Holidays in Grand Besaid

Public holidays in Grand Besaid are legislated at the national level, and occassionally at the state level. Many of these holidays are observed nationwide, but each state does have its own holidays as well. While major Christian holidays such as Christmas and Good Friday are officially observed, other religious, especially Christian, holidays are widely accepted as well. Examples of other non-religious, yet accepted holidays, include Halloween and Black Friday, neither of which are official holidays.

Public Statutory holidays

National Holidays
Date	English Name	Significance
January 1st	New Year's Day	Celebrates the first day of the year in the Gregorian calendar.
January 31st	Memorial Day	Celebrates all of the fallen leaders and soldiers who have fought for or have been citizens of Grand Besaid.
February 14th	Wisdom and Understanding Day	Promotes Wisdom, Knowledge, and Understanding; it is also a day of celebration and thanks for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit
March 13th	Constitution Day	Commemorates the ratification of the various Constitutions of Grand Besaid, it is also a day for promoting knowledge and understanding of the Constitution.
Two Days before Easter	Good Friday	Commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Two Days after Good Friday	Easter	Celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
50 days after Easter	Pentecost	Commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus.
May 3rd	Progress Day	Celebrates the Progress of the nation of Grand Besaid; it is also used to celebrate one's own progress, and is sometimes used to celebrate the Progress of the nation's alliance.
May 19th	Veterans Day	A day for recognizing and celebrating the veterans of war and destruction.
June 1st	Founders Day (Independence Day)	Celebrates the independence and founders of Grand Besaid.
June 11th	Leadership Day	Celebrates the leaders of Grand Besaid.
August 17th	Labor Day	Celebrates the workers and labor force of Grand Besaid.
September 9th	MHA Day (Alliance Day)	Celebrates the founding of the Mostly Harmless Alliance.
September 14th	Nuclear Day	Celebrates the day that Grand Besaid completed its first nuclear weapon.
October 17th	Election Day	Commemorates the day where all federal elections, and most other elections within the nation of Grand Besaid are held.
November 1st	All Saints Day	A day to remember all of the saints in heaven, and to celebrate their sainthood, while trying to follow their example.
November 8th	Literacy Day	Celebrates the day that Grand Besaid achieved a 100% literacy rate.
November 17th	Thanksgiving	A day to give Thanks for all that you have.
December 25th	Christmas	Celebrates the birth of Jesus.
December 30th	Freedom Day	Celebrates the freedom and liberty of the citizens of Grand Besaid.
December 31st	New Year's Eve	Celebrates the last day of the Gregorian calendar.
State Holidays
Date	English Name	Significance	OY	OG	AD	TS	ZK
January 21st	Aqua Day	Celebrates the creation of the Aqua Sphere, the team which Grand Besaid is a member.
17 March	St. Patrick's Day	Commemorates Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.
July 4th	Mid-Summers Day	Celebrates the joys of Summer, while giving people a day off to enjoy them
August 15th	Festival Day	Celebrates cultural tradition, and is meant for people to have parties and parades celebrating culture.
September 1st	Family Day	Celebrates the bond of family, and commemorates its great importance.
Monday on or before November 2nd	All Souls Day	Commemorates the faithful departed.
December 3rd	Youth Day	Celebrates the youth of the nation and the hope for the future they bring.
Total (including National Holidays)			26	25	23	26	25

Commonly Observed holidays

Grand Besaidians commonly recognize the following holidays, though none of them are legal holidays. Grand Besaidians do not typically get these days off from work and school.

Date	English Name	Significance
February 14th	Valentine's Day	A day when lovers express love for each other.
March 21st	Grandparents Day	A day to celebrate and honor grandparents.
April 1st	April Fools' Day	A day to play pranks and make fools of each other and one's self.
April 22nd	Bob Day	A day to celebrate nature and to raise awareness for enivornmental issues.
Second Sunday of May	Mother's Day	A day honoring mothers.
Third Friday of May	Black Friday	A day for shopping.
May 25th	Towel Day	A day for alliance celebrations and themes.
Third Sunday of June	Father's Day	A day honoring fathers.
First Sunday of August	Friendship Day	A day celebrating friends and friendship in general.
October 31st	Halloween	Activities include wearing costumes and trick-or-treating.
December 24th	Christmas Eve	Observed as a holiday in anticipation of Christmas.