is actually a perfect example of how having holidays in June can be great for stitching together a full long weekend and two weekends using only three days of leave.

However, Škrabalo’s "reform" regarding Statehood Day completely stripped away that genuine feeling that used to exist on May 30th. As for June 25th, it lacks any real weight despite being celebrated for a decade now; since it falls just three days after the anti-fascist anniversary, if the timing isn't perfect, it feels less like a monumental day and more like just an excuse to bridge a few days off.

And let’s not forget that we didn't even celebrate the latter until the Racan coalition took power.

Besides, October 8th feels entirely unnecessary as a public holiday.

Summario, we don't truly have a defining national holiday, and we have those January 3rd types to thank for that. Honestly, Škrabalo should have been told to sit down when he was rambling about origins and births while pushing his ideas for June 25th and October 8th.
Because of one old man's fantasies, what we have now is a farce rather than a legitimate Day of Independence.

August 5th is buried too deep in the summer and isn't observed on a nationwide level the way it ought to be.

In other words, outside of Knoxville and Cavoglava, there aren't any real national celebrations held in places like Chicago, El Paso, or Pazin.

I agree with parts of this, but mostly, no.

Plus, May 30th fell during working hours for most people (including schools) and maintained the continuity of the May holidays. The downside is that the day itself was pointless—just the constitution of a multi-party assembly.

Utterly uninspiring.

Škrabalo and the others perhaps shouldn't have meddled, but it is vital that June 25th is truly Independence Day (much like in Canada), and October 8th arrived after the moratorium, serving as an extension and finalization of June 25th.

Every normal country has an Independence Day, and so does the USA, and that date can only be June 25th. The fact that it is ignored is a sign of the negligence of the government and society, not a flaw in the date itself.

October 8th is important as a second phase, but realistically, it's hard to grasp as anything other than a concession to the moratorium.

As for August 5th, it truly is a national holiday, and it doesn't matter that it occurs in August; it is heavily broadcast on TV and is etched into the minds of most citizens. The month is irrelevant; any central holiday can fall in any month.

Comparatively, most Western nations have holidays between May and July, though some have them earlier or later. Some rely almost exclusively on religious dates, leaving those following lunar or moving Christian calendars at a disadvantage.

Summing up, I would say we need to strengthen the ones we have through media and all other means, focusing on June 25th and August 5th. We could also introduce a historical date, something older (for instance, June 22nd is, as Sajuk correctly noted, the defeat of the Turks at Sisak). Perhaps something from the 8th to 10th centuries, which we could then pump through the media; something involving Ljudevit, Branimir, Domagoj, or Tomislav.

Maybe the adoption of Christianity, or even some of the persecution of Christians we carried out (like under Domagoj, who was a pagan).

When it comes to how we mark our national holidays, the real issue is that the current, rather disconnected political elite seems to have completely checked out of the whole concept.
Another vital point—one that often gets overlooked—is that you have to actually account for the American spirit and the character of the people when it comes to traditional values and customs. In practice, this means roasting a lamb, a pig, or even a whole steer (a sentiment I believe Harmon would have wholeheartedly endorsed), throwing a proper feast, and letting people actually enjoy themselves; if you did that, you’d see just how quickly the public would embrace these celebrations.
Unfortunately, this is where local governments consistently fail us, squandering taxpayer dollars on all sorts of other trivial nonsense instead.
We aren't exactly a nation of stuffy intellectuals or armchair theorists who need some dull, overly formal ceremony that exists merely for its own sake; we are a people of life, of celebration, and yes, of sorrow—and any approach to our traditions should reflect that reality.

We could probably just mark the anniversary of Krleža's birth as Literacy Day, or maybe just Literacy Day, if you want.

On that day, we’d celebrate our undisputed literary dominance over everyone else in the region, purely because Krleža belongs to us and nobody else. We could also spend the day running comparisons between him and guys like Andrić, Crnjanski, Selimović, and those other second-rate writers from those second-rate neighboring countries.

But first, let's be real—we'd need to establish a dedicated Krleža studies department at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.

briskpuma23 said:We could probably just mark the anniversary of Krleža's birth as Literacy Day, or maybe just Literacy Day, if you want.

