Citizen Day

Citizen Day is a holiday in the United Empire of Earth (UEE) held annually on October 10th. It was established to recognize Citizens, members of the UEE who have attained Citizenship through civic responsibility, military service, or various other positive and impactful contributions to the UEE.

New UEE Citizens are formally recognized on Citizens Day.

History
When the concept of Citizenship was first introduced in the 22nd Century, Citizen Day followed soon after. It was primarily seen as a bank holiday until 2734, when the standing Imperator, Galor Messer IX, used xenophobic propaganda and lavish celebrations in honor of Citizens' sacrifices to push military recruitment. Records released on the Historical Truth Act revealed that the repurposed holiday was put forth by high-level military personnel. The military was running low on resources, having suffered losses in the Tiber system and concerned that redeploying forces from the Perry Line would be perceived as weakness by the Xi-an.

Toward the end of the Messer Era in the 28th Century, anti-Messer activists on Terra used the holiday to recruit members to their cause.

After the Messer's fell, Imperator Erin Toi held the first Citizen Day Conference, also known as CitizenCon, in 2793. Since then, CitizenCon has been the marquee event celebrating the holiday. While celebrations take place across the UEE, CitizenCon is held in a different city each year.

Historians disagree on who is credited with the creation of the modern Citizen Day. Some say the Imperator Galor Messer IX created the modern Citizen Day with his rebranding, others attribute Imperator Erin Toi and her creation of CitizenCon with making the holiday what it is today.

Traditions
Citizens who have gained their Citizenship during the previous year are recognized. Citizen Day celebrations are known to continue over the course of several days. People are known to exchange gifts and prepare food on Citizen Day.