Kalistani Major History

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New Empress is Crowned
Kalistan welcomes newlywedded couple with celebration and festivities
Kaliburg, Ananto
July 26, 5253


Emperor William I Ananto and Empress Rivière stand for National Anthem at Kaliburg National Stadium following the Coronation Ceremony at the National Assembly

Today Emperor William I Ananto and Empress Rivière were officially married. The ceremony and subsequent coronation were both low key events which finished up around noon. The wedding took place at the Kalisan Annual Meetinghouse in Kaliburg, and was attended by members of the House of Ananto, including Duke George Carrangus of Suldanor and Grand Duchess of Kalistan Marlene Fredricksson, both of whom are cousins of the Emperor, as well as Rivière's parents Queen Eugenie and Prince Consort Francois, both of Lourenne and her siblings.

The wedding Meeting was deliberately kept simple and small in the Brethrenist tradition, and was mostly silent, save when guests were moved to speak well wishes and hopes for the new couple. Following this silent worship, William and Rivière both stood and spoke quietly to one another, exchanging the affirmations that they would remain together as a family, love and care for each other for the rest of their lives, seek help when it was needed, and celebrate when the mood took them. William presented Rivière with a small ring as a token of his affection and then Rivière presented William with a floral wreath, most likely at his request (it is widely believed that the Emperor will not wear jewelry of any kind), which he wore for the rest of the ceremony. The Clerk of the Yearly Meeting then closed the Meeting with a moment of silence and invited all guests present to sign the Marriage certificate as witnesses, thereby solemnizing the marriage. The Clerk presented the formalized Wedding Certificate to the Emperor and Empress to display in their home, following Brethrenist Tradition.

Following the early morning ceremony, the wedding party relocated to the National Assembly Upper House chambers, where in the presence of the Emperor, all marriage guests and the Prince of the Crown Tommaso Asahi and Miss Rebecca Antuono from Istalia, who represent the Emperor Nicola Allesandro II of Istalia, who were seated in the gallery, the Premier of Kalistan and leader of the Institutionalist Party, Miriam Newburg, read aloud the Coronation Proclamation passed unanimously in the National Assembly, acknowledging Rivière to be the new Empress of Ananto and Kalistan, vesting in her the sovereignty and co-equal authority with William. This preserves the tradition of the last three monarchs, who co-ruled with their spouses as equal partners in Administration of the Empire. The Premier then read an edict naming the new Empress Countess of Eveari in addition to her title as Empress of Ananto and Kalistan, and formalizing her station as Heir Apparent to the Throne. While the coronation event was very somber, it was followed by effusive applause, as Kalistan welcomed its new Empress.

Gnarly Fam plays at Ellysia Amphitheater at the concert sponsored by ODEN-K

At around 1pm, the newlywedded couple arrived at the National Stadium to watch an exhibition baseball game between the Kaliburg Republicans and the Eshar Pirates. Kaliburg won the game 6-5, with Republicans slugger Brad Fog hitting the game ending RBI in the bottom of the 9th Inning. "This is certainly an exciting and confusing sport," Empress Rivière commented when asked about her impression of the ball game. "I had to have Bill explain the rules to me again, and I then had to translate to my family. That was a little challenge, and we all had fun trying to figure out how to put the Luthori into Canrillaise. We also had the hot dog. I will not eat too many of those I imagine." Following the game, the royal couple retired to the Royal Apartments on the Mall, for a rest, while the remainder of the Wedding Party went on a sight seeing tour of the Capital.

Meanwhile, festivities kicked off across Kaliburg, starting with Live music shows at Red Woods Amphitheater outside of Ellysia, and parties downtown Kaliburg. The Red Woods concert featured rock band The Surfboards from Sulari and hip hop veterans Gnarly Fam It was free and open to all, and was sponsored by ODEN-K. More than 7500 people attended the concert, and also took in the cool redwood shaded nature trails that line the Ellysia Creek around which the Park is built.

The Lolla Street Party, to celebrate the Royal Wedding and Coronation of the Empress, was attended by more than 50,000 people as well as the Empress and Emperor

The Downtown Street Party began in Lolla, Kaliburg later in the afternoon, and was by far more well attended. More than 50,000 citizens of Kaliburg and Ananto came to the street fair, which featured free food, drink, and recreational chemicals. Live music was also on showcase in Lolla, with 18 rock, hiphop, reggae, and RF bands playing minisets in quick succession. Most businesses in the neighborhood had Party specials, and the event was tremendous fun for all. The Emperor and Empress attended the Lolla event as well, and for the most part dodged cameras by spending their time talking to people and having a lot of fun. The Emperor and Empress were accompanied by the Istalian Crown Prince Tommasso and Ms. Antuono, as well as Empress Rivière's siblings, Prince Phillipe and Princess Louise of Lourenne.

Emperor William flies solo, while Empress Rivière plays social butterfly and meets Kalistani well wishers who came out to celebrate the coronation

"We got to meet the Emperor and Empress," said denizens Gina Smith and Willa King. "The Empress was super nice. She signed an autograph and asked us about where we were from and everything. She barely speaks Vrassan, but her accent was to die for! We just love her and want to say Welcome to Kalistan! WOOOO!" Other partiers commented on the music. "It is always a great thing to hear live music in Kaliburg," said fan Lori Bluestein. "My favorite band that I saw tonight was Yes, the RF group from Kaliburg. We saw them a few months ago on a smaller stage. But seeing them with 50 thousand people all jumping around and having a great time was a totally different experience.

The celebrations lasted long into the night, even though both the Emperor and Empress retired at around 11pm. Other (younger) members of the Lourennais and Istalian royal families remained out and about, going to different parties in the Capitol and generally fraternizing with the Kalistani crowd. The visiting royals reportedly enjoyed being incognito, which is a rare privilege that they are seldom afforded at home. Celebrations also broke out across the Empire to honor the coronation, with a huge concert in Downtown Sulari headlined by the hard rock band Firestarter and a massive fireworks display over Eshar Harbor. In Port Swedes, local RF Funk band Mothership headlined a rave which also featured double sets from local DJs, including Frannie Jones, DJ Hammar, and Chocolate. The nation has not seen a multi city celebration on this level for years, and Kalistanis were generally happy to let their hair down and party.

Ravers at the Swedeport Jam, the RF celebration held to honor the Coronation of Empress Rivière

The remaining itinerary for the royal visits, beginning tomorrow is relocation to the Ananto Estate in Eveari, and then excursions around Ananto and the Mainland, including visits to see the progress on the new port facilities at Luxon, visiting Kalistan's movie industry and ARC Records in Sulari, taking in music shows up the mainland coast from Yoshimi to Port Swedes, and visiting ski resorts in Neveras. The visiting dignitaries are expected to remain in country for about two weeks, and are free to come and go within the Empire as they please. Following the departure of friends and family in early July, the Emperor and Empress will get back to administration of the Empire. The Emperor and Empress are expected to visit the Ananto family villa in Istalia in October for a month, honeymooning in House Ananto's adopted home away from home