Kashubia
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Republic of Kaszuby Republika Kaszuby Республика Кашубия Kasuhbia | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 Emblem
| |
| Motto: Síla, Svoboda, Solidarita "Strength, Freedom, Unity" | |
| Anthem: To The Allegiant Ones | |
 Topographical relief map with major cities. | |
| Capital and largest city | Kralovice |
| Ethnic groups (2020) | Kashubian 56.7% Lemovicans 29.1% |
| Demonym(s) | Kashubian |
| Government | Unitary parliamentary republic (1919–1930) Unitary presidential constitutional republic (1919–1931) |
| Antonin Jaskowski | |
| Sovereign State | |
• Independence | 1918 |
• Constitution | 1918 |
| Area | |
• Total Land | 265,171.42 km2 (102,383.26 sq mi)does not include inland lakes |
• Water (%) | 13.41% |
| Population | |
• 2020 census | 14,861,348 |
• Density | [convert: invalid number] |
| GDP (PPP) | 2020 estimate |
• Total | $408.465 billion |
• Per capita | $27,599 |
| Currency | Koruna (KOR) |
| Time zone | UTC-1 (Menghean Southwestern Time) |
| Date format | yyyy-mm-dd; CE(AD) |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +25 |
Kaszubya (/Ka-shU-bya/ in English), also known as Kashubia is a sovereign nation in central-coastal Kylaris. It is bordered by Vedmed to the north; Amathia to the east; Tengaria to the south, and Yavorstrana to the west. Kashubia's capital and largest city, Kralovice, is situated on the eastern shores of Lake Min. Possessing a unique language and culture, Kashubia was an independent kingdom until its subjugation by the Empire of Tengaria. This occupation ended with the Kashubian Revolution in 1852, though Kashubia was once again occupied, this time by the Soravians, after the Great War (Kylaris). Kashubia’s modern state gained its independence in 1980 after the Sostava War, and was a beacon of liberty and democracy until the 2013 military coup. It has a population of 14.8 billion, and a growing economy based around agriculture, manufacturing, energy, and mining.
Eytomology
n/a
History
Early History
Settlement in the area called Kashubia for the last 1,000 years started by the end of the Glacial Stage, some 13,000 years ago. Archeological traces have been found of various cultures during the Stone and Bronze Age, Baltic peoples, Germanic peoples during the Iron Age and, in the Dark Ages, West Slavic tribes and Vikings. Starting in the 10th century, early Kashubian rulers united the region.
Kingdom of Kashubia
The basis for the development of a Kashubian state was laid by the XXX dynasty, which had been preeminent since the 10th century. The conversion of Duke Mieszko I to Christianity paved the way for Kashubia to become a member of the family of Orthodox kingdoms. In 1000, the Empire of Arciluco officially recognized Kashubia as a sovereign duchy. In 1025, Duke Vaclav I the Brave was crowned King of Kashubia, marking the starting date for a Kashubian Kingdom, though for long years the Kashubians were ruled not by Kings but by Dukes.
The King ruled the country in his own responsibility but was expected to respect traditional customs of the people. The succession to the rule was not legally restricted by primogeniture. All sons of the King or Duke had the same rights of inheritance, and the one that in some way proved the strongest succeeded to the throne.
Duke Stefan III, who reigned from 1102 to 1138, tried to end the repeated struggles between various claimants by setting the government of Kashubia on a more formal footing. In the Testament of Stefan III, he divided his lands into five Duchies and distributed them among his sons, and promised the Burghers and landowning nobles of the regions special privliges. This document is widely considered to be the world's first constitution.
To ensure unity, he established the consultation agreement, which stated that the king would be elected from the sons of the King by the Estates of the realm (Clergy, burghers, and nobility, respectively). To this end, it was decided that the landing of royal sons would be done only during succession, and would give authority over a predetirmined split of the 'Korunapřistane', or "Crownlands."
While the senorial part almost always fell to that member of the Dynasty that happened to be senior, the other four Duchies were inherited in the usual way among the descendants of the King's sons. These provisions were soon broken, however, with the various Dukes trying to gain the position of King for themselves. The provisions, meant to ensure unity fragmented the country even further and resulted in a decline of monarchical power.
Iconoclast Wars
Starting around 1385, priest and scholar Hynek Kapil denounced what he judged as the corruption of the Orthodox Church. Most controversially, Kapil declared that the worship of icons against the will of God, and that man should worship God alone, and not images or iconography of him. His preaching was widely heeded in Kashubia, and provoked suppression by the church, which had declared many of Kapil's ideas heretical.
