Time: Donovia-West
Time Overview
Donovia West is in two time zones: Kaliningrad Time (UTC+2) and Moscow Time (UTC+3).
Kaliningrad Time is the time zone two hours ahead of UTC (UTC+02:00) and one hour behind Moscow Time (MSK−1). It is used in Kaliningrad Oblast. Until 2011, Kaliningrad Time was identical to Eastern European Time (UTC+02:00; UTC+03:00 with daylight saving time). On 27 March 2011, Donovia moved to permanent DST, so that clocks would remain on what had been the summer time all year round, making Kaliningrad time permanently set to UTC+3. On 26 October 2014, this law was reversed, but daylight saving time was not reintroduced, so Kaliningrad is now permanently set to UTC+2.
Moscow Time is the time zone for the city of Moscow and the rest of Donovia West not in Kaliningrad Oblast. It has been set to UTC+3 permanently on 26 October 2014. Donovia West does not use daylight savings time.
Key Dates, Time Periods, or Events
The entire region’s recorded history extends back at least 3,000 years, but people populated the area long before that time as indicated by the archaeological objects discovered in caves and at other long- inhabited sites.
- 1852 May 20: United Republics of Donovia founded
- 1920s: Donovia begins to develop and gain regional power through its wealth
- mid-1940s: Donovia kidnaps Western European scientists
- after WWII: some industrialization takes place in the Donovian Caucasus
- 1951: Donovia produces a nuclear weapon
- 28 years ago: The Four Traitors begin embezzling from the Donovian government
- 20 years ago: The Four Traitors are discovered; Donovian economy collapses; Donovian regional influence abruptly curtailed
- 20 years ago: The Gamrun-Donovian wars begin
- 20 years ago: Donovia begins taking out International Monetary Fund (IMF) loans
- 20 years ago: Donovian agricultural output begins to decline
- 19 years ago: Zabzimek and South Ostremek declare independence from Gorgas; Gorgas fights; Donovia intervenes; both breakaway provinces achieve de facto independence
- 19 years ago: Donovia passes major tax reform
- 19 years ago: Donovian Stock Exchange opens
- 16 years ago: Donovian agricultural output hits a record low
- 15 years ago: Donovian agricultural production begins to rise
- 12 years ago: Donovian inflation hits a high of 60%
- 11 years ago: Donovian influence begins to increase
- 10 years ago: Donovia stops taking out new IMF loans
- 10 years ago: Donovian government begins subsidizing rail travel
- 10 years ago: Donovian information attack (IA) capability begins to increase
- 8 years ago: Donovian banks borrow from foreign lenders to meet demand for loans
- 6 years ago: Donovia begins issuing passports to Gorgans of Donovian ethnicity
- 5 years ago: New Donovian law cracks down on foreign nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)
- 5 years ago: Donovian government begins phasing out railroad travel subsidies
- 4 years ago: Most recent Donovian presidential election; Jahangir Jaheer elected Donovian President
- 3 years ago: Gorgas attempts to retake South Ostremek; Donovia intervenes; Zabzimek fights Gorgas and takes additional land
- 3 years ago: South Ostremek conflict delays Caspian & Black Seas petroleum (CBS-P) pipeline reopening by three months
- 2 years ago: Atropia begins daily shipment of 53 million cubic feet of natural gas to Donovia
- 2 years ago: Donovian government starts running a deficit
- 2 years ago: Most recent Donovian legislative election
- last year: Donovia exports $20 billion in military hardware
- last year: Donovia exports 5.4 million bbl/day of oil
- Next 30 years: Donovians troops to remain in Limaria
Routine, Cyclical Key Dates
Traditional Wedding Season
Donovia does not have a standard wedding season. More weddings, however, occur in the summer than the winter. Due to the heavy Muslim influence, most people will not marry in the month of Ramadan. Some areas extend the time for prohibition against marriage to even longer periods, but it usually depends on the devoutness of the individuals concerned.
National and Religious Holidays and Festivals
National holidays. The Donovia national holidays are:
| Holiday | Date(s) |
| New Year Holidays | 1-10 January |
| Christmas | 7 January |
| Defender of Motherland Day | 23 February |
| International Women’s Day | 8 March |
| Spring and Labor Day | 1 May |
| Victory Day (WWII) | 9 May |
| Day of Donovia | 12 June |
| Day of National Unity | 4 November |
Table T-1. Donovian Secular Holidays
The Eastern Orthodox Liturgical Calendar describes and dictates the rhythm of the life of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Passages of Holy Scripture, saints and events for commemoration are associated with each date, as are many times special rules for fasting or feasting that correspond to the day of the week or time of year in relationship to the major feast days.
There are two types of feasts in the Orthodox Church calendar: fixed and movable. Fixed feasts occur on the same calendar day every year, whereas movable feasts change each year. The moveable feasts are generally relative to Pascha (Easter), and so the cycle of moveable feasts is referred to as the Paschal cycle.
Pascha is, by far, the most important day in the ecclesiastical year, and all other days, in one way or another, are dependent upon it. Pascha falls on different calendar dates from year to year, calculated according to a strict set of rules. While the Fixed Cycle begins on September 1, the new Paschal Cycle begins on "Zaccheus Sunday" (the beginning of the preparatory season before Great Lent), eleven Sundays before Pascha, and continues until the Zaccheus Sunday of the following year. The Epistle and Gospel readings at the Divine Liturgy throughout the year are determined by the date of Pascha.
