Foundation Day

The founding of Cachette de Lions took place with the official joining of the former French colony of Lyondeterre with the former British colony of Brookesland to form one independent nation, Cachette de Lions, and happened on July 9, 1920. The official constitution was accepted that day, thus formalising the joining of the nations and making the new nation official. On the day, the nation held its first general election as Cachette de Lions, and elected Frederick Baihalo of the Conservative People's Party as their first Prime Minister; previously he had been the Prime Minister of Brookesland, with the counterpart of President of Lyondeterre, Jacques Michel, becoming the new deputy Prime Minister. For the first time, buildings in Jeansité-sur-Blanche on the mainland and Whiscombe on the island - previously both had been capitals - flew the same flag, with a new anthem, 'Day shall swallow the night', being written for the new nation. French and English both became official languages of Cachette de Lions.
Today, the day is celebrated every July 9, with huge processions in Whiscombe and Jeansité-sur-Blanche, and the whole nation is encouraged to dress in blue and yellow for the day. It is held as part of the 'Month of Celebrations', as many of the major national and regional celebrations take place in the month between July 9 and August 9, beginning with Foundation Day, and ending with the Freedom Day, and also celebrating the International Democratic Union holiday of Democracy Day on July 24. For this reason, the 'summer holidays' always start in early July, earlier than most states. Foundation Day is seen to be the major event of the month, and occasionally some large corporations will take a day off business for the day. The day is usually one of the worst for the nation's economy due to large numbers not working on the day. Some people protest on the day though, suggesting it is too nationalistic and is possibly racist - most have dismissed this, saying it is simply a celebration of heritage.