In , Ecumenical Patriarch Alexander III convened a cardinal council to resolve other religious controversies. Kapil went to the Council, under a safe-conduct from Alexander, but was imprisoned, tried, and burned alive as a heretic on 6 July 1408. This greatly enraged the nobility and local population of Kashubia, who were largely in favor of church reform, and led the King of Kashubia, Vaclav I, to form an alliance with Ravnia. Following almost 20 years of extremely tense relations and minor religious conflict, at Alexander III's request, the Duchy of Pavatria and the Empire of Tengaria declared war on the Kingdom of Ravnia and the Realm of Thorns in 1409, aiming to restore the original Episemialist Church to absolute authority in Western Euclea. They were supported by other minor states.
Disorder broke out in various parts of Kashubia, and drove many priests from their parishes, famously by throwing them from windows. Almost from the beginning the Kapilites divided into two main groups, though many minor divisions also arose among them. Under the leadership of Vaclav V, the Kashubians were initially successful at throwing back the Tengarian invaders. This success continued until 1412 with the death of Vaclav V and the end of the Sedlacek dynasty in battle. Following his death, Kashubia was overrun and occupied by Tengaria, who put a relative of the Tengarian monarch on the throne of Kashubia.
As Part of the Tengarian Empire
Upon the death of Vaclav V, the Kashubian estates elected (under duress) the Tengarian prince and heir-apparent XXX as king. In 1435, upon the death of the Tengarian King, XXX was crowned King of Tengaria, which he made his primary title. From then on, Kashubia was relegated as a nominal part of the Tengarian Empire.
Though legally required to consult the Kashubian Diet, the Tengarian Emperor did not do so for almost a century, and despite Kashubia’s status as a kingdom under the empire, the Emperor ruled it as little more than an auxiliary province. The Tengarians rarely, if ever, consulted local nobles, and as a result put down a number of minor inssurecctions between 1600 and 1800.
The Kashubian Diet was reconvened in 1825 to handle the dire financial needs of the Tengarian Empire. This allowed for the legal formation of political parties, of which a number formed. The most prominent was a liberal party that emerged and focused on Kashubian autonomy, Obrana Naroda (National Party), which grew to also aspire for the end of serfdom within the Tengarian Empire. Though the Emperor made declarations promising reform and national autonomy, these promises were soon reneged once Tengaria recovered from her financial woes, and the Tengarians quickly banned Obrana Naroda’s official activities. Despite the imprisonment of its leaders and the banning of its publications, the party remained active underground, and proved a crucial force in the 1852 revolution.
Kashubian Revolution
On 29 January 1852, mass demonstrations in Kralovice enabled Kashubian reformists to push through a list of 9 demands, called to history as the Nine Points Delcaration. Under governor Jan Szyechenyi, the Tengarian royal viceroy in Kashubia was dethroned, and a national republic was proclaimed.
In April of 1852 the Kashubian Parliament proclaimed and enacted a constitution, which promised equal citizenship to anyone living in Kashubia regardless of ethnicity. Many non-Kashubian ethnics gained the coveted highest positions within the Army, like General Yuri Maklovich, an ethnic Soravian who became a national hero through his command of the 3rd Kashubian Army Corps.
The Tengarians responded to the demands and subsequent dethronement by mobilizing their armed forces. The Kashubians were met with early defeats, being crushed in early battles due to a chronic shortage of artillery, training, and officers.
International aid from Amethia turned the tide, with Renat de Voron, a Kashubian noble of Amethin descent, taking command of the Kashubian army. de Voron, who had served in the Amethian army, reorganized his forces under Amethian standards and using Amethian weaponry - in open battle in March 1853, he defeated the Tengarians and routed their host at the Siege of Kralovice.
Following the Kashubian victory at Kralovice, the Amethian Empire declared war on Tengaria. In December of 1853, peace was signed, and Kashubia was granted independence.
First Republic
The formal independence of the country was internationally recognised in 1855 during the Treaty of XXX which ended the Amethian-Tengarian War and Kashubian Revolution This treaty, however, prohibited Kashubia from uniting with other Kashubian regions by placing the provinces of Rynbik and Lusatia under Amethian occupation. This would prove a constant source of tension in coming years.
The Republic's early years saw foreign investment, combined with wise economic policies, dratically improve the standard of living for many citizens. Industrial investments, especially in the coal and iron rich regions of the Viery highlands, formed the foundation of Kashubia's domestic industry.
