As time passes,  the holidays that people desire changes as well as the way they celebrate them. Those that today we believe are eternal will fade away and those traditions connected with them will face similar problems. People though need things to look forward to. If society doesn't give them holidays they will generate their own. Usually they will be centered around items they feel are important to them. What are some things that people are likely to turn into a holiday? What current holiday is likely to disappear? 

Founder's Day seems like a given in any star-faring civilization.

 

And possibly "we exceeded C" day dor the entire race.

 

Other than that, I tend do look to the in-game religion and Big Events of the region's history.

 

 

Unification Day was a holiday in Firefly Some Browncoats like Mal Reynolds enjoyed stirring up trouble as a protest.

Some places make Election Day a holiday, so there is one day everyone can vote, and the civic virtues are championed. 

For many years, my sister and her family celebrated "theme Christmas" -- Polish Christmas, Scandinavian Christmas, South African Christmas, etc. ONe year they did Saturnalia, then Roman precursor to Christmas and found that... a lot got ported over. Including one subtle cultural attitude: that it used to be better, especially before it got so commercial and people forgot the True Meaning of Saturnalia.

 

Our long-established holidays such as Christmas, Tet, or Eid might continue far into the future and on other worlds, even after original contexts are gone and forgotten.

 

I hear Thanksgiving has spread beyond the US. That seems like a good candidate for long-term survival. "Yearly fest to gather with family and be glad for what you have" seems pretty basic and easily ported to future circumstances and other cultures.

 

Dean Shomshak

No Thanksgiving here. Being Happy With What You've Got would be seen as bragging.

Holidays due to fade and disappear -- Remembrance/Memorial day as WWI is now +100 years and WWII nearly 80 years in the past.  Also Christmas, if/as we move out to the stars religion will change, how ain't got a clue, but Christianity today would be unrecognizable to a 6th century European. As society evolves, holidays, religion and language adapt as well. (I recently read a favorite author say "she spoke 'merican englis better than I did and thankfully not that bastardized British version" I scratched my head over that one.

The origin of holidays is religious (Holy Day) so that would be a major contributing factor; the faith and religious traditions of a community determines which days they set aside as holy.  Modern holidays tend to be noteworthy cultural events or the birth of someone we want to commemorate; in the past sometimes they were days for remembering some great military event or victory but that seems to have gone out of favor these days.  It could rise again, with noteworthy victories given their special day.

 

Tyrants in particular like to impose holidays to impose their ideas and cultural demands on a public: celebrate my birthday!  Celebrate the foundation of our new 1000 year reich!

Edited January 18, 20241 yr by Christopher R Taylor

THe oldest continuous celebration I think is Persian Nw Year, where people leap over bonfires. It was originally a Zoroastrian celebration from ancient Persia, and the muslims kept trying to suppress, to no success. Dtill celebrated today.