Empire Day / Legends Empire Day was a galactic holiday celebrated by the Galactic Empire . The observance of Empire Day began in 19 BBY , when Supreme Chancellor Palpatine proclaimed the Clone Wars to be over and reorganized the Galactic Republic into the First Galactic Empire via the Declaration of a New Order . In his declaration , Palpatine mandated that Imperial citizens would celebrate the anniversary of Empire ' s creation yearly , for the sake of posterity . Although the first Empire Day was marked by several attempts by Jedi to dismantle the Empire , the new government and the tradition lived on . When the rebellious Alliance to Restore the Republic formed in 2 BBY , its members protested the celebration of Empire Day . In a symbolic show of solidarity with the Old Republic , the Alliance began celebrating Remembrance Day on the same date as the Empire ' s galactic holiday . During the Galactic Civil War , both the Empire and the Alliance ramped up propaganda efforts to promote the observation of the respective holidays . Empire Day was celebrated in a number of different ways , depending on region and culture . Although the holiday fell on one specific day of the year , celebrations in some corners of the Empire continued for weeks . An example of such jubilation could be found on Naboo , where the capital city of Theed played host to Imperial Military parades and statues of Emperor Palpatine for days on end . During this time , the Empire would provide loyal citizens with goods that promoted state pride , such as food rations and artwork . Description . Empire Day was a galactic holiday of the Galactic Empire , celebrated from 19 BBY to at least 1 . 5 ABY . The anniversary of the Empire ' s creation was celebrated yearly , on the twenty - third day of the fifth month when using the Great ReSynchronization ( GrS ) dating system based on Coruscant . Despite the fact that the holiday fell on a single date of the year , celebrations of the event could last for several days or even weeks in certain regions of the Empire , depending on the local culture . The holiday was intended to commemorate the dissolution of the Galactic Republic and the creation of the Empire by Supreme Chancellor - turned - Galactic Emperor Palpatine . The day was also a celebration of the might and power of the Empire , as well as that of Palpatine himself . Imperial Military parades were common on Empire Day , as was as the display of statues of the Emperor in public squares . During the Galactic Civil War , Imperials used the holiday as an opportunity to step up propaganda efforts and further Palpatine ' s cult of personality . Government workers distributed Empire Day memorabilia to passersby , and Imperial citizens offered one another salutations of " Happy Empire Day " . Many individuals loyal to the Empire celebrated with family or friends , while others sought to be close to their Emperor on his holiday . Because of Palpatine ' s reclusive habits , few saw this wish realized . It also saw the opportunity to award personnel of the Empire with various medals for significant acts of service . These included the Imperial Badge of Meritorious Service , the Imperial Engineering Volunteer , the Imperial Guest Performance , the Imperial Anti - Propaganda Enforcer and the Champion of Empire Day awards , the latter of which was awarded by Darth Vader personally . Although practiced by various parts of the Galaxy by the time of the Galactic Civil War , it was most celebrated on Naboo ' s capital city , Theed , due to the planet being Palpatine ' s homeworld . Festivities on Theed during this time included awarded medals , erecting statues of the Emperor , and military parades that included Stormtroopers , at least two AT - STs , and Imperial Marines . History . The first Empire Day . After three years of fighting between the Galactic Republic and the breakaway Confederacy of Independent Systems , the Clone Wars came to a close in 19 BBY , when the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious decided that the pieces were in place to allow him to seize control of the galaxy . In his alter ego of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine , Sidious enticed the High Council of the Jedi Order to attack him — an attempt that ultimately failed , and provided the Chancellor with a pretense for issuing 66 to the Grand Army of the Republic . While clone troopers across the galaxy killed their Jedi commanders pursuant to the Order , Sidious dispatched his new apprentice Darth Vader to assassinate the leaders of the Confederacy on Mustafar . Vader continued on to deactivate the battle droid armies of the Confederacy , bringing the carnage of the Clone Wars to a close . With the Confederate rebellion defeated and his Jedi enemies crushed , Palpatine called an Extraordinary Session of the Galactic Senate on the twenty - third day of the fifth month of 16 GrS . That afternoon , he presented to the Senate evidence of an anti - government Jedi conspiracy before issuing his historic Declaration of a New Order . In the Declaration , Palpatine proclaimed the Clone Wars to be over , transformed the Republic into the First Galactic Empire , and mandated that the anniversary of the Empire ' s creation be celebrated by Imperial citizens for the sake of their children and future generations . The newly - proclaimed