Hulstria & Gao-Soto

Greater Hulstria officially the Imperial Crownlands of Greater Hulstria (Hulstrian: Die Kaiserlichen Kronenländer Größeren Hulsterreichs)is a nation on the northwestern coast of Dovani. It is bordered to the north by Kazulia and to the south by Sekowo. To the East lies the largely uninhabited interior of the Great North Dovani Plain. It is the 28th most populous nation on Terra and the 48th in order of area.

History of Greater Hulstria
Main Article: The History of Greater Hulstria

Early History
From roughly 800-1493 the lands which currently make Greater Hulstria were part of the Domains of the Gishotoi, a loosly associated set of feudal fiefdoms and nomad homelands under the titular rule of an Emperor who was the head of whichever Gishotoi tribe was most powerful at the time. Little of this period remains as only a few nobles and religious figures were able to write and many Gishotoi lived a nomadic life. What few permament settlements were constructed were mostly destroyed by colonists in later years.

The Colonial Period
Modern Greater Hulstria started in 1493 when Sir Christopher Dove, a Luthori Admiral landed in Dovani and claimed the land of Greater Hulstria for the Holy Luthori Empire. The Luthori lands on the continent were divded into 10 colonies. The colonies quickly gre in size as people from across the world sought a new life in the new world with promises of an easy life and an escape form the past.

Post Dark Period
In 2193 Greater Hulstria was rebuilt after 100 years in chaos called the Great Dark Period as the new Republic of Gishoto, Gishoto being a compromise between the Hulstrians and Gishotoi, before the new government renamed the nation the Holy Gishoton Empire and made Klaus Gustav III the first Lutheran Emperor of Gishoto to the opposition of the Shinto Gishotoi and the new Communist party.

Gishoto
This situation remained for many years until the 2240s when many of the parties and traditional institutions of the state started to crumble. This culminated in the revolution of 2245-48 when the Communist Party of Gishoto destroyed the Lutheran based Empire and created the People's Socialist Republic of Gishoto a new secular communist state.

Soon after the revolution though the Imperial Hulstrian Party resurged threatening to stop the revolution until they collapsed under the suppression and popular support of the Communists. The Communist State was secured by Successive Governments led by three differing communist parties, The Communist Party of Gishoto, The Intellectual Revolution Party and the Christian Communist Party the latter taking power in 2272 increasing nationalisation of industry but reversing the unpopular secularism, bringing back the Lutheran church as a dominant power in the state.

Following this Second Revolution democracy blosomed in Gishoto with several new parties being created. This growth of democracy ended the dominance of one or two parties for extended periods, as had previously been the norm, and allowed the return of capitalist and royalist parties. The end of the Communist era was confirmed in 2309 when the Saints Alliance took the Presidency and the Refuge Pressure Party the Supreme Soviet. The parties in the Central Diet Diet could be easily split in to, the liberals on one side and the Hulstrians and Gishotoi on the other. The latter have been in power for many years.

Following the collapse of the GSPP, the Imperial Hulstrian Party was left as the only conservative party. Battles between the outnumbered, IHP Diet Members and the Left Wing Coalition raged in the Central Diet. In 2371, the RPP disbanded to return to Dranland. Shortly there after, thousands of refugees from Kalistan entered Gishoto. Unlike the Welsh before them, these refugees were welcomed by Hulstrians as they were very supportive of the return of the monarchy and a return to Hulstrian domination. From this warm feeling the Hulstrian Nationalist Party was born, headed by former leaders of the Conservative Party of Kalistan. The HNP is the first Hulstrian Party besides the IHP to enter the national political arena in decades. Shortly after the entrance of the HNP, the inactive Saints Alliance collapsed. The IHP and HNP formed a majority coalition, and regan restoring Hulstria. The HNP began a plan of racial segegration, called Apartheid, dividing the nation into 3 ethnic groups, White, Colored, and Gishotoi. Shortly after Apartheid was pushed through the Anti-Nazi Party collapsed.

Return of Hulstria
Following Apartheid, the IHP introduced a massive constituional overhaul that return Gishoto to its historic name of Hulstria, and restored the old Hulstrian Monarchy. Following the unanimous passing of the bill in the Central Diet, Rudolph Rothingren-Traugott was coronated Kaiser Rudolph III, Emperor of Hulstria. This restored the House of Rothingren-Traugott to the throne.

Modern Greater Hulstria
Following the restoration of the Imperial Dynasty to the throne, the Imperial Hulstrian Party, the majority of whose party leaders were comprized of the Strauss Family and other high level noble families, dissolved due to lack of leadership with the restoration of the Imperial Court. in April 2381, the Christian Communist Party resurfaced and attempted to overthrow the government and install a second Communist Regime. It failed with the reestablishment of the IHP and the creation of several new monarchist parties and the rebirht of the United Democrats of Gishoto as the United Democrats of Hulistra. The Royalist parties have all banded together and formed the Purple Coalition, name for the color that symbolizes the Hulstrian Imperial Family. On June 17th, 2396, Rudolph III, died of complications from Rapid Onset Alzheimers, his son Rainer assumed the throne and was coronated Emperor Rainer IV of Hulstria. With the fall of the United Democrats in 2399, the conservative partys of Hulstira once again gained total control of the Imperial Diet.

Government & Politics
Greater Hulstria is a Traditional Monarchy divided into five regions called Crownlands, with most of the power resting in the centralized government. The elected Legislative body is the unicameral Imperial Diet (formerly the Central Diet and formerly before that the Supreme Soviet), the Head of State is a Hereditary Monarch, the Kaiser, and is always from the Rothingren-Traugott Family. The Kaiser is vested with some executive power. The Cabinet is appointed by the Imperial Diet and led by a separate official, the Prime Minister.

