Foundation Day

Foundation Day is a designated date on which celebrations mark the founding of a nation, state or a creation of a military unit. This day is for countries that came into existence without the necessity of gaining independence. Older countries that use some other event of special significance as their national day. This signals the use of a "class" of National Days, that are equally important in the foundation of the nation, and a "class" of less important official public holidays. This holiday can be symbolized by the date of becoming republic or a significant date for a patron saint or a ruler (birthday, accession, removal, etc.) as the starting point of the nation's history. Often the day is not called "Foundation Day" but serves and can be considered as one.

List of Foundation Days

• National Foundation Day, national holiday in Japan, celebrating the founding of the nation and the imperial line by its first emperor^[1]
• Gaecheonjeol: (English- National Foundation Day) public holiday in South Korea Also, celebrating the creation of Modern-day Korea in the year 2333 BCE
• Australia Day: date of the founding of Sydney, the first European settlement in Australia, 1788^[2]
• Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld takes the oath as first king of the Belgians in 1831.
• Ugyen Wangchuck elected hereditary king 1907
• Double Ten Day: outbreak of the Wuchang Uprising China and founding of the Republic of China (1911)^[3]
• Proclamation of People's Republic of China, 1949
• German Unity Day: unification of West Germany and East Germany and the foundation of the modern German state, 1990
• St. Stephen's Day: foundation of Hungary as recognized, 1000
• Republic Day in India: becoming the first republic in the British Commonwealth of Nations, 1950
• Unification of North and South Yemen and the founding of the Republic of Yemen, 1990
• Statehood Day (Lithuania): commemorates coronation of the first king, Mindaugas
• Gustav Vasa is elected King of Sweden leading to its modern foundation, 1523
• Swiss National Day: alliance of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden against the Holy Roman Empire and the foundation of the Swiss state, 1291
• Serbia National Day: founding of the modern Serbian state through the revolution and first constitution
• Saudi National Day: the end of the 30-year campaign to unite the central Arabian lands to found the modern state, 1932

See also

• Foundation Day on Norfolk Island on March 6, commemorating the First Fleet settlement under Philip Gidley King in 1788
• Western Australia Day, a public holiday in Western Australia held on the first Monday in June, formerly known as Foundation Day

References

1. Hardacre, Helen. (1989). Shinto and the State, 1868-1988, pp. 101-102.
2. "Australia Day - A History". Victoria State Government. Archived from the original on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
3. Cindy Sui, 10 October 2011, "Legacy debate as Republic of China marks 100 years", BBC News