Let’s get festive with Boonta Eve and other Star Wars Holidays

Learn about various Star Wars holidays from both canon and legends.

March 21, 2023

The Mandalorian’s season three episode two opens with the celebration of Boonta Eve on Tatooine. For avid Star Wars readers and fans, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen a magical holiday celebration in this galaxy.

Fans have celebrated numerous Star Wars holidays for decades since the first Star Wars Special aired in 1978. While this movie introduced Star Wars fans to Life Day, there are several holidays you can celebrate from this faraway galaxy right here on earth.

From Remembrance day to the Aki-Aki Festival of the Ancestors, below are more Star Wars holidays from canon and legends you should know if you’re a fan.

1. Life Day

Star Wars Holiday Special 1978

Life day is one of the most known and celebrated holidays in the Star Wars galaxy. This tradition involves decorating the tree of life, wearing red robes, and being with loved ones. While this Wookie tradition started on Kashyyyk, it quickly spread to several planets in the galaxy to help give others hope under the Empire’s rule. While this was the first Star Wars holiday fans were introduced to, there are many more celebrations we’ve gotten a chance to see in Star Wars-related movies and TV shows.

2. The Festival of Light

The Festival of Light was a Naboo tradition honoring when Naboo joined the Republic. This holiday was held annually to celebrate that union. During Star Wars: The Clone Wars, a group of bounty hunters are hired by Count Dooku to try and kidnap the Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine while attending the 847th Festival of Light held in Naboo’s capital, Theed.

3. Boonta Eve

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Every year on the planet of Tatooine, they celebrate Boonta’s Eve. This holiday commemorates the legendary Hutt, Boonta Hestilic Shad’ruu’s ascension to godhood. The Hutts celebrate the holiday in Tatooine to remember Shad’ruu’s iconic speech during his ascension. Its popularity draws racers and spectators from around the galaxy to win the Boonta Eve Classic grand prize and enjoy gambling. The Boonta Eve Classic is a pod race held yearly on Boonta Eve. In Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace, Anakin wins the pod race despite his arch-rival Sebulba’s early lead. He also wins his freedom in this race and gets the chance to train as a Jedi.

4. Republic/Remembrance Day

Before Empire Day was a holiday, there was Republic day. A holiday to mark the forming of the Galactic Republic. The day was filled with fireworks and festivities, with stores even having sales on their best merchandise. This beautiful celebration was replaced with Empire Day after the fall of the Republic. For Republic loyalists, however, the holiday wasn’t forgotten. They kept celebrating the holiday as Remembrance Day to honor the soldiers who lost their lives fighting in the Rebel Alliance.

5. Empire Day

Star Wars Episode VI Return of the Jedi

Empire Day differs from other joyous holidays like Life Day on this list because it’s set aside to honor the oppressive Empire. On most planets, it’s usually a day for the Empire to showcase its might and power against its subjects. The Imperial-controlled planets hold military parades while the “Glory of the Empire” anthem plays. The largest celebration occurs in Coruscant for an entire week, known as Ascension week. After the fall of the Empire and the rise of the New Republic, the extravagant celebrations for Empire Day were no more. Catch a glimpse of Empire Day in Star Wars Rebels season one episode eight.

6. Harvest Day

Although very little is known about the Batuuan Harvest festival, we are sure that the holiday is celebrated in the fall in the Tapani sector. According to Wookieepedia, the locals celebrated this holiday to show gratitude after harvesting crops and taking a break from work. They usually decorated the outpost with colorful banners and wore similar clothing for the event.

7. Aki-Aki Festival of the Ancestors

Star Wars holidays The Rise of Skywalker

Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker

The Aki-Aki festival of the Ancestors takes place every 42 years. Most event attendees are the Aki-Aki species, who gather to honor the past and welcome the future. But it isn’t closed off to other species, so non-natives usually join in the festivities and celebrations. This is one of the most colorful holidays in the Star Wars galaxy as it’s filled with delicious food, sweets, colored kites, necklaces of flowers, dancing, and fun activities like puppet shows. If you want to see this beautiful festival, you can see it in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker when Finn, Rey, and Poe look for Lando in Pasaana.

8. Black Spire Day

This holiday was celebrated on Batuu in honor of the creation of the Black Spire Outpost. The black spire outpost is a famous stop for traders and smugglers from space and the Outer Rim. The locals would decorate the posts with ribbons and colorful tarps. The day would usually end with a procession and a fireworks display.