{{Short description|Various national holidays}} [[File:Tony Abbott inspecting Australias Federation Guard January 2015.jpg|thumb|Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott inspecting the Australia's Federation Guard during the Australia Day celebrations in 2015.]] '''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 {{em|necessity}} of gaining independence. The term overlaps with national days.
==Background== 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 symbolised 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.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}
==Examples== ===Asia=== * Double Ten Day: outbreak of the Wuchang Uprising China and founding of the Republic of China (1911)<ref>Cindy Sui, 10 October 2011, [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-15218596 "Legacy debate as Republic of China marks 100 years"], BBC News</ref> * Gaecheonjeol: (English- National Foundation Day) public holiday in South Korea Also, celebrating the creation of Modern-day Korea in the year 2333 BCE * Hong Kong Foundation Day on 26 January, the anniversary of the founding of Hong Kong as a British colony (until 1997) * National Foundation Day, national holiday in Japan, celebrating the founding of the nation and the imperial line by its first emperor<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=nP7vr5yaaZIC&pg=PA101&dq=Kigensetsu&lr=&sig=sFgQJWOesfqN4difOcwaXbKIGQY#PPA101,M1 Hardacre, Helen. (1989). ''Shinto and the State, 1868-1988,''] pp. 101-102.</ref> * Republic Day in India: becoming the first republic in the British Commonwealth of Nations, 1950 * Saudi National Day: the end of the 30-year campaign to unite the central Arabian lands to found the modern state, 1932 * Day of the Foundation of the Republic (North Korea): commemorates the foundation of the DPRK in 1948
===Australasia=== * Foundation Day, one of the precursors of Australia Day, celebrating the day the First Fleet landed at Sydney 1788<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.australiaday.vic.gov.au/history.asp|title=Australia Day - A History|publisher=Victoria State Government|accessdate=26 January 2009 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080719021903/http://www.australiaday.vic.gov.au/history.asp |archivedate = 19 July 2008}}</ref> (also used separately to mark the foundation of two states) * Norfolk Island 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
===Europe=== * German Unity Day: unification of West Germany and East Germany and the foundation of the modern German state, 1990 * Statehood Day (Lithuania): commemorates coronation of the first king, Mindaugas * Swiss National Day: alliance of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden against the Holy Roman Empire and the foundation of the Swiss state, 1291
==See also== *National day
==References== {{Reflist}}
Category:Types of national holidays