What days would still be holidays? Options

[Daddy's Litt...]

This is 9/11 and I am a New Yorker and for us the day is very special. only time will let us know what is and isn't remembered in the 2070's but what do you think?

My husband is English and ex-british army and always takes november 11th off, but I think many people in the US do not notice it. some fiction tells us Christmas will still be celebrated, what about July 4? Labor day? Thanksgiving? Cinquo de Mayo?Are there special Indian festivals? Will Japanese festivals for boys and girls start up in the Pac rim?

With less of a western feel will regional holidays like Masschussett's "Patriot's Day" become big?

[TheMadDutchman]

I'm pretty sure that Christmas will stay big. I know a lot of non-Christians who celebrate it. Thanksgiving will probably stay big in both the UCAS and CAS

I don't know about July fourth. If it is improtant it would be just as important in the CAS as in the UCAS; though the CAS would probably have a cessession (sp?) day.

I'd imagine that the NAN would celebrate the anniversary of the Ghost Dance but I've never actually seen any evidence to support that. It's just something I'd wager on.

[Mercer]

I spent a summer on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, and I want to say it was the anniversary of The Battle of Little Bighorn that was a big thing out there. Fireworks, cook-outs; I was told it was basically their "4th of July", although if memory serves it took place pretty close to July 4th anyway. (Wiki confirms that Little Bighorn was in late June, so that makes sense.)

I'd imagine Volcano Day would be a pretty big celebration in the NAN as well. (At least, I called it Volcano Day when I was running a game set at a big NAN festival. There's probably a better name for it.)

[tisoz]

Others not yet mentioned:
New Years Day
Valentines Day
Groundhog Day
Saint Patrick's Day
Equinox and Solstice days
Mardi Gras
Easter
Mother's Day
Father's Day
Halloween

[Naysayer]

I wouldn't be at all surprised if some of the bigger Megacorps introduced some kind of new "holidays" of their own. After all, holiday season is always good for business, and it gives the sheeple a nice warm bellyfeel...
"Happy Fuchi-Day!"
-"Actually, I think it's Novatech-Day these days..."
"Well, it's really Neonet-Day now."
-"Yeah, whatever, here's your cake..."

[Penta]

Christmas and (Western) Easter are likely to stay celebrated...They're too fixed in the culture.

July 4 will become sort of like Patriots' Day in Massachusetts, but over the former US (Even in the NAN, I suspect, but mostly out of habit) - August 15 (Union Day) will be the new July 4.

[Kyoto Kid]

...keep in mind in RL Canada, Dominion day is July 1st. So for the UCAS, maybe a compromise?

[TheMadDutchman]

Mardi Gras and the similar carnival seasons celebrated in other parts of the world are the week before lent. Anywhere that has a sizeable Catholic population would still celebrate these.

Also, Mardi Gras itself has become so commercialized in the states that few people outside of the Catholic community actually know what it's for even though they'll celebrate it.

[jklst14]

[Ancient History]

Awakening Day in Seattle.

[treehugger]

I concur with Ancient History, it is said in one of the sourcebooks that Awakening Day is the only official day off in seattle and is like the third monday of December.
Christianity has no more the influence it had in america, south america is now pagan, the NAN arent christians, and the UCAS seem more corporate than religious. Maybe the CAS would be more conservative and so still christian influenced.
As for the 4th of july, i doubt it would be used as a reference for the UCAS (as it is also canada), and regarding the CAS, since they are southerners would probably celebrate former confederate states important dates, and probably their independance from the UCAS.

Since Megacorp can have their own laws, i really suppose they have their own holydays.
Japancorps arent christian influenced, so i doubt they'll have christian holydays.
SK while european, is ran by a Dragon, and i doubt Lofwyr gets along with the Vatican. Maybe the Beer feast as a day off for SK workers ? :P
Aztlan/Aztechnology would have pagan holydays.
Ares could have some christian holydays, but i doubt it : christianity in the 6th world is even more associated with bigotry and racism (like most 4th world major religion). I doubt a AAA would like to be associated with a religion for marketing issues, and even to have peace between co-workers.
In every case, i'd say there is not a lot of holydays in the 6th world, by that i mean "official" days off, as nations lost the power to call for one, and corps giving a day off = less cash for them.

@tisoz
I doubt St Patrick day would even be remembered or celebrated (maybe "secretly" for some ...) as Ireland is no more, and Tir Nan Og is quite hostile to the Catholic church. St Patrick is clearly a catholic Icon.

[Fresno Bob]

[tisoz]

[jklst14]

In the US today, all the holidays are becoming more and more commercialized, thanks to retailers, Hallmark and other corporations. People in my neighborhood hang up decorations, not just for Christmas and Halloween, but also for Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, the 4th of July and Thanksgiving. There is a very small Latino population around where I live but all the bars have huge specials on Cinco de Mayo (as well as Mardi Gras and St. Patrick's Day of course). The stores all have Memorial Day and Presidents' Day sales. We buy gifts for Mother's and Father's Days and every year, the Christmas shopping season seems to get even crazier.

In Shadowrun, holidays will likely become extraordinarily overcommercialized excuses to buy gifts, hang decorations and drink to excess. The corps would probably encourage this since it gets people to spend money and distracts them, bread and circuses style, from the real problems in the world. Heck, they might start making up holidays (e.g. Festivus, Love Day). Will Renraku give you Christmas off? Maybe not. But they'd gladly sell you tons of crap to put under your Christmas tree.

As for religious holidays, they are becoming more and more secular already, especially Christmas. I can totally imagine kids in 2070 wanting Easter candy and Christmas gifts, loving the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus but having no idea who that Jesus guy is.

