Fire Nation colonial village

This Fire Nation colonial villageAvatar: The Last Airbender—The Art of the Animated Series, page 68. was located in the northwestern Earth Kingdom. Despite being a relatively small settlement, the village was a renowned cultural center during the colonial era, hosting the popular Fire Days Festival every year. Along with other newer Fire Nation colonies, it was disbanded after the Hundred Year War.
== History ==
While journeying to the Northern Water Tribe, Team Avatar briefly visited this village to learn more about firebending and Fire Nation culture. They secretly participated in a nighttime festival, disguising themselves with dark clothing and masks. However, their cover was blown when Aang used airbending to protect Katara from an aggressive magic act, which he mistakenly thought was a firebending attack. They were forced to flee and, with the help of Chey, were able to escape pursuit from a large battalion of armed guards. As they flew away on Appa, a few fireworks were set off and a pillar was accidentally lit on fire, which the festival crowd mistook as a decorative touch to mark a special event.
Shortly thereafter, Admiral Zhao came to the village in order to discuss the whereabouts of the Avatar. A guard captain told him the direction in which he had fled and also informed him of the festival's crime rates, which had been significantly below average.
== Description ==
This colonial village was surrounded on all sides by hills and an expansive forest, through which a small river runs. A wooden, rectangular wall separated the forest from the town. The settlement was accessible via a single gate at the front entrance.
A place known for its beautiful cultural events, the village was filled with grandiose and brilliantly extravagant architecture. The settlement's landmark buildings were the three pagodas located at its center. The central pagoda was the largest, while the two identical ones to its sides were smaller. They were all three stories tall and had a yellow exterior with slanted black rooftops. Other smaller but similarly-designed structures surrounded the pagodas. The buildings were all centered around a wide and spacious square, at which many of the town's paved stone streets culminated. Several facilities and shops were based in and around the square, allowing it to thrive as a bustling commercial and social center.
Many fancy arches, lamps, and wooden houses were found elsewhere around the village. They were made to look aesthetically pleasing and were often heavily decorated. The houses all had multiple windows, yellow sides, and blue rooftops covered with shingles. Each house had a single door that faces in the direction of the main road. Houses were surrounded on all other sides by dark, unpaved alleyways that had little to feature.
== Fire Days Festival ==
The main cultural event of the village, the Fire Days Festival, attracted Fire Nation citizens from across all the colonies. A government-sponsored traveling group brought mainland Fire Nation culture to the colonists and usually stayed at the village for a few weeks. One common tradition was to wear masks at the festival, which were freely given out at the community's many street side stalls. Another was to give paper dragons as gifts of good fortune. Free food was also served, including flaming fire flakes. People could watch or partake in numerous events and activities at the festival, such as puppetry, magic acts, dragon dancing, juggling, and firework light shows. A number of these festivities were violent or exposed poignant issues in society, which was deliberately done to indoctrinate the colony's inhabitants and express Fire Nation ideals.
People of all ages, and even some off-duty soldiers, attended the festival. Many decorations were put up across the village for the merriment, including a large red pillar that was placed at the center of the market square. Guards served duty during the festival to subdue crime and ensure the safety of all civilians.
== Notable figures ==
* Guard captain
* Malu
== Trivia ==
* The Fire Days Festival is analogous to the Chinese New Year celebrations, as both festivities feature lion dances, firework shows, and puppetry.
* The fire-breathing puppets are similar to those used at street theaters in the Chinese province of Sichuan.
== References ==
== See also ==
* Fire Nation colonies
de:Stadt des Feuerfestivals
es:Aldea colonial de la Nación del Fuego
fr:Village colonial de la Nation du Feu
Category:A to Z
Category:Earth Kingdom
Category:Fire Nation
Category:Locations
Category:Settlements