With the year galloping towards its end and various celebrations being
held all over the world, I decided to do a worldbuilding post about some of
Airthai’s festivals, focusing on those relating to the Sundering.
For a brilliant podcast about holidays in fiction – and especially in
fictional worlds, I highly recommend listening to this one by the team ofWriting Excuses.
With the Sundering being such a big part of the history of Airthai, there
are various festivals across the lands of Airthai which in some way commemorate
this event.
The most
wide-spread festivals or days which are commemorated at the time at which the Sundering
happened, which touched everyone on Airthai. The Coastal Peoples have, for
the most part, the most or the longest festivals that has to do with
the Sundering. Different days are added or removed depending on what had
happened during the Sundering in that specific part of the
world.
Festivals of
the Sundering in the Eastern Lands
In the Eastern Lands some of the biggest festivals are held by the Saerímavolk and their neighbours and are set around the events of the Sundering and the events thereafter. The Saerímavolk holds the Festival of the Sundering at the end of summer every year. This festival incorporates the following: the Day of Sundering, the Night of Fire, the Week of the Lost and the Day of Thanks.
The Feast of the Sundering
In the Eastern Lands some of the biggest festivals are held by the Saerímavolk and their neighbours and are set around the events of the Sundering and the events thereafter. The Saerímavolk holds the Festival of the Sundering at the end of summer every year. This festival incorporates the following: the Day of Sundering, the Night of Fire, the Week of the Lost and the Day of Thanks.
The Feast of the Sundering
The Feast of the Sundering is made up of four
different holidays, starting with the Day of Sundering. The fourth month of the
year, when the plants slowly recede and lose their leaves, is a month which
includes a week of fasting - known as The Week of the Lost
as the loss of the Sundered Lands
to the Shadow is remembered. The month ends with a great feast on the Day of Thanks to give thanks that the Continent was saved through the Sundering.
The Day of
Sundering
The Day of Sundering is commemorated in the third
month of the year, at the end of summer, on the day before the full moon. On
this day a fest is eaten and the beaches are readied for the Night of Fire.
The Night of
Fire
The Night of
Fire was the night on which the Flotaferan attacked the coast of the Eastern Lands after the Sundering. The Night of
Fire is commemorated every year at the first new moon after The Day
of Sundering, at the end of summer. This night is commemorated by the lighting
of bonfires on the beaches and has come to include mock battles and feasting,
where the first nights were held in austerity, recounting the tales of
the Sundering around fires on the beaches over a simple meal.
The Week of the Lost
The Week of the
Lost is held during the week after the Night of Fire. During this week people
fast to commemorate the loss of Sundered Lands as well as those who still live there.
Day of Thanks
The Day of
Thanks is the last day of the Festival of the Sundering, where thanks
are given that the Continent was spared the Shadow of the Sundered Lands. On this day the week-long fast is broken and a
feast is held to end the Feast of the Sundering.
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| The Lands of Airthai before the Sundering |
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| The Continent and the Sundered Lands after the Sundering |
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