And lastly, about the CAS. It was my impression that Shadowrun southerners saw themselves as the 'real' Americans, the rightful inheritors of the USA, rather than drawing connections to the 19th century CSA. But I could be wrong.

@treehugger
Today, St. Patrick's day has little religious meaning to most people. And I could see it being huge, at least in the UCAS, CAS and California.

St. Patrick's day is a time to celebrate being 1/8th Irish, to go watch a parade and to drink. And it's becoming even bigger now, probably from being so close to Mardi Gras and college spring break.

[treehugger]

I see i'm not talking about the same stuff as you :)
I was saying that official days off would be in the hands of your employer.
I think that SR "feast days" (for me a holyday is a day you dont work :P ) would be numerous like you said jklst14.
Clearly every occasion would be good for the corps to have people consume more.

St Patrick isnt a religious feast anymore, but i suppose that Tir Nan Og would try to brake the tradition since it's a reminder of Ireland and of the christianisation of the island. After all, the elves are ennemy of the church, ennemy of former ireland, and even ennemies of the Druids/Priest of the old Celtic religion.
The path of the Wheel has nothing to do with the Celts, even if they try hard to make it look like it.
In Celtic double cross there are mentions of the links between the american of irish origins and the Tir, but dont remember exactly what they where.
Anyway, i'd guess the Tir would have kept the St Patrick day, put a new sperethiel name (easy to pronounce and remember) with some new age signification and give it a metaphysical/philosophical sense ... that everyone would ignore and just drink beer.
Symbols are important and powerfull (especially for wizards like the elves of Tir).

[Daddy's Litt...]

Tree hugger- St patrick's day would be celebrated. It is too much a fixture in New york and boston and other american cities with big Irish populations. It might become noted as a time for anti-elf bigotry.

I think Christmas will stay. I am not Christian and I celebrate it. It has drifted away from its religious meaning and is a sort of secular holiday.

from details people have given I think the UCAS would keep July 4. a lot of the text says that the rump of canada was grateful to be taken in and probably did not make too big a fuss when their holiday got moved a couple of days over by the bigger US.

[Kyoto Kid]

...Fall of the Wall Day in Portland :grinbig:

[Thane36425]

Christmas, Easter, Halloween, and Valentine's Day would all almost certainly remain where ever they are currently observed. Religious connotations aside, they are very commercialized and would make the corps loads of money, just like they do today.

[Kyoto Kid]

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<...>
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[TonkaTuff]

Christmas was definitely still celebrated (in Seattle, at least) as of 2059. Part of the reason the Arc was so packed with victims during the shutdown was that the mall levels were full of Christmas shoppers.

Which helps up the horror-quotient for that scenario (especially if you've worked holiday retail) - you just know Deus probably never shut off the piped-in Christmas carols.

[Daddy's Litt...]

You've just defined hell for Snow Fox. She's been known to complain at the local Macy's when they were playing Christmas music in October, and "offered" to vomit on a display of Hallmark tree ornaments set out in August.

Thinking about this, I think Thanksgiving would disappear entirely in the west and become a right wing reactionary celebration in the CAS and UCAS and Maybe Quebec. Today some indians complain about the holiday as "we should never have saved them" and so they would drop it. By comparrison right wingers would defend it as Norman Rockwell family values.

Just to add to it I bet NAN would have harvest festivals that would start to adopt the whole turkey, corn pumpkin trappings.

[treehugger]

Here is a list of possible holydays, both "international" and "regional" :
International :
- Corp court establishment : all corp would celebrate such a day.
- Armistice of the Eurowars : celebrated in Europe, proably Russia and Middle East, each in their own fashions

Regional
The NANs :
- Great Phantom Dance day : celebrated in all the NANs, probably more religious holyday.
- Independance of the NANs
- Speration from the NANs for each native nations.
- Specific religious day for each tribe, totem related maybe.

Corp :
- AAA status gained (specific for each megacorp)
- Historical highest stock value's day (would be funny as it would change regulary, but nonetheless celebrated)
- Desert Wars day(s) (some form of celebration would be required to show the employees their "patriotism")

[Trax]

Desert Wars. The Superbowl of the corps, where they all get to show off their new technological toys?

[gknoy]

In a world where megalithic corporations suck the life out of pretty much everyone, and where the almighty nuyen runs nearly everything, why WOULD there be holidays? Do you really think that Stuffer Shack closes on any day? (well, aside from the aforementioned Awakening Day.)

We already see this to a degree. Most holidays, the wageslaves get off work and then ... go shopping. At stores manned by employees of some (other?) corporation. Currently, Christmas and Thanksgiving (in the US) and the 4th of July are pretty much the only "universally accepted" holidays.

In the Sixth World, I imagine that while nations will surely still have holidays, it won't have as much of an impact on the general populace. Given the extraterritoriality of the corporations (Esp the AAA and AAs), any "holidays" that wageslaves might see are likely to be tied to the corporation more than the place they live.

The birthday of CEOs, the founding day for the company, the day of an IPO ... they day of a merger (or perhaps a hostile restructuring ;)) -- these all seem like the kinds of things I'd expect the employees of Ares, Aztechnology, etc to see. (I imagine Azzies have other holidays -- as someone said earlier, they really seem somewhat pagan.) I imagine solstices/equinoxes are VERY widely noted and followed in most awakened areas. In the dystopian sixth world, though, I suspect that for most corporations, even on "holidays" you'd be expected to work. Your performance review will suffer if Joe works overtime and you don't, etc.

[treehugger]