National Day (Zhenia)

National Day (Zhenian: 건국절) in Zhenia, also referred to as Imperial Day (Zhenian: 제국절) or Unification of the Five Jins Day (Zhenian: 오진통일절), is a national holiday in Zhenia commemorating the establishment of the Empire of Zhenia as well as the unification of Zhenia and the formation of the modern Zhenian state, on June 4, 1438 AC. Emperor Seongjo's imperial as well as the declaration of the Empire of Zhenia took place, while the full unification of Zhenia under the new empire was also announced the same day.

In addition to major national and civil events commemorating the establishment of the modern Zhenian state, celebrations for National Day include military parades in major cities, smaller civil parades all across the nation, concerts, late night shows, festivals and firework displays across the nation. Although there have been movements to instead designate Republic Day as its national day, National Day remains as the of Zhenia.

Background
On June 4, 1438 AC, Emperor Seongjo announced the formation of the Empire of Zhenia during his coronation as the new empire's ruler in Daedo's newly-built Daeseong Palace. Although the internal works to reorganize the Confederation of Zhenia into a single unified state had been underway since the Treaty of Zhuhae, it was formalized with Seongjo's coronation as the Emperor of Zhenia. The event itself was met with great fanfare from the public as well as attention both domestic and international, as the former assets of the Confederation were reorganized into those under the name of the new empire. The anticipation for the day to become a milestone in Zhenian history has been clearly expressed in Emperor Seongjo's announcement made at Daeseong Palace the same day:

"(Omission)... Today, we all stand upon a day that will be forever marked in history by our descendants; from this point and beyond, they will divide Zhenian history as before today and after today. Today shall be the greatest day in the history of the Empire as the day the Five Jins became united once again under one flag - a day that shall be commemorated and protected upon the solemn hands of Shinmir himself."

Observance

 * On June 4, 1439, the first celebrations of the empire's establishment, as well as the unification of modern Zhenia, was commemorated with government-wide celebrations, with, military parades and speeches from the Emperor himself. It was designated as the first national holiday of the empire the same day, at the time referred to as "Unification Day". It became a paid holiday for many government employees.
 * On 1598, the International Tower of Daedo International Financial Center, the tallest structure in Zhenia to this day, opened with special displays commemorating the 160th anniversary of Zhenian unification as well as the establishment of modern Zhenia. Although officials have claimed the opening date of the building was a mere coincidence with National Day, many claim that the decision to open the building on National Day was completely intentional and had been planned for several months in advance.

Disputes
The status of National Day as the day of establishment for modern Zhenia has come under great dispute in the later half of the 16th century, especially after the November Revolution. Many civic organizations and political movements, including the Liberal Democratic Party-led Zhenian Front for Democracy, have claimed the day to be "anachronistic and not compatible with the democratic nature of modern Zhenia" and have instead contended Republic Day as an alternative establishment date for modern Zhenia.

In other nations
National Day is celebrated as a major holiday by several overseas Zhenian communities around the world. Most celebrations of National Day by Zhenian diasporas are done in Little Zhenias and areas with high Zhenian populations, although there are nowhere near the scale of those within Zhenia. A majority of National Day celebrations and commemorations are done by the second and third waves of Zhenian immigration across the world, particularly those who emigrated after Zhenian unification. While some celebrations have been brought into conflict by overseas Yinguonese communities that do not recognize the day as a holiday, recent celebrations have attempted to include those of other nationalities and cultural identities, including the Yinguonese, into the Zhenian celebration.