Al'terra (Calendar)

## Calendar and Days

The calendar consists of 360 days, and 9 months composing of 40 days each (Lli, Kensi, Ji, Ashi, Ri, Tuni, Cheshi, and Yi in that order, 5 times in a row for those 40 days)

Drassinj – First month of the year: new years day marks the first day of fall though temperature are still mildly summer like

Marim –Second month of the year: a month completely shrouded in fall which is cooler

Catarrim – Third month of the year: typically coolest, considered to be a winter month

Chutim – Fourth month of the year, the second winter that slowly grows warmer

Rhasim – Fifth month of the year, a spring month that becomes warm rather quickly

Makusla – Sixth month of the year, the second spring month with temperatures greatly increasing

Farim – Seventh month of the year, the first summer month which is the coolest

Shanelim – Eighth month of the year, a very warm summer month

Kalamal – Ninth and last month of the year, the last month of summer

 Birthdays

The birthday in Al'terra is not marked in the same way that we would take note of such a thing - with parties and gifts and things - but in a rather more quiet and dignified manner. A typical birthday would involve giving the recipient a cup of tea, formal or informal, and a book. Some books go with certain ages: The Laws and History of Al'terra at age 16, The Gilied at age 20, and Readings of Eastern Shores at age 30

## Holidays

Adulting - 40th of Kalamel is the adult naming ceremony, graduation as it is usually called.

By tradition, the first day of the week is local market day - where regular stores, merchants, and vendors all set up in streets in a central part of a city, diverting any non-foot traffic.

Temple day - Third day of the week (Ji), not especially sacred so much as a cultural reminder as to the importance of the Nine.

Arkut Memory - 7th of Drassinj, a day of remembrance of the first priest and prophet of the Nine

Summer Entrance - 10th of Farim, a national parade marking the first day of summer with a huge parade through the cradle, and other locales.

The Chen Varen Vestical - 15th of Makusla, is a huge dance festival held around the country. No one is required to work and every style of dance is held, for the whole day.

Great libraries have their own celebrations

Anniversary of Literacy - 10th of Marim, a national book day, celebrating the enlightenment that Al'terra has being able to read. Books are traded and gifted enthusiastically between people, sometimes as grand gestures, but often as loving (and useful) tokens. This is the BIGGEST celebration of the year - typically involves a big book exchange in the street where all books are wrapped anonymously and rushed for in chaos. There us a parade of authors, there are signings, there are lectures, a huge day dedicated to the knowledge that makes Al'terra superior. There us auctioning and buying and selling of books

the Day of Vice and Virtue - 33rd of Rhasim, a temple day where people ritualistically make penance for their actions at temple, as well as to others

Celebration of the first King and Queen as a great victory in Al'terra - 17th of Chutim, a festival of the Rhioss, of all the power and political prowess honoured with the tales.

Peace day - 28th of Catarrim, always a cold day, a national day of sober remembrance for wars, deaths, and victories. This day is observed even when the country is at war.

Festival of the Birth of the Sun - 22th of Rhasim, a morning celebrating the birth of the sun, hence the gold on all its flags. Thousands of red candles are lit in honour, words are chanted, people greet each other with the traditional 'may the sun greet you again!'

The Descendence - 35th for Shanelim, a worship day of the Nine, huge for Santilliums, praise and gifts to all staff there, visions and prophecies are told and retold. Traditionally you would buy incence and burn it for 24hr, rang red and gold in the house.

Spring Remembrance - 30th of Chutim, a long standing tradition that the day or days before the turn of spring, people would fast to remember how dependent they are on the land to provide, There is then a small feast from the remains of the winter stores as morning meal for the day.

Purity - 5th of Catarrim, what started as a ritualised holiday some thousand years ago regarding the purity of the Pride bloodline, and the celebration of it by parading the purist of all the humans (vs cat blend) amongst the common people, instead the regular Al'terrians took it as a day to enjoy good and mock, publicly, their government. This has, over time, become a holiday that involves making public critiques against the Pride over food, there are taken back to the Rhioss, while the Pride doesn't celebrate it at all. No one even knows why it's called Purity anymore and misattribute it to keeping the government's words pure!