Hello all,
Holidays, remembrances, and celebrations are important parts of culture. They commemorate the things which a community values, through rituals which serve to both bring a community together and generally bring joy (or mourning, reverence, or whatever appropriate emotion) to a people. I think this is an aspect of alternate history which is often overlooked, so I made this thread. Here, we'll discuss the holidays that may exist in alternate history scenarios, and how they reflect the cultures that emerged in different timelines. I'll start:
Empire Day (Ottoman Empire) -- 11th of May
Starting in the 1830s, the Ottoman Empire began a series of reforms known as the Tanzimat, with the goal of reorganising the Ottoman government and military, as well as combat the spread of nationalist/sectarian movements. During this time, the Ottoman Empire adopted many of the affects of European states, such as a professional military with standardised uniforms; national anthems; and a standard civil code which applied to all Ottoman subjects, to supplement the Sharia which applied to Muslims. The architects of the Tanzimat wished to promote a kind of civic nationalism -- a "plurinational nationalism," which could appeal to Faithful and infidel alike.
Sultan Mahmud II proclaimed the 11th of May to be "Empire Day," in celebration of the day Roman emperor Constantine moved his capital to Constantinople in 330 CE. This was the first Ottoman holiday to be commemorated according to the Julian calendar -- Islamic holidays (Ramadan, Mawlid, Eid, etc) obviously followed the Islamic calendar, as did the Sultan's Birthday (the only other secular holiday at this point). But this purely civic celebration of the Ottomans' Roman heritage followed a Roman calendar -- specifically, the one which was used most widely by Ottoman Christians, as opposed to the foreign schismatics of the Catholic/Protestant West. Eventually, it was determined that the Sultan's Birthday would be celebrated twice a year -- once according to the Islamic calendar, with prayers for the Caliph; and once according to the Julian, with prayers for the Basileus.
Holidays, remembrances, and celebrations are important parts of culture. They commemorate the things which a community values, through rituals which serve to both bring a community together and generally bring joy (or mourning, reverence, or whatever appropriate emotion) to a people. I think this is an aspect of alternate history which is often overlooked, so I made this thread. Here, we'll discuss the holidays that may exist in alternate history scenarios, and how they reflect the cultures that emerged in different timelines. I'll start:
Empire Day (Ottoman Empire) -- 11th of May
Starting in the 1830s, the Ottoman Empire began a series of reforms known as the Tanzimat, with the goal of reorganising the Ottoman government and military, as well as combat the spread of nationalist/sectarian movements. During this time, the Ottoman Empire adopted many of the affects of European states, such as a professional military with standardised uniforms; national anthems; and a standard civil code which applied to all Ottoman subjects, to supplement the Sharia which applied to Muslims. The architects of the Tanzimat wished to promote a kind of civic nationalism -- a "plurinational nationalism," which could appeal to Faithful and infidel alike.
Sultan Mahmud II proclaimed the 11th of May to be "Empire Day," in celebration of the day Roman emperor Constantine moved his capital to Constantinople in 330 CE. This was the first Ottoman holiday to be commemorated according to the Julian calendar -- Islamic holidays (Ramadan, Mawlid, Eid, etc) obviously followed the Islamic calendar, as did the Sultan's Birthday (the only other secular holiday at this point). But this purely civic celebration of the Ottomans' Roman heritage followed a Roman calendar -- specifically, the one which was used most widely by Ottoman Christians, as opposed to the foreign schismatics of the Catholic/Protestant West. Eventually, it was determined that the Sultan's Birthday would be celebrated twice a year -- once according to the Islamic calendar, with prayers for the Caliph; and once according to the Julian, with prayers for the Basileus.