Calendar and Festivals

After the Vaen left the mainland
during the First Darkrider Incursion, the
dimmed and died out as people had more important things to do than maintain
their belief system, such as fighting to keep themselves alive. The Calendar
was changed not long after the conflict was resolved and its current form is
credited to the Chume’taly astronomer He’charn Clan L’trusha.

The
old Festival days remain, but the reason for celebrating has changed as have
many of the methods of doing so.

## Festivals

New
Year 03: Feast of the Hunt

This day is celebrated largely the
same way as Tem’leyshu’s festival was with a large hunt, banquet, and games.
Traditional food is anything that was killed during the hunt, generally a large
deer.

Heartmatch
07: Day of the Lovers

This has become a day for couples to
celebrate their love. It’s not uncommon for people to marry on this day, nor is
it uncommon for new couples to form. Celebrated by the giving gifts and the
singing of songs. Traditional food for this day is sparkling cider from Forzen
Cove and small pastries, usually filled with a sweet cream or fruit.

Thaw
05: First Planting

This is the most important day for
farmers across Keverynn as it is the day when the first crops of the year are
planted. It’s considered bad luck for it to be over cast on this day. There is
no real traditional food on this day, but many people eat a dish called Chovall
as it’s the most common and basic fare.  It
is a pie made of vegetables, gravy, and whatever meat they happen to have
available. While Chovall is considered a ‘poor man’s food’, even the wealthy
have been known to eat Chovall on this day though the quality of the dish is
much greater than the common man can afford to make.

Newgreen
11: Children’s Day

The day for children is celebrated
by parties, kite flying, and games. It is customary for children to go door to
door and be given small treats and sweets. There are parts of this day that are
different for boys and for girls. With boys, it is traditional to eat Achamann
(buns filled with a spicy bean paste) and Komalai (steamed duck wrapped in oak
leaves). Boys fly kites that they have made themselves. These are usually
shaped like shields and dragons. Girls traditionally