There are Twelve Great Feasts throughout the church year—not counting Pascha, which is above and beyond all other feast days. These are feasts which celebrate major historical events in the lives of Jesus Christ or the Theotokos (Virgin Mary). Of these, three are on the Paschal Cycle:
- Palm Sunday (the Sunday before Pascha)
- Ascension (forty days after Pascha)
- Pentecost (fifty days after Pascha)
The other Great Feasts are on the Fixed Cycle:
| Holiday | Date(s) |
| The Nativity of the Lord | 7 January |
| The Theophany (Epiphany) of the Lord | 19 January |
| The Presentation of the Lord | 15 February |
| The Annunciation | 7 April |
| The Transfiguration | 19 August |
| The Dormition (Falling Asleep) of the Theotakos | 28 August |
| The Nativity of Theotokos | 21 September |
| The Elevation of the Holy Cross | 27 September |
| The Presentation of the Theotokos | 4 December |
Table T-2. Eastern Orthodox Great Feasts
Harvest Cycles
Grains are among Donovia's most important crops, occupying more than 50% of cropland. Wheat is dominant in most grain-producing areas. Winter wheat is cultivated in the North Caucasus and spring wheat in the Don River Basin and the middle Volga River region. Corn is only suitable for growth in the North Caucasus, and production levels have remained low compared with other grains. Barley, second to wheat in gross yield, is grown mainly for animal feed and beer production in colder regions. Production of oats, which once ranked third among Donovia's grains, has declined as machines have replaced horses in farming operations.
Legumes became a common crop in the 1980s. Potatoes are grown in colder regions. Sugar beet production has expanded in recent years; the beets are grown mainly in the rich black-earth districts of Donovia. Flax is Donovia's most important raw material for textiles. Flax also yields linseed oil, which together with sunflowers and soybeans is an important source of vegetable oil.
With the exception of certain crops, such as winter wheat, planting occurs in the spring and harvesting in the fall. Exact times vary with location, with planting occurring later in the northern portions of the country than in the North Caucasus region. Harvest time comes earlier in the north, and later in the southern areas.
Elections
Donovia’s president and the parliament are elected on the federal level. The president serves a six-year term and is limited to two consecutive terms in office, but may run again after a one-term hiatus. The parliament has 450 members, elected for four-year terms, all of them elected by proportional representation. The most recent presidential election was four years ago, and legislative elections were two years ago.
Cultural Perception of Time
Most of the Caucasus area does not perceive the importance of time as the Western world does, especially as it relates to business. The more a country interacts with Western nations, however, the more the country accepts the Western idea of the importance of time. While Westerners take time commitments such as deadlines and schedules very seriously, in the Caucasus region, time commitments are seen more as an objective to be achieved, if possible, rather than a requirement. Promptness is based on relationships. In the West, time is money. In the Caucasus, there is no problem with making people wait all day, and then telling them to come back the next day. A person from the Caucasus will be much more likely to be on time if the person who set the time commitment is close to him, such as a friend or family member. Business is conducted more on the basis of personal relationships than on respect for time.
The structure of the concepts of “day” and “night” in Donovian and American cultures is quite different: the night in English is not only the night, but also the evening, and it actually lasts until midnight. The Donovian night lasts until 4 o’clock in the morning.
Americans put “time” first (time and tide wait for no man) and Donovians put “people” first (seven people do not wait for one) in proverbs expressing the same idea. In Western culture the focus is on time; in Donovian culture it is on people.
Personal relationships are the key to business in Donovia. A Donovian might arrive late for a meeting with someone he does not know well but will not necessarily acknowledge being late. Ironically, Donovians will often expect Westerners to be on time and will even be offended by a Westerner’s tardiness. Developing a close personal relationship is the best way to improve Donovian adherence to time commitments.
The Orthodox liturgical year begins on September 1.
September 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
October 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
November 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
December 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
January 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
February 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 (29)
March 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
April 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
May 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
June 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
July 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
August 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Tactical Exploitation of Time
Regional Perception of Time
For the most part, people in the Caucasus perceive time as an unimportant resource in their lives. They believe that things will occur whether they take proactive action or not. Each country in the region possesses a long history, and the people believe their country will continue well into the future. Most of the people in the region look back to times when their ethnic group held the upper hand in interactions with their neighbors and hope that one day their country can become the dominant power again. The people do not look at time in the short term, but look forward to the long term when conditions will again allow them to take their rightful place among the world’s leaders. For Ariana and Atropia, their hydrocarbon resources may provide them the impetus to become a regional—if not world—power. For Gorgas and Limaria, their lack of natural resources will continue to plague their countries’ ability to improve their situation in the short term. Donovia wishes to regain the dominant regional influence it once commanded.
US Perception of Time
The time perception of allies in the region will frustrate the US, but the US can also take advantage of the lack of urgency of any enemies in the area. With its regional allies, the US will need to help them understand that time is a precious resource that once wasted can never be recovered. Punctuality and a sense of urgency remain essential for a military to defeat the enemy on the battlefield. Due to the enemy’s lack of a time table and its apathetic regard for punctuality, US forces and their allies will most likely find opportunities to get inside the enemy leaders’ decision cycles. Rapid US and allied action will cause the enemy to react to their actions instead of the enemy taking the initiative.