Hulstrian Holidays
Christmas

December 25th Christmas is celebrated in Gishoto in very traditional ways. Families gather Christmas Eve for tradition Christmas Eve dinner consisting of roast goose, mashed potatoes, and all the fixins. Christmas morning the children often awake very early to see what the Weihnachtsmann(Santa Claus) has brought them. They wake up their parents and rush down to see their presents under the Christmas Tree. Later in the day families travel to a relative's house for Christmas Dinner. Of course the reason for Christmas is the birth of Jesus Christ, and many families attend church either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day or both.

Easter

Varies according to Church Calender Easter is also celebrated in the tradition fashion. The "Easter Bunny" hides plastic eggs in the family's yard. The family goes to church and once they return the children begin to hunt for the eggs. Often children are also giving Easter Baskets filled with candy by relatives. After the fun and games, families go to Easter Dinner at another family member's house. The dinner can consist of anythung but generally centers around a Ham.

Hulstria Day

July 23rd Hulstria Day is the most Patriotic Day of the year. On it people hold picnics, pool parties, parades, and barbeques. Once the sun goes down fireworks light up the sky and often run continueusly from dust to dawn the next morning.

Remembrance Day

December 26th Remembrance Day is the day after Christmas. It use to be a normal day, however after the Christmas Day Bombings it became one of the most solomon days of the year. It was picked as the day to remember the bombings by the Imperial Government because they very well couldn't make Christmas the national day of remembrance. Many people spend the entire day in Church.

Gao-Showa Festivals
Satsuba

The Satsuba celebrations occur at the begining of each season. The festival starts with a visit to temples where priests throw edible charms to the gathered crowd. Prayers are said and the charms used to cast the spirits accumulated over the season from the home to allow the spirits of the new season to enter. The charms are then eaten whilst facing the compass direction associated with the season.

To-Ban

To-Bon is celebrated from mid July to mid August and largely concerns the veneration of the dead. The way this is observed varys from region to region but most areas celebrate in the evening with a festival of the local community with usual fairground attractions. This is generally followed in the evening with fireworks displays and stargazing at which large amounts of alcohol are consumed.

Omshoki

Omshoki is the festival of the new year and these days happens between the 31st of December and the 1st of January. On the 31st families will meet at their clan shrine to take part in new years chanting and prayers with the temple priests. At midnight a bell is rung and the people return home for the night. Over the 1st of January extended families will meet for a feast and play card games. Gifts are often exchanged.

Sports
Due to Gishoto's sub-artic climate and long winters, winter sports are popular. This is shown in the nation's national sport, curling, which originated in the nation and is a highly popular pastime amongst nearly all people in Gishoto. Other highly popular sports include Ice Hockey and Skiing. Gishoto has a temperate climate during the late spring, summer and early autumn and during these months many people play rugby and football, whilst winter sports continue at indoor facilities during the off season. In recent years Baseball has become a popular amateur sport especially in urban areas.

Religion
Stats on Religion


 * Christianity: 78%
 * Lutheran: 60%
 * Catholic: 16%
 * Other: 2%
 * Shintoism: 14%
 * Buddhism: 5%
 * Islam: 1%
 * Atheist/Non-Religious/Other: 1%

(1% is left to error)

Geography and Climate


As a country in the far north of Terra Greater Hulstria is quite a cool country and in Winter temperatures or generally below freezing causing impressive snow storms. During the summer however the climate is pleasant with the south of the country often becoming quite warm due to the ocean currents bringing warm water up from the equator.

The coastal republics of Budenlar and Kuratha are quite flat with the land slowly rising from the coast into the rolling hills of the interior. Further inland the states of Hulstria and Mitrania are dominated by picturesque mountains that are snow capped all year round. Most cities are in the foothills to the west of the republics with the east being dominated by the Brelag Mountain range, too steep in many cases to build on or farm. The socialist republic of Hilgar lies on the other side of the Barrier mountain range and flattens out into the Great North Dovanian Plain, which is where many of the native Gishitoi now live.

Economy
Greater Hulstria is a heavily industrialised state with much of the population living in major conurbations. Following independence industrialisation was rapid with the economy switching from a mainly subsistence agricultural society to one based on the production of metals from Greater Hulstria's abundant ores in the mountains. Greater Hulstria has a huge steel and aluminium industry and also produces some copper and gold.

The abundance of metals allowed Greater Hulstria to build up an impressive automobile industry and is also a big producer of many forms of transportation with shipyards on the coast and companies producing passenger and military aircraft. There is also a growing financial centre based aroufnt he capital Kien

Demographics
The population of Greater Hulstria has traditionally been divided easily into two major groups, the Caucasian Hulstrians who colonised the area and now dominate and the Gishotoi, native Asiatics in the east who hold the traditional Shinto beliefs. In recent years, especially during the apartheid era, however two new groups have formed, coloured who are ussually non white immigrants and some natives other than the Gishotoi (Welsh and Shinjalans)and mixed people who have anscestry coming from one or more of the pervious groups. Within the last few years with the end of apartheid official records of race have been ended making exact figures but the general trend has been has been for around 66% of the population to describe themselves as mainly Hulstrians and 20% of the population being Gishotoi with the remainder being from other groups. Over the nations history all religions other than Lutheranism have been repeatedly repressed, a situation which has returned with the latest revival of Christian Communism in the nation.