Public holidays in Bujold

[filkferengi]

It's Veteran's Day here, which brings to mind the question: what public holidays would they have on different worlds Lois has written?

On Barrayar, with its default assumption of military service, would every day be Veteran's Day, or would there be some general public holidays, with appropriate booming accompaniment?

On Sergyar, they couldn't do Count's birthday [too close to Emperor's birthday], but might do some Founder's Day type of celebration.

One is tempted to think of Beta Colony having some sort of Scientist's Day, but once again you run into the default assumption of everyone being a scientist [or at least scientific & rational].

I could easily see Komarrans having individual dome founding celebrations, planetwide Founder celebrations, and teeth-gritting-reluctant Barrayaran celebrations. The language used by dome maintenance departments after obligatory fireworks would make a Barrayaran blush.

Escobar would definitely rock Veteran's Day, though, and remember with pride the day they stood up to--and fought off!--those Barrayaran bullies.

Thoughts? Discussion? Fireworks? Bueller?


P. S. Happy Veteran's Day! To all who have, do, or will serve, thanks for your service!

Comments

[elf]

I tend to assume any colony planet could celebrate "Founder's Day;" that might the day of planetfall, or the day the first baby was born on the new world, or the day they got legal independence, or some other marker. Quaddies are likely to celebrate Freedom Day and whatever day they got legal recognition as sentient beings.

Not all of Barrayar is military, but the Vor caste is (or was, prior to the aptitude tests). They probably have a "we kicked the Cetagandans' asses out" day. (Victory Day?) And a "wormhole reestablished day." (End of Isolation? Galactic Day?) Might have a number of days related to wars/politics that happened during the Time of Isolation, some of which fall out of favor or are only celebrated in some provinces. I could easily imagine plenty of district-wide holidays that are unknown outside of a particular district.

For seasonal, rather than political holidays, there's Winterfair, and probably some type of harvest festival, and likely something in spring that celebrates "yay we survived another winter; last big party before the planting takes all our time." Could even have Easter and Halloween, either by those names or shifted over time.

Beta colony might have a Scientists' Day, honoring the science that lets them live in such a harsh environment. And a Womb-Freedom Day, for the invention of the uterine replicator. (Taught in pre-schools, along with the Good Sex Song.) Election Day might be a holiday of sorts; it could be a "business & gov't offices closed; get out and vote" day. And they could have something like "Diversity Day."

a "we kicked the Cetagandans' asses out" day

[filkferengi]

Maybe more than one. [weg]

Re: a "we kicked the Cetagandans' asses out" day

[elf]

Well, y'know... the days they were kicked out of each individual province, the day the final ship left, the day of the official declaration of end of war, and the day the last known Cetagandan left Barrayar.

Lots of "fuck you, Cetaganda" days on the Barrayaran holiday calendar.

Re: a "we kicked the Cetagandans' asses out" day

[filkferengi]

Combined with the "we gave them a taste of the Greeks" festivals in certain rural provinces.