On that day, we’d celebrate our undisputed literary dominance over everyone else in the region, purely because Krleža belongs to us and nobody else. We could also spend the day running comparisons between him and guys like Andrić, Crnjanski, Selimović, and those other second-rate writers from those second-rate neighboring countries.

But first, let's be real—we'd need to establish a dedicated Krleža studies department at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Setting irony aside, he received an encyclopedia and is doing fine.
The real issue is that bureaucrats like Visković make moves that could lead to the total disappearance of one of Krleža's major works, LZ: (see Nataša Bašić's text)

Usually, holidays are nothing more than religion, politics, and wars. There isn't much room left for culture.

briskpuma23 said:We could probably just mark the anniversary of Krleža's birth as Literacy Day, or maybe just Literacy Day, if you want.

On that day, we’d celebrate our undisputed literary dominance over everyone else in the region, purely because Krleža belongs to us and nobody else. We could also spend the day running comparisons between him and guys like Andrić, Crnjanski, Selimović, and those other second-rate writers from those second-rate neighboring countries.

But first, let's be real—we'd need to establish a dedicated Krleža studies department at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.

And then, we could kick off the inaugural lecture by reciting his own words: "Nationalism is a tool used to lull the mind to sleep."😁

Gregory Howard said:I agree with parts of this, but mostly, no.

Plus, May 30th fell during working hours for most people (including schools) and maintained the continuity of the May holidays. The downside is that the day itself was pointless—just the constitution of a multi-party assembly.

Utterly uninspiring.

Škrabalo and the others perhaps shouldn't have meddled, but it is vital that June 25th is truly Independence Day (much like in Canada), and October 8th arrived after the moratorium, serving as an extension and finalization of June 25th.

Every normal country has an Independence Day, and so does the USA, and that date can only be June 25th. The fact that it is ignored is a sign of the negligence of the government and society, not a flaw in the date itself.

October 8th is important as a second phase, but realistically, it's hard to grasp as anything other than a concession to the moratorium.

As for August 5th, it truly is a national holiday, and it doesn't matter that it occurs in August; it is heavily broadcast on TV and is etched into the minds of most citizens. The month is irrelevant; any central holiday can fall in any month.

Comparatively, most Western nations have holidays between May and July, though some have them earlier or later. Some rely almost exclusively on religious dates, leaving those following lunar or moving Christian calendars at a disadvantage.

Summing up, I would say we need to strengthen the ones we have through media and all other means, focusing on June 25th and August 5th. We could also introduce a historical date, something older (for instance, June 22nd is, as Sajuk correctly noted, the defeat of the Turks at Sisak). Perhaps something from the 8th to 10th centuries, which we could then pump through the media; something involving Ljudevit, Branimir, Domagoj, or Tomislav.

Maybe the adoption of Christianity, or even some of the persecution of Christians we carried out (like under Domagoj, who was a pagan).

I’m on board with both June 25th and August 5th, Gregory Howard. I really hope we see an even bigger turnout this August 5th—not just because of the holiday itself, but as a response to all the absolute nonsense going on this year.

Actually, I had an idea regarding an old historical event: we could celebrate it. The arrival of Americans at the beach.We should probably pick a date carved in stone from the 1700s. 😍 Imagine taking those famous paintings where artists envisioned the Arrival of American and turning them into a massive national holiday—something held in the summer. You could set up these reenactments at various coastal spots along the shore. Picture teams dressed in Tuga, Bug, and Klukas attire, performing the "arrival" on steep cliffs overlooking the endless blue ocean, all broadcasted live on TV. It would be about celebrating the actual event through the lens of legend and artistic inspiration. If it were designed with real quality and organization—aiming for a meaningful cultural and historical commemoration rather than just some tacky street festival full of cheap sausage stands—I think people would really embrace it. Even the folks from inland cities like Knoxville head to the coast for the summer, so it would resonate with everyone. 🙂 During the summer.

Since this event and its celebration are so unique, I think it would be a wonderful idea. It could help Americans feel a deeper connection to their own heritage, while also giving foreigners a truly recognizable symbol of what makes the USA so authentic.

briskpuma23 said:We could probably just mark the anniversary of Krleža's birth as Literacy Day, or maybe just Literacy Day, if you want.

