Splendoura

== Overview ==
A Splendoura was a traditional Chaestish gathering, typically summoned in a noble court or village centre, which was held to mark an occasion through festivities of dance and consumption of wines. Splendouras always included a band of musicians who would play upbeat songs which invited joyous dancing. Attendants were encouraged to dance together and sample the available Chaestish wines between turns of dancing; the dancers getting more inebriated as the tempo of the songs would increase. The subject matter of the songs usually consisted of drinking wine and spinning until one loses consciousness. Bright and colourful flowers were synonymous with the joyous nature of the celebrations and became a significant part of its tradition - adorning both male and female attendants. 
It was customary in the Chaestlands to particularly celebrate a child's fifteenth birthday as they entered adulthood by the kingdom's cultural standards. Modest splendouras were held in towns and villages to commemorate the birthdays of multiple adolescents, and noble houses would host extravagant splendouras to celebrate their children's coming of age; the rite of passage also gave way for considerations of political marriages for these new adults. 
Splendouras were not only significant in the Chaestlands culturally, but also in regards to diplomacy. They were often held by noble houses, such as House Grenthyx, to mark the end of negotiations or to encourage diplomatic activity between houses. It was theorised by scholars foreign to the Chaestlands that the events were on occasion held to facilitate espionage, if at least merely due to the presence and heavy consumption of alcohol, rendering participants easier targets for extracting secret information. 
Category:Festivals
Category:Events
Category:Culture