Time: Pirtuni

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The Pirtunian population is mixed religiously and has a mainly Western outlook. The country follows the Gregorian calendar and has four defined seasons. Pirtunians view time as a resource in which to accomplish a given task, more so than other countries in the region.

Key Dates, Time Periods or Events

The geographic region that comprises modern-day Pirtuni has been known by many names, under numerous occupying countries over the past 500 years. Pirtuni first became a country in its own right in 1918 following World War One.

During the 20th century Pirtuni was under Donovia’s shadow, always playing second fiddle, with Donovia as the major power-broker. While it retained its identity, its independence was limited. During this period there were many allegations of asset-stripping of Pirtunian national interests, which culminated in the Four Traitors incident in Donovia 20 years ago. This provided the impetus for Pirtuni to exert its autonomy and reinvigorate its Constitution, which detailed the rights and freedoms of the people. The official adoption date of the latest constitution was 19 years ago on 30 June. This date is significant to the population of Pirtuni, which sees it as the date when the country was re-born. Large-scale celebrations take place around the country, though participation is less within some of the eastern provinces.

Routine, Cyclical Key Dates

Traditional Wedding Seasons

There is no traditional wedding season in Pirtuni, although the month of May is usually avoided as it is considered bad luck. Wedding celebrations vary in length depending on the religion of the persons marrying. Christian celebrations can often last days and take place across several locations. The Muslim minority will not marry during Ramadan or other religious periods.

National and Religious Holidays

Pirtuni uses the Gregorian calendar and follows Christian religious holidays for the most part. The Muslim population in the country observes its own religious holidays, which is tolerated by the government. Constitution Day is the largest celebration in Pirtuni, with the country coming to a standstill on 30 June. The Christmas holiday is on 7 January in accordance with the Orthodox Church celebration.

Pirtunian Holidays
Holiday	Date	Description	Military Implications
New Year’s Day	1–3 January	Three-day celebration of New Year
Orthodox Christmas Day	7 January	Christmas Day
International Women's Day	8 March	Celebration of Women
Labor Day(s)	1–2 May	Beginning of Spring
Orthodox Pentecost	1 June	Memorializes the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles of Jesus Christ
Constitution Day	30 June	Adoption of Pirtunian Constitution	Leave period

If a holiday falls on a weekend it is observed on the following Monday, with the notable exception of Constitution Day.

Harvest Cycles

Pirtunian Sunflowers

Pirtuni produces a range of agricultural products that are harvested from July to November; the majority are harvested between August and September. In recent years farmers have switched production from traditional grains, such as wheat and barley, to sunflowers, which have a lower production cost but demand a higher price on the international market.

Elections

Pirtuni has a democratic constitution that provides for Presidential elections, which occur at five-year intervals. The next scheduled election is due to be held in two years’ time. Parliamentary and provincial council elections are held every four years and do not correspond with the presidential elections. The next Parliamentary and provincial elections are due to be held in three years.

Cultural Perception of Time

The regional perspective of time shown by the Pirtunians is one where time exists as an entity and it moves in a forward direction. Importantly and ever-so-slightly different to the US view is that the movement comes from behind and brings a history with it; therefore the future is shaped in part by what has gone before.

Pirtunians take time commitments such as deadlines and schedules with varying degrees of seriousness. A concept described as European efficiency resonates with certain parts of the population; they take the promptness of strangers extremely seriously, and being late or generally tardy in one’s actions can frustrate people easily. This is juxtaposed by a minority in the country who view the personal relationship or the nature of the business as more important than the timeframe within which it takes place.

Note should be taken regarding Pirtuni’s diverse history. The 100 or so years since Pirtuni came into existence is seen as a blink of an eye; the people are fiercely nationalistic in a similar fashion to the US. Any reference to Donovian influence or Pirtunian history prior to the 20th Century should be avoided, as it is likely to evoke a negative response in much the same way as US citizens react to references of British colonialism.

Tactical Exploitation of Time

Regional Perception of Time

Although the remainder of the region has a somewhat lax attitude to time by Western standards, Pirtuni certainly leans towards a structured perception of timekeeping. It has been suggested that this is a conscious attempt to distance itself from its Donovian neighbor. As such, the more Eastern, Donovian-friendly provinces tend to err toward that country’s perception of time.

US Perception of Time

The Pirtunian perception of time is much more aligned to that of the US than other countries in the region, such as Donovia. This should enable business to be conducted on a more Western footing, potentially paving the way to close working relationships. Military training has migrated to a much more European and Western style; this will enable US forces to synchronize military efforts with those of Pirtuni. Conversely, Pirtuni could easily exploit its knowledge of the US perception of time to gain an insight into the US’ OODA loop (observe, orient, decide, and act) and exploit it were the country to be the aggressor.

Summary

For the most part, other countries in the region view time differently than the US. However, Pirtunians perceive time as an asset with which to achieve their goals; this is in contrast to many other countries in the region where time is seen as something in which events take place and is only a fluid construct. An understanding of the contrasting perception of time and time management will be an asset to building relations between the US and Pirtuni, as well as an opportunity for exploitation when dealing with other powerbrokers in the region.

The Pirtunian sense of national pride and identity should not be underestimated; Constitution Day is seen as a celebration of the re-birth of the country as much as the US celebration of Independence Day.