Easter Holiday; April 12 2020
Happy Easter to all y’all who care to celebrate this day!
I’m having an extremely rough week, so I’m not in a celebratory mood. However, I’m happy to seize this opportunity to talk about something fun: holidays!
One of my favourite parts of building a fantasy world is figuring out what they celebrate and how. In Kanae’s world of Qistedei, they separate the year into two seasons: Sun season and Moon season. The cold months belong to the realm of the Sun, since that’s when temperatures are mildest; the hot months are for the Moon, because it’s mildest at night.
From there, I came up with the following celebrations!
Holidays during the Sun Season:
Flayaon, festival of fire. Happens on the coldest day of the year. Bonfires are lit and sustained by those of Fire. To symbolize creating anew, gold trinkets or coins are tossed into fires and melted down, and goldsmiths reshape them into new objects. A hot, sweet drink of cassia is served. Preserved or dried flowers are woven into hair.
The Festival of Blooms. When flowers start budding, one particular plant (qifong) tends to grow first; it is harvested and smoked ceremonially in the late afternoon. At night, a dance is held in the streets.
Celebration of Children. The Ornaments (priestesses of the demigods) are charged with watching the children during the day, and games are played. Parents bring enormous platters of food in the morning with their kids. While the Ornaments tend to the children (and adults who are pregnant or just not up for it), parents spend special quality time together.
Holidays during the Moon Season:
The Month of Blessed Births. Occurs 9 months after the Celebration of Children. Babies born in this month are supposedly more likely to survive their Telling (a process in which a child’s magic is determined). Children receive a sort of advent calendar and get a special treat once per day, candy or toys. They also make decorations/charms to put up through the month. Women eat particularly well during this month, while the men fast throughout the day.
Oshuen, the festival of water. Happens on the hottest day of the year. Before dawn, people soak the blankets they used during the Sun Season and hang them to dry throughout the day. The rest of the day is dedicated to rest. At night, community swimming/bathing is encouraged.
Minor holidays throughout the year occur, dedicated to each of the Elements. Street closures are common, food stands are put up, and displays are put on.
Those are the holidays of Qistedei! Which one would be your favourite to celebrate?