I did some research for some answers and unfortunately I ended up getting lost. Hopefully some of you Caldari Lore experts can answer my questions about Caldari Union Day.
What does Caldari Union Day celebrate?
How many years has Caldari celebrated Union Day?
Please correct me if I’m wrong but this is what my research basically lead me to…
Union Day is a celebration of when the Caldari Mega-Corporations left the Federation in 23154 AD and unified all the different Caldari ethnicities together as one people, one race with solidarity.
And by using that timeline as a base number leading up to 23236 AD when EST (Eden Standard Time) YC Date system was implemented, that makes it 82 years. Then add in the current YC date of 123 years brings the total up to 205 years.
So basically Union Day YC123 celebrates 205 years of Solidarity for Caldari State.
So my initial research into your queries does not really provide a definitive answer to Question 2, but in respect to Question 1, the State Workers Union Day holiday celebrates the Labourer/Technician caste in particular (imo) and the virtues of honest labour and unity in line with the ideology that the Caldari State and it’s constituent Megacorporations preaches for it’s citizens. It’s also a time where the strength of the Union is displayed to rally support for the State, emphasised with military parades and such. I would personally consider this to be an analogy of sorts to the International Labour Day holiday IRL, but fitting for the setting of the Caldari State. To quote the SKIN description below:
“The highlight of the calendar for many Caldari workers is the Caldari Executive Panel mandated State Workers Union Day, one of the few universally observed public holidays in the State. Promotion of the virtues of honestly earned leisure time is exemplified in a special nanocoating that celebrates Union Day, with the proceeds going to the State Workers Union Orphans Apprenticeship Fund.”
It also seems to tie in with Economic Summits and Paramilitary competitions as per this article here, in particular the annual ‘Haadoken Summit and Security Training Games’ as well as an ‘Industrial Planning Summit’.
Secession Day, when the Caldari Chief Executive Panel issued the Proclamation of Secession on November 22nd 23154AD/FC33/BYC82, is the holiday that commemorates the departure of the Caldari State from the Gallente Federation. I am not sure if this has ever been officially commemorated as a CCP/Player event but this would be two months after the Workers Union Day holiday.
I would not wish to guess with certainty how long the State Workers Union Day celebrations have been going on for, but I would assume that it was instituted in the latter years of the Interstellar War with the Gallente Federation or after the Iyen-Oursta Treaty that brought peace to both nation-states. CCP may be able to clarify that for you.
Yeah, I couldn’t find any hard date / time line for when Union Day was first implemented.
All the other Faction holiday events basically celebrates the formation / birth of their current ideology / governing institutions. Going by that I looked at Union Day as being similar.
Since the time line shows all the Mega-Corporations became united in 23154 AD, I figured that was a good time for establishing a date. Unions are all about solidarity and unity, basically all individuals within the group are in agreement with a common interest while providing mutual support for each other.
So I think it’s safe to say Caldari Union Day YC123 celebrates 205 years of Solidarity.