The Bacchanalia (sometimes also called “Bauchanalia” or the “Empire Bacchanalia”) is a five-day period of rest and renewal in the Empire of Australia that takes place in the Australian summer, a “free period” in which work is shunned. This period is a mandatory holiday at the end of every year, during which public celebrations are held. The festivities feature singing, dancing, performances, feasting, drinking and general revelry and merriment to celebrate the end of the year.
This “reconciliation period” is at the end of every Empire Year. It allows for the twelve thirty-day months in the Empire Calendar.
A different type of Bacchanalia, the Quadrennial Bacchanalia, happens every four years and coincides with the Great Rebirth—and with the leap year. During the Quadrennial Bacchanalia, there is a sixth day in which citizens are encouraged to take stock of their lives and contemplate any big changes they wish to make in the coming year. These changes can take the form of relationship changes, changes to employment or career, or other substantial aspects of their lives that they wish to change.