Under the direction of President de Voron in the 1870s, a number of social and political reforms made Kashubia a beacon of liberalization among absolutist regimes.
In 1915, Kashubia fought the Lake Mis War and in the First Kashubian-Vedmedian War. Though losing the former and fighting the latter to a stalemate, it gave the Kashubian army and nation vital experience for the Great War (Kylaris)
The Great War
When the Great War sparked on Feburary 2nd, 1927, Kashubia was originally neutral; however, when it became clear that Tengaria, her primary enemy, was losing the war, Kashubia declared for the Entente and joined Amethia and Ravnia.
The Kashubians scored great success early against the demoralized Tengarians, seizing all of the disputed XXX region and occupying parts of XXX in the north.
Despite initial successes, the arrival of the Soravian Army in the north and the attritional strain of modern war drained Kashubia's ability to fight, especially on two fronts against the resurgent Tengarian National Army. The military situation worsened and Kashubia was defeated. The Soravian Occupation of Kashubia followed. Though a government in exile remained in Amethia, following the defeat of the Entente at the hands of the Grand Alliance, Kashubia was annexed by Soravia.
Kashubia's casulties in the Great War amounted to a staggering 750,000, almost 15% of Kashubia's pre-war size. 52% of its male population perished in the conflict, a casualty rate per capita matched by no other Entente belligerent in The Great War.
Federal Soveriegn Republic of Kashubia
The massive destruction, both economic and demographic, wrought by the Great War saw Sostavan reconstruction and resettlement efforts lasting the next decade. However, while the Soravian investment did much to undo the war's destruction, Soravian occupation came at a price - the Kashubian language was relegated to a vernacular languge while Soravian was taught in schools. Soravian holidays overruled Kashubian ones, and any nationalist dissidents were quelled with a hard hand. In addition, the resettlement initiatives saw nearly 300,000 Soravians move to Kashubia during the occupation, fundamentally changing the country's demograghics.
Though nominally "soveriegn", Kashubian government was directed out of the Soravian Duma, and its local assemblies limited in scope and power. No official head-of-government or head-of-state existed in the FSR during the era.
The heavy industrial investment into the Kashubian region was in a large part due to Soravian President Gabriel Tozulyak's resource prospecting efforts. Natural gas was found under Lake Min, and uranium and bauxite inside of the Viery Highlands. The proximity of these resources made for an easy choice for Soravian industry.
In addition, Kashubia's proximity to the equator made it ideal for Soravian spaceflights; a three launch centers were built throughout the country, as well as many auxiliary industries and infastructure. Viktor Matvyenko launched from a Kashubian cosmonaut center in his famous 1964 spaceflight.
Due to Kashubia's border with Amethia, the Soravians also constructed, maintained, and garrisoned a number of military facilities within the region. These stores of weapons and ammunition became paramount during Kashubia's eventual break with Soravia during the Feburary Days.
Sostava War & Feburary Days
"Only those who struggle for their freedom are worthy of it."
In 1979, President Gardos of Soravia faced military insurrection following his proposed constitutional changes. Gardos' state of emergency in December of that year did more to harm his cause than help it. As civil war gripped the nation, revolutionary elements in Kashubia took to the streets, alongside nationalists from a plethora of Soravian territories.
In what became known as the Feburary Days, Kashubian revolutionary elements seized control of the old capitol. Disarming the Soravian garrisons, though largely a peaceful transition, did meet conflict in some places; however, in March, Amethia became the first nation to recognize Kashubia's independence. This was soon followed by the rest of the Euclean continent.
Second Republic
Following the Feburary Days and renewed Kashubian independence, Kashubia adopted a liberal and democratic constitution. International investment, especially by western Euclean states such as Gaullacia and Amethia were a major boon to Kashubia's economy, ranking it as the #1 post-Sostava economic growth state. These investments also brought closer ties between Kashubia and the AESA, which eventually led to her joining the alliance.
Kashubia enjoyed a period of economic growth and stable internal politics until the 20XX Recession. Relying heavily on foreign capital and investment, the sudden freeze of investment forced Kashubia to default on loan payments; without economic bailout, Kashubia was thrown into economic chaos.
Capitlizing on the chaos, Tengaria claimed that due to the Kashubian's inability to pay their half of the state-owned joint mineral exploitation company in XXX, Tengaria would assume mineral rights to the region. When the Kashubian government refused, Tengaria invaded, simetanious to another armed incursion by XXX in the north.
A day after the invasion, the government fell to a vote of no confidence. AESA intervention failed to materialize, and served to only ratify Tengarian claims as fait accompli.