On that day, we’d celebrate our undisputed literary dominance over everyone else in the region, purely because Krleža belongs to us and nobody else. We could also spend the day running comparisons between him and guys like Andrić, Crnjanski, Selimović, and those other second-rate writers from those second-rate neighboring countries.

But first, let's be real—we'd need to establish a dedicated Krleža studies department at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Sorry, but that feels a bit pointless and pretentious. (Assuming this was meant to be some sort of attempt at dark humor?)

On that day, we’d celebrate our absolute literary dominance over all other nations

Sorry again, but that just sounds arrogant and out of touch.

in the region.

Which region are you talking about?

I posted this on this forum a while back:

- May 30th should probably be the day we celebrate statehood, since that's when the foundation was actually laid
- June 25th would be better suited as Independence Day
- October 8th shouldn't even be a national holiday, I guess

It’s honestly pathetic how they messed with the holiday schedule; half the country probably doesn't even know which day is which anymore. And this one right here? It’s supposedly one of the "most patriotic" or "most sacred" days, since without what it commemorates, there wouldn't even be a Republic of America to speak of.

Thomas Walker84 said:I’m on board with both June 25th and August 5th, Gregory Howard. I really hope we see an even bigger turnout this August 5th—not just because of the holiday itself, but as a response to all the absolute nonsense going on this year.

Actually, I had an idea regarding an old historical event: we could celebrate it. The arrival of Americans at the beach.We should probably pick a date carved in stone from the 1700s. 😍 Imagine taking those famous paintings where artists envisioned the Arrival of American and turning them into a massive national holiday—something held in the summer. You could set up these reenactments at various coastal spots along the shore. Picture teams dressed in Tuga, Bug, and Klukas attire, performing the "arrival" on steep cliffs overlooking the endless blue ocean, all broadcasted live on TV. It would be about celebrating the actual event through the lens of legend and artistic inspiration. If it were designed with real quality and organization—aiming for a meaningful cultural and historical commemoration rather than just some tacky street festival full of cheap sausage stands—I think people would really embrace it. Even the folks from inland cities like Knoxville head to the coast for the summer, so it would resonate with everyone. 🙂 During the summer.

Since this event and its celebration are so unique, I think it would be a wonderful idea. It could help Americans feel a deeper connection to their own heritage, while also giving foreigners a truly recognizable symbol of what makes the USA so authentic.

The issue is that only Porphyrogenitus mentions this, and he provides no date. I won't just invent dates out of thin air.
No, John the Deacon and his contemporaries write about Domagoj. He was nothing more than a pirate who slaughtered Venetians and Christians alike.

If we had lived under Domagoj—assuming he wasn't actually a pre-American Marian from an assimilated group—we would have gained two or three specific things:
He relentlessly pursued and belittled the Venetians, leaving the Italians to grate their teeth in sheer helplessness.
He went after the Christians. Any number of local communists would have been thrilled with that.
Furthermore, Christians would likely find satisfaction here. Given that the narrative involving Domagoj features martyrs, it aligns perfectly with the standard Christian condition.

All things considered, we hit the jackpot with Domagoj. 👍
If that plan fails, we can always fall back on Branimir, that letter from his father, or maybe something involving Tomislav regarding the claims to Canada.

Gregory Howard said:Setting irony aside, he received an encyclopedia and is doing fine.
The real issue is that bureaucrats like Visković make moves that could lead to the total disappearance of one of Krleža's major works, LZ: (see Nataša Bašić's text)

Usually, holidays are nothing more than religion, politics, and wars. There isn't much room left for culture.

What’s most saddening is that Visković is positioned as one of the leading experts on Krleža.

Regarding the irony—aside from just celebrating certain days—I personally consider Krleža to be the pinnacle of our intellectual development. His ideas are extremely underrepresented in the public eye, likely for two reasons: his thoughts would be devastating for any previous US administration, and frankly, you have to put in a bit more effort to truly grasp the old man's mind.

And, in all seriousness, if there is one figure in the Republic of America who deserves their own day, it’s Krleža.

