The Empire of Austenasia celebrates several national public holidays each year, many of which are Christian feast days. Public holidays are officially defined in the Public Holidays Act 2014 as "days of celebration, on which employers are encouraged to offer leave from work to their employees." Many other holidays may be adopted for observation by individual Towns and Territories. Furthermore, three (two if Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day coincide) other days are nationally observed each year as days of commemoration, but not as holidays, and any public or bank holiday in the United Kingdom is also observed as a public holiday in Austenasia. The feast day of the patron saint of a specific Town or Territory, and/or of a nation of which a significant proportion of the residents of the respective Town are also members, may also be celebrated locally.
List of national holidays and days of commemoration
Fixed dates:
Easter:
Easter, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after 21 March. In Western Christianity, this is 21 March according to the Gregorian calendar, whereas in Orthodoxy, it is according to the Julian calendar. This means that on most years, Western Easter and Orthodox Easter fall on two different days, with Orthodox Easter often one or two weeks (but sometimes up to a month) later. Both Western and Orthodox Easter are celebrated as national holidays in Austenasia. When the days coincide (as happened in 2014 and 2017, and will next happen in 2025), the holiday is simply referred to as Easter, and is an especially joyous occasion with all Austenasian Christians able to celebrate together.
In regards to the several holidays which are dated in relation to Easter (see below), local authorities decide whether to observe the holiday in relation to Western Easter, Orthodox Easter, or both.
Other non-fixed dates:
- 1 January - New Year's Day, marking the start of the year.
- 6 January - Epiphany/Theophany, celebrating the revelation of Jesus Christ to the world. In Western Christianity, this festival especially celebrates the visitation of the Magi, whereas in Orthodoxy the focus is on the Baptism of Christ.
- 20 January - Imperial Ascension Day, celebrating the anniversary of the succession of Jonathan I to the Throne in 2013. The date of this holiday changes accordingly with each Monarch.
- 2 February - Candlemas, or the Feast of the Presentation/Purification, celebrating the presentation of Jesus in the Temple.
- 27 February - Princess Consort Day, celebrating the birthday of Princess Hannah. This holiday will be renamed to Empress Day after her marriage to Emperor Jonathan I.
- 25 March - The Annunciation, celebrating the proclamation of the Incarnation to the Virgin Mary by the Archangel Gabriel.
- 17 May - Pets Day, a day of commemoration in which deceased pets are remembered; also used as an occasion to express affection to living pets.
- 4 June - Imperium Day, celebrating the Austenasian Monarchy and its succession from Rome, held on the anniversary of the recognition of the imperial rank of the Throne by the then German Emperor in 2011.
- 6 August - Feast of the Transfiguration, celebrated in honour of the Transfiguration of Jesus upon Mount Tabor.
- 5 September - Imperial Engagement Day, celebrating the anniversary of the engagement of Jonathan I to Princess Hannah.
- 14 September - Feast of the Cross, celebrating the discovery of the True Cross by St Helen.
- 26 September - St. John's Day, the feast day of Austenasia's national patron saint.
- 13 October - Emperor Day, celebrating the birthday of Jonathan I. The date of this holiday changes accordingly with each Monarch.
- 11 November - Armistice Day, a day of commemoration in which all casualties of war, especially the First World War and those since, are remembered. Armistice Day is replaced by Remembrance Sunday (see below) if both fall on the same day; this happened in 2012 and 2018, and will next happen in 2029.
- 25 December - Christmas Day, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.
Easter:
Easter, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after 21 March. In Western Christianity, this is 21 March according to the Gregorian calendar, whereas in Orthodoxy, it is according to the Julian calendar. This means that on most years, Western Easter and Orthodox Easter fall on two different days, with Orthodox Easter often one or two weeks (but sometimes up to a month) later. Both Western and Orthodox Easter are celebrated as national holidays in Austenasia. When the days coincide (as happened in 2014 and 2017, and will next happen in 2025), the holiday is simply referred to as Easter, and is an especially joyous occasion with all Austenasian Christians able to celebrate together.
In regards to the several holidays which are dated in relation to Easter (see below), local authorities decide whether to observe the holiday in relation to Western Easter, Orthodox Easter, or both.
Other non-fixed dates:
- The Sunday before Easter - Palm Sunday, celebrating the entry into Jerusalem of Jesus Christ.
- The Friday before Easter - Good Friday, commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
- The Monday after Easter - Easter Monday (Western), or Bright Monday (Orthodox)
- The Thursday forty days after Easter - Feast of the Ascension, celebrating the Ascension of Jesus Christ into Heaven.
- The seventh Sunday after Easter - Pentecost, celebrating the descent of the Holy Spirit.
- The day after Pentecost - Whit Monday (Western), or Monday of the Holy Spirit (Orthodox)
- The third Saturday in September - Independence Day, the annual celebration of the Austenasian Declaration of Independence on 20 September 2008 and the foundation of the country.
- The second Sunday in November - Remembrance Sunday, a day of commemoration in which all casualties of war are remembered.
List of optional local holidays
In addition to the national holidays listed above, local authorities (i.e., the council of a town or city, or the governor of a territory) can choose to adopt any of the dates listed below as public holidays in their own constituency.
Fixed dates:
Non-fixed dates:
Fixed dates:
- 25 January - Burns Night, celebrating the life and works of the poet Robert Burns. Traditionally celebrated with an evening meal of haggis.
- 8 May - Alternative/extra date for the celebration of St. John's Day. 8 May is observed in Orthodox Christianity as a secondary feast day of St John in commemoration of a miracle reported to take place at his tomb on this date.
- 24 June - Carshalton Day, celebrating the anniversary of the Liberation of Orly, as well as the shared history and culture of the small nations which have grown up around Carshalton.
- 15 August - Assumption of the Virgin Mary/Dormition of the Theotokos, commemorating the death and ascension into Heaven of the Virgin Mary.
- 1 September - Ecclesiastical New Year, celebrated by the Orthodox Church and some branches of Methodism as the new church year.
- 8 September - Birth of the Virgin Mary/Nativity of the Theotokos, celebrating the birth of the Virgin Mary.
- 29 September - Michaelmas, the feast day in Western Christianity of the Archangel Michael, patron saint of the Austenasian Monarchy.
- 5 November - Bonfire Night, the celebration of the thwarting of the 1605 Gunpowder Plot, traditionally celebrated with fireworks and bonfires.
- 8 November - Synaxis of the Archangels, the feast day in Orthodox Christianity of the Archangel Michael and all other archangels.
- 21 November - Presentation of the Virgin Mary/Entry of the Theotokos, celebrated in honour of the entry of the Virgin Mary into the Temple as a child.
- 24 December - Christmas Eve, a day of both religious and secular preparation for Christmas.
- 27 December - Alternative/extra date for the celebration of St. John's Day. 27 December has been observed in Western Christianity since the medieval period in place of the older September date.
Non-fixed dates:
- The Tuesday forty seven days before Western Easter - Shrove Tuesday/Pancake Day, traditionally observed with the eating of pancakes so as to use up rich foods before Lent.
- The Wednesday forty six days before Western Easter - Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent in Western Christianity, traditionally observed with a penitential service in which ashes are placed on the forehead as a sign of repentance.
- The seventh Monday before Orthodox Easter - Clean Monday, the first day of Lent in Orthodox Christianity, traditionally observed with spring cleaning.
- The Tuesday after Easter.
- The Tuesday after Pentecost.