The invasion, economic recession, and failure on behalf of her allies led to major political upheavel inside of Kashubia. Obrana Naroda, a centrist neo-nationalist party, gained immense popularity.
2013 Referendum and Special Election
Colonel Vaclav Cernik, Kashubia's only successful military commander during the conflict, spoke out publicly against the incumbent Social Republican Party and President Antonin Jaskowski. He stated government incompetence and poor leadership as the cause for both the recession and the military disaster.
Cernik was immediately dismissed as an officer by the Minister of Defense; as a result, a day later on October 15 men of his brigade mutinied, demanding his reinstatement. Public support for Cernik turned into riots and protests all over the country, and some military forces refused to leave barracks.
The standoff was resolved by President Jaskowski, who stepped down and agreed to a special election. Cernik announced his candidacy at the head of the Obrana Naroda Party, a namesake from the original Kashubian Revolution.
The referendum's results were 45% in favor of Jaskowki, 37% in favor of Cernik and 18% in favor of the opposition leader, Jan Kyzumen. With no clear majority achieved, Kyzumen agreed to back Cernik in the runoff, which he won handidly.
Following Cernik's ascension to power, the new president refused to annull the state of emergency issued by his predecessor. Instead, Cernik used the declaration to make massive changes to the constitution and government structure of Kashubia, most notably the abolishment of the role of Prime Minister and its duties being absorbed by his own office.
Cernik secured a bailout from neighboring Ravnia in exchange for natural gas drilling concessions in Lake Min, and immediately set about a massive privitization program to pay off debt and to make national companies profitable again.
In addition, Cernik doubled military expenditure and began the rearming effort of Kashubia in earnest.
Geography
Steppe
Lake Min
Black Mountains
The Black Mountains dominate Kaszuby's northern and western frontiers. The mountains, named for the slate and obsidian that dominate their slopes, are both naturally hazardous and resource rich. The primary range forms an arc throughout Central and southeastern Patrium. Roughly 1,500 km (932 mi) long, the range stretches from the XXX, to Kaszuby's eastern frontier, and down to the southern Patriumonic coast. The highest range within the Carpathians is known as the Tatra mountains in northern Kaszuby, where the highest peaks exceed 2,600 m (8,530 ft).
Zelenamoriya Foothills
Lake Min and Lake Sivash
Geology
Land use
Climate
Politics
Between 1974 and 2014, Kashubia was a parliamentary representative democracy. A presidential system was adopted by referendum in 2013; the new system came into effect with the presidential election in 2014 and gives the President complete control of the executive, including the power to issue decrees, appoint his own cabinet, draw up the budget, dissolve parliament by calling early elections, and make appointments to the bureaucracy and the courts. The office of Prime Minister has been abolished and its powers (together with those of the Cabinet) have been transferred to the President, who is the head of state and is elected for a five-year term by direct elections. Vaclav Cernik is the first president elected by direct voting. Kashubia's constitution governs the legal framework of the country and sets out the main principles of government and establishes Kashubia as a unitary centralized state.
Executive power is exercised by the President, while the legislative power is vested in the unicameral parliament, called the National Assembly. The judiciary is nominally independent from the executive and the legislature, but the constitutional changes that came into effect with the referendums in 2013 gave larger powers to the President and the ruling party for appointing or dismissing judges and prosecutors. The Constitutional Court is charged with ruling on the conformity of laws and decrees with the constitution. The Council of State is the tribunal of last resort for administrative cases, and the High Court of Appeals for all others.
Law and Enforcement
According to Article XXX of the Kashubian Constitution, the organisation, duties and jurisdiction of the courts, their functions and the trial procedures are regulated by law. In line with the aforementioned article of the Constitution and related laws, the court system in Kashubia can be classified under three main categories; which are the Judicial Courts, Administrative Courts and Military Courts. Each category includes first instance courts and high courts. In addition, the Court of Jurisdictional Disputes rules on cases that cannot be classified readily as falling within the purview of one court system.
Law enforcement in Kashubia is carried out by General Directorate of Internal Security (commonly abbreviated as InSec) and other agencies, all acting under the command of the President of Kashubia or mostly the Minister of Internal Affairs. According to figures released by the Justice Ministry, there are 62,000 people in Kashubian prisons as of November 2020, a doubling since 2014.