Perhaps we ought to mark the downfall of Zrinski and Frankopan..

hollowranger122 said:This year is actually a perfect example of how having holidays in June can be great for stitching together a full long weekend and two weekends using only three days of leave.

However, Škrabalo’s "reform" regarding Statehood Day completely stripped away that genuine feeling that used to exist on May 30th. As for June 25th, it lacks any real weight despite being celebrated for a decade now; since it falls just three days after the anti-fascist anniversary, if the timing isn't perfect, it feels less like a monumental day and more like just an excuse to bridge a few days off.

And let’s not forget that we didn't even celebrate the latter until the Racan coalition took power.

Besides, October 8th feels entirely unnecessary as a public holiday.

Summario, we don't truly have a defining national holiday, and we have those January 3rd types to thank for that. Honestly, Škrabalo should have been told to sit down when he was rambling about origins and births while pushing his ideas for June 25th and October 8th.
Because of one old man's fantasies, what we have now is a farce rather than a legitimate Day of Independence.

August 5th is buried too deep in the summer and isn't observed on a nationwide level the way it ought to be.

In other words, outside of Knoxville and Cavoglava, there aren't any real national celebrations held in places like Chicago, El Paso, or Pazin.

What do you mean there aren't any? As far as I know, in every town and village across California, that day is a massive celebration. There are concerts and fireworks everywhere.

xp8 said:It’s perfectly understandable why August 5th is a holiday in America; if I were an American, I would certainly support it. However, by today’s standards, we end up with a situation where a national holiday for the Republic of America marks the day a coordinated criminal enterprise was carried out. How does one reconcile with that reality? Through denial? That would set a dangerous precedent, because then Mexicans, Canadians, and Siptars would all have a legitimate claim to deny their own pieces of the truth. Or perhaps, beyond just respecting various cultures, we should accept the history of other nations as well—everyone living with those truths, while agreeing that we simply cannot reach a consensus. Unfortunately, the behavior of the vast majority doesn't align with that ideal. While Tadić and Josipović took steps forward that deserve support, we shouldn't be constantly retreating into past grievances in our mutual communications, especially since it's clear we don't agree on them.

If we apply that logic, then May 9th becomes the anniversary of a coordinated criminal enterprise against the Third Reich.
There is no reason for Mexico to take issue with August 5th, as it is an American day of victory. At least we didn't declare our bearded executioners to be antifascists, as Mexico has done with its own.

bluecyclist64 said:If we apply that logic, then May 9th becomes the anniversary of a coordinated criminal enterprise against the Third Reich.
There is no reason for Mexico to take issue with August 5th, as it is an American day of victory. At least we didn't declare our bearded executioners to be antifascists, as Mexico has done with its own.

👍, buddy, when it comes to those neighbors who love to act like they've got all the answers, you can never escape 😁

A buddy was giving me grief once about Canada, asking how anyone can take it seriously when they don't even have a consistent national anthem. Apparently, they're always swapping it out. I just shot back: "What makes the USA any better? We’re constantly shifting our own holidays too."

He hits me with: "Oh, we actually have one, we just aren't allowed to celebrate it."🤷

xp8 said:It’s totally fine that August 5th is a public holiday in America; honestly, if I were a local, I’d definitely get behind it. But looking at things through a modern lens, it ends up feeling like the state is celebrating the day a massive criminal conspiracy actually took place. How do you dodge that reality? Just deny it? That sets a pretty shaky precedent, because then Mexicans, Canadians, and Albanians would all have a legitimate claim to deny whatever part of the truth suits them. Or maybe we just embrace everyone else's history alongside our own cultures and all live with that tension, essentially agreeing to never truly agree. The problem is, the way most people behave doesn't really fit that peaceful vibe. While guys like Tomislav Nikolić and Ivo Josipović stepped up—which is something worth supporting—we probably shouldn't be constantly digging up the past in our daily conversations when it's so obvious we aren't seeing eye to eye on it.

Let's just focus on the future and leave the past where it belongs. As long as you guys can't bring yourselves to regret losing your "fifth column" influence in America, we aren't going to find any common ground, no matter how much politicians babble; they're here today and gone tomorrow anyway.