Public holidays in New Eiffel
Public holidays in the Principality of New Eiffel, the small, erstwhile landlocked micronation that was surrounded by the United Kingdom, were largely based around New Eiffel's state religion of Christianity (Protestantism), the holidays and celebrations of England, and the philosophy that observing a large number of frivolous holidays would improve the mental well-being of citizens. At the time of New Eiffel's dissolution, the micronation was observing 17 fixed public holidays and 19 unofficial holidays.
Due to the inconvenience of important dates in New Eiffel's history aligning with other public holidays (Independence Day takes place on 31 December, New Year's Eve), New Eiffel only observed a single historical public holiday—New Eiffel Unity Day, honouring the establishment of the Principality on 11 August. During fixed public holidays, most businesses and non-essential services were closed; though, not all public holidays in the micronation were automatically non-work days.
None of New Eiffel's predecessor states—the Republic of New Finland (31 December 2017) nor the Kingdom of New Finland (4 June 2018)—are known to have formally observed any public holidays, although the residents of both micronations celebrated some of the holidays that were official in the United Kingdom. After the Principality of New Temporary (later renamed New Eiffel) was established on 11 August, founder Zabëlle Skye began pondering ideas for holidays to be observed. A Christian, Skye chose to observe several Christian holidays, and also thought about observing frivolous holidays based on his personal philosophy that observing a large number of such holidays would improve the mental well-being of citizens. On 5 December, New Eiffel adopted its first sixteen public holidays. Several more unofficial holidays were adopted between February 2019 and January 2020, with the adopting of further holidays becoming legally impossible due to the crisis in New Eiffel. New Eiffel dissolved on 1 November.
Fixed public holidays exclusive to New Eiffel were Movie Day (28 May); Cat's Day (3 July); New Eiffel Unity Day (11 August); Dog's Day (28 August); Workplace Day (5 October); and Celebrations Day (18 November). Unofficial public holidays exclusive to the micronation were Day Before Winter (19 March); Cardboard Day (9 April); Extrovert Day (1 May); Gamer's Day (1 June); Ambivert Day (29 August); Women's Day (6 September); Men's Day (13 September); Eat a Hotdog Day (10 October); Introvert Day (23 November); and National Art Day (2 December).
Fixed public holidays
Holiday | Date | Description |
---|---|---|
New Year's Day | 1 January | Celebrated by making New Year's resolutions, planning ahead for the year, and reflection. |
Shrove Tuesday | Moveable feast[a] | Penance and baking and consuming pancakes. |
Mother's Day | Fourth Sunday in Lent[b] | Honours mothers and motherhood. Celebrated by treating one's mother, often by making cards, purchasing presents and doing household chores generally delegated to one's mother. |
Good Friday | Friday immediately preceding Easter | Attending Church services, prayer and almsgiving. |
Easter | Moveable feast[c] | Church services, Bible study, easter egg decoration and easter egg hunts, consuming chocolate. |
Movie Day | 28 May | Celebrated by watching films—sometimes hosting social gatherings dedicated to said activity—and the holding of New Eiffelic film festivals. |
Father’s Day | Third Sunday of June | Honours fathers and fatherhood. Celebrated by treating one's father, often by making cards, purchasing presents and doing household chores generally delegated to one's father. |
Cat's Day | 3 July | Celebrated by treating one's cat and raising awareness for cat adoption. |
New Eiffel Unity Day | 11 August | Commemoration of the establishment of the principality. Often the prince released a speech. |
Dog's Day | 28 August | Celebrated by treating one's dog and raising awareness for dog adoption. |
Workplace Day | 5 October | Honouring workers generally; all those who are employed. |
Halloween | 31 October | Celebrated by trick or treating, consuming sweets, social gatherings, visiting graves of loved ones and praying. |
Firework's Day | 5 November | New Eiffelic adaptation of the British Guy Fawkes Night: celebrated by lighting or watching fireworks and bonfires. |
Celebrations Day | 18 November | A general day of goodwill. Celebrated by social gatherings, doing recreational activities and feasting. |
Christmas Eve | 24 December | Celebrated by gift giving (in New Eiffel, gifts were given on Christmas Eve rather than Christmas Day, holiday greetings, feasting, family gatherings and Midnight Mass. |
Christmas Day | 25 December | Commemoration of the nativity of Jesus: celebrated by symbolic decorations, family outings, feasting, prayer, Bible study and (exclusively to New Eiffel) karaoke. |
New Year's Eve | 31 December | Celebrated by lighting or watching fireworks, reflection, family gatherings, feasting, parting and counting down to the new year by popping balloons by the hour. |
Unofficial public holidays
Holiday | Date | Description |
---|---|---|
Valentine's Day | 14 February | Celebrated by honouring one's loved ones, such as family or a partner, often by giving gifts, making cards and going on outings. |
National Random Acts of Kindness Day | 17 February | Celebrated by doing things considered kind, such as being polite, helping others and donating money. |
Ash Wednesday | Various[d] | Prayer and fasting. |
Day Before Winter | 19 March | Reflection. |
World Water Day | 22 March | Commemorates those without access to potable water. |
Cardboard Day | 9 April | Building cardboard forts. |
Extrovert Day | 1 May | Commemorates extroverts. |
Gamers' Day | 1 June | Commemorates video gamers. Gaming, particularly mobile and console, were commonplace in New Eiffel. |
World Emoji Day | 17 July | Commemorates emojis. |
Mental Illness Awareness Day | 16 August | Commemorates those with mental disorders. |
National Potato Day | 19 August | Consuming dishes made with potatoes. |
Ambivert Day | 29 August | Commemorates ambiverts—those who are neither introverted nor extroverted, but instead in-between. |
Women's Day | 6 September | Commemorates women, especially women's rights, feminism, notable women and women's history. |
Men's Day | 13 September | Commemorates men, generally. |
Eat a Hotdog Day | 10 October | Making and consuming hotdogs. |
Introvert Day | 23 November | Commemorates introverts. |
National Art Day | 2 December | Commemorates art, generally. |
Independence Day | 31 December | Commemorates the foundation of the Republic of New Finland, the eventual predecessor to New Eiffel. |
Footnotes
- ↑ 47 days before Easter Sunday: the date can be between 3 February and 9 March inclusive.
- ↑ 21 days before Easter Sunday: the date can be between 1 March and 4 April inclusive.
- ↑ Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the Paschal full moon, which is the first full moon on or after 21 March (a fixed approximation of the March equinox).
- ↑ 46 days before Easter Sunday: the date can be between 2 February and 8 March inclusive.