Chrysanthemum Festival

Choyo no Sekku, or Chrysanthemum Festival Winter Court: Kyuden Seppun, p. 66 was a Rokugani holiday that took place on the sixth day of the first month of Summer, celebrating the day that the Kami were believed to have fallen to the earth. Though the actual festival lasted only one day, for eight straight days, four before the festival and three after, all labor stopped. Not even the peasants took up their tools, making this one of the most popular celebrations of the year. Rokugan Campaign Setting, p. 122
== Customs ==
People chose a tree and sat under it, meditating, eating nothing and drinking only water. Great favor was bestowed to the one who sat under the first falling chrysanthemums. Roleplaying in the Emerald Empire, p. 231 The Chrysanthemum was the symbol of the Hantei Dynasty, representing their ties to the Sun Goddess and Hantei's position as pre-eminent among all the Kami. Since the fall of the Hantei Dynasty it had lost some of its importance. Masters of Magic, p. 156
== Chrysanthemum Petal Lake ==
In the midpoint of the festival the Emperor himself visited the Chrysanthemum Petal Lake, to renew his connection to the Celestial Heavens with a silent prayer. The prayer ended with the Emperor removing a snow-white petal from the lake's surface. Legend held that such a petal could heal the sick or mend terrible wounds if consumed by one of Imperial blood. Secrets of the Unicorn, p. 30
== Shadowlands ==
Four days after the end of the Chrysanthemum Festival, the minions of the Shadowlands had historically created an enormous bonfire that could be seen from the Kaiu Wall, and performed foul and bloody rituals in honor of their dark master, Fu Leng. Captives would be tossed into the fire as sacrifices to his power. The Rokugani believed they were celebrating the 
day that Fu leng would rise from his Festering Pit and steal the power or the Imperial House. Winter Court: Kyuden Seppun, p. 67 On that day, the peasants of Rokugan bolted their doors for fear of evil spirits. Masters of Magic, p. 148
== Festival of New Blood ==
More recently, the tainted samurai of the City of the Lost had started celebrating their own festival on the same days as the Chrysanthemum Festival, the Festival of New Blood. Secrets of the Shadowlands p. 6
== Renewed Grandeur ==
After the fall of the Hantei Dynasty, the Chrysanthemum Festival's status became
more uncertain. The Toturi Dynasty continued the festival, expanding it to a general celebration of the reign of both the Hantei and the Toturi Emperors. After the extinction of the Toturi the status of the festival was in doubt, but the ascension
of the Iweko restored its spirit and grandeur. Emerald Empire; Fourth Edition, p. 204
== External Links ==
* Chrysanthemum Festival (Imperial)
Category:Festivals
Category:Articles with Pictures