In the years of government by Obrana Naroda and Cernik, particularly since 2013, the independence and integrity of the Kashubian judiciary has increasingly been said to be in doubt by institutions, parliamentarians and journalists both within and outside of Kashubia; due to political interference in the promotion of judges and prosecutors, and in their pursuit of public duty.
Administrative divisions
| Map | Province | Capital | Population | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Bogorodista |
Bogorodista | 1,456,899 | North | |
 Dostiga Province |
Avren | 1,258,978 | East | |
 Istros |
Istros | 3,011,221 | South | |
 Khŭlm |
Cosmingrad | 454,677 | East | |
 Krasiv |
Elena | 987,454 | West | |
 Lenovo |
Lenovo | 4,314,100 | Central | |
 Silenya |
Silen | 813,338 | North | |
 Ustata |
Drangovo | 2,754,424 | East | |
 Vasilya |
Vasilgrad | 1,645,787 | West | |
 Visoclesia |
Visnagrad | 3,864,781 | North | |
 Zŭrno |
Vihren | 1,798,321 | South |
Foreign Relations
Kashubia is a member of the Euclean Community and the AESA, although its membership in the latter is stated to be de jure only. Kashubia nevertheless maintains cordial relations with neighboring Ravnia and Amathia. Kashubia has a number of joint military and economic development programs with Ravnia, most notably the Minfighter program, the world's only 5th generation fighter development not attributed to an alliance bloc or world power.
However, Kashubia's continued bellicosity, revanchism, and military buildup has put it at odds with Tengaria, XXX, and the rest of XXX.
Military
The Kashubian Defense Forces, abbreviated KDF, are broken up into five branches: Land Forces, Maritime Forces, Air Force, Special Forces, and Territorial Forces. As of 2020, the Kashubian Defense Forces numbers 159,638 personnel, with an annual spending of 20.423 billion koruna, or 5% of its GDP. In 2014, Kashubia re-introduced mandatory conscription for males age 18. Kashubia’s 2020 expenditure is more than double what Kashubia spent prior to the elevation of Valcav Cernik as President of the Republic.
The mission of the armed forces is the defence of Kashubia's territorial integrity and Kashubian interests abroad. After the 2013 war with XXX, Kashubian military maneuvers and posturing has been increasingly offensive, drawing ire from the international community.
While Kashubia’s domestic arms industry is nascent, it has seen exponential growth in the last decade thanks to government stimulus programs. Nevertheless, Kashubia’s armed forces relies on foreign military equipment for its forces. Most recently, Kashubia purchased 75 XXX 5th generation strike fighters from XXX.
Economy
The Kashubian economy is a developed, high income economy, with the GDP per capita equalling 78% of the average in 2020. The country has difficulties addressing regional imbalances in wealth and employment. GDP per capita ranges from 188% of EC average in Kralovice to 54% in the north. Although regional income inequality is high, 90% of citizens own their own homes.
The Kashubian economy is one of the fastest-growing economies in Euclea, achieving a GDP growth of more than 3% consecutively for the last decade. Unemployment, peaking at 19% at the end of 1999, decreased to 4.9% in 2019, lowest recorded rate in Kashubian history.
Foreign investment flow grew more than 600% from 2000 and cumulatively reached an all-time high of $17.3 billion in 2006, or around $22,000 per capita by the end of 2008.
The Kashubian government encourages foreign investment since it is one of the driving forces of the economy. Some regions, mostly in the east of the country, have failed to attract major investment, which has aggravated regional disparities in many economic and social areas.
However, due to the regime change in 2013, foreign investment has dropped to 10.6 billion, or just $9,800 per capita.
20XX Recession and recovery
In the second decade of the 21st century, the Kashubian economy suffered its most severe recession since the 1970s. No bailout from Euclean Community of AESA members came, and neighboring nations capitilized on the instability to seize disputed territory. At the time of the recession, the economy had contracted by 12.7% in the second quarter of 2013 and 16.4% in total, though much of this is attributed to territory lost in the XXX War.
The bailout, which came after President Vaclav Cernik's ascension to power, required Kashubia to cede natural gas drilling rights in Lake Min in exchange for funding support of €108,000,000,000. In May 2015, the country exited the bailout and reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining its economic reformist momentum.
Energy
The electricity generation sector in Kashubia is largely fossil-fuel based. Many power plants nationwide use Kashubia’s position as a major exporter of coal to their advantage by continuing to use coal as the primary raw material in the production of their energy. The three largest Kashubian coal mining firms extract around 100 million tonnes of coal annually.