Emperor predicted that Empire Day would be celebrated for ten thousand years before concluding his speech . That inaugural Empire Day was marked by two separate attempts by surviving Jedi to destroy the new regime . The first attempt was made by Yoda , the Grand Master of the now - defunct Jedi order and one of the last surviving Jedi . He traveled to the Senate Building immediately following Palpatine ' s Declaration and confronted the Emperor in his Holding Office . The two engaged in a fierce duel in the Grand Convocation Chamber of the Senate itself . The second attempt was made by surviving Jedi Council member Obi - Wan Kenobi , who sought to kill Darth Vader on Mustafar . Both attempts ended in failure , as Yoda was forced to retreat from his duel and Kenobi found himself unable to execute Vader after maiming him . As such , both the Empire and the tradition of Empire Day lived on . An enduring tradition . After that first celebration , Empire Day became an annual celebration across the Empire , which was celebrated between beings by saying " Happy Empire Day . " After the destruction of the first Death Star , Empire Day was emphasized more vehemently , by both the Empire " and " the Rebellion . The Rebellion adopted the term Remembrance Day in place of Empire Day , and used Empire Day as a way to remind citizens of the destruction of Alderaan . During one such Empire Day in 1 ABY , Lord Vader landed in front of the Theed Royal Palace to deliver a speech to a crowd of loyal Imperial citizens . Guarded by a group of Triumphant - class dark trooper s , Darth Vader used the holiday to honor those who served the Empire graciously . As Vader stood in front of a statue of the Emperor , he called out several soldiers present by name , giving them a badge for their service . After his short visit , he boarded his shuttle to leave the planet . As he departed , Imperial TIE Fighters flew by as fireworks exploded overhead . During the Empire Day festivities , Brenn Tantor tasked loyal Imperials to tear down Rebel propaganda posters around the city , and put up posters which proclaimed , " Join Us . " Kaythree tasked Imperial traders to gather supplies from crashed shuttles , and gave entertainer s the option to entertain Imperial soldiers in the Theed cantina . Dac Madine stood by to receive any incoming shipments . Mara Jade also participated in the Empire Day festivities , tasking an Imperial operative with rescuing six Imperial officers from a prison facility in a hidden Rebel base . Due to the heavy Imperial patrols in Theed , the Rebellion did little to stop the Empire Day festivities from taking place . However , there were reports of Rebel agents gunning down those who put up Imperial posters . In addition , at least a few of the Imperial recruitment posters ended up defaced by Rebel sympathizers , some of which were sold by Rebel Celebration Organizers and even Imperial Celebration Organizers . During festivities , various souvenirs were also sold and handed out , including paintings and posters ( Darth Vader , Princess Leia , etc . ) ; models ( decoration devices and space station models ) , decorative sashes ; an automated target dummy ( based on either the Rebels or the Empire ) and tools ( Novaless Soni - Optics Goggles Mark V ) . Although some were exclusive to either Empire Day or Remembrance Day , most of them were available on both holidays . In addition , a celebration organizer often stood near the statue of Emperor Palpatine at the stairs to Theed Palace , where he sold various pro - Imperial rations such as Gracious Government Mix and Order 66 Cookie s to those loyal to the Empire . However , due to his being trained to detect any Rebel infiltrators , he will specifically turn away any Rebel - aligned soldiers who try to receive any of the rations . Behind the scenes . Empire Day was a recurring event in the " Star Wars Galaxies " . The celebrations took part on the anniversary of the games ' launch , every year since 2005 . In 2008 , once every hour , an Imperial shuttle landed and Darth Vader called out one of the Imperial - aligned player characters present at the celebration . This player received a special badge and the title " Hero of Empire Day . " All players that visited the celebrations received a special " " movie poster and could buy Order 66 Cookie s and a Gracious Government Mix , food that temporarily enhanced the players ' stats . This changed slightly in the 2009 celebration . Vader would land every 15 minutes and call out three players , this time receiving the title " Champion of Empire Day . " Players would also receive a " " movie poster to commemorate the six year anniversary of " Star Wars Galaxies " . In addition , the 2009 celebration included additional quests for players . The 2010 representation of Empire Day remained widely unchanged , except it offered players new badges , a few extra rewards , and a new title , " Chosen of Empire Day . " The 2011 celebration saw little change with only new badges being added for completing the same tasks as previous years . The term Empire Day was derived from a holiday within the United Kingdom celebrating the anniversary of the British Empire ' s formation between 1902 and 1958 . Coincidentally , the holiday fell on May 20 , which was also the day of the UK ' s premiere of " " , resulting in a " revival " of sorts .