Renewable energy production accounts for a smaller proportion of Kashubia’s full energy generation capacity (12%). However, a joint tidal energy project with XXX engineers led to the construction of the world's first artifical tidal lagoon and adjoining turbine complex. Opened in 2012, the Lake Min Tidal Power Complex generates 119 MW of electricity.
Kashubia has around 164,800,000,000 m3 of proven natural gas reserves and around 96,380,000 barrels of proven oil reserves, though most of these lie offshore in Lake Min. Per the bailout agreement with Ravnia, Kashubia ceded the rights to approximately 75,500,000,000 m3 of this in exchange for economic relief. However, the small amounts of fossil fuels naturally occurring in Kashubia are insufficient to satisfy the full energy consumption needs of the population. Consequently the country is a net importer of oil and natural gas.
Culture
The culture of Kashubia is closely connected with its intricate 1,000-year history forms an important constituent in Euclean and Slavic civilization. The Kashubians take great pride their national identity which is often associated with the colours black and gold, and exuded by the expression **černé zlato** ("Blackgolds"). National symbols, chiefly the crowned lion, are often visible on clothing, insignia and emblems. The appreciation of Kashubia’s traditions and cultural heritage is commonly known as Kashubiphilia.
Folk tradition
Folk tradition has rooted strongly in Kashubia and is reflected in literature, music, dance and architecture. The prime example is a Kashubian national motto, **Sila, Svoboda, Solidarita** which is based on a children’s folk story that has been passed down for generations.
The manifestation of Kashubian folklore culture is the **Východná** Folklore Festival. It is the oldest and largest nationwide festival with international participation, which takes place in Vychodna annually. Kashubia is usually represented by many groups but mainly by KĽUK (Kaszuby ľudový umelecký kolektív—Kashubian folk art collective). KĽUK is the largest Kashubian folk art group, trying to preserve the folklore tradition.
Music
The wealth of musical culture lies in the classical music tradition during all historical periods, especially in the Baroque, Classicism, Romantic, modern classical music and in the traditional folk music of the nation. Since the early era of artificial music, Kashubian musicians and composers have been influenced by the folk music of the region.
Kashubian music can be considered to have been a cornerstone in both the Euclean and Slavic spheres, several times co-determined or even determined a newly arriving era in musical art, above all of Classical as well as by original attitudes in Baroque and Romanticism.
A famous music festival, Kashubian Spring, is hosted every year for classical music, a permanent showcase for performing artists, symphony orchestras and chamber music ensembles of the world.
Art
As of 2016, the refurbished National Gallery manages the largest collection of art in the Kashubia. It displays 20th century avant-garde revolutionary art, expressionist, realist and cubist styles. The Gallery also displays Art photography, which has become a new field, especially following the founding of the Second Republic. Though the Gallery is undoubtedly a collection of some of the nation’s finest art, many commentators have expressed concerns over the nationalist undertones that the display portfolios present.
Architecture
History has not been kind to Kashubia’s architectural monuments. Nonetheless, a number of ancient structures have survived: castles, churches, and stately homes, often unique in the regional or Euclean context. Some of them have been painstakingly restored, like XXX Castle, or completely reconstructed, including the Old Town and Royal Castle of XXX and the Old Town of XXX.
Public holidays
There are 13 government-approved annual public holidays – New Years Day on 1 January, Nation (Kashubia) Day on 29 January, Easter on the first Sunday and Monday of April, Labor Day on 1 May, Rememberance Day on 5 July, Chrristmastide on 25 and 26 December.
Particular traditions and superstitious customs observed in Poland are not found elsewhere in Europe. Though Christmas Eve is not a public holiday, it remains the most memorable day in the entire year. An empty plate and seat are symbolically left at the table for an unexpected guest. On occasion, carolers parade around smaller towns until the Lent period.
Rememberance Day is the most solemn non-religious holiday in Kashubia. Signed into law by President Valcav Cernik, it is observed annually on the day of Kashubian capitulation against Tengaria and XXX in the 2013 War, which coincided with the Soravian capture of the capitol during the Great War (Kylaris). The holiday calls for civilians to dress in mourning, flags to be flown upside down (the signal for distress), and is accompanied by a veteran’s march through urban streets.
A widely-popular kolache and sweet pastry feast occurs on Easter. The week following Easter is celebrated with pagan festivities, where the youth engage in water fights and some girls are gently spanked by colleagues with pussy willows to stimulate fertility.
Cemeteries and graves of the deceased are annually visited by family members on All Saints' Day; tombstones are cleaned as a sign of respect and candles are lit to honour the dead on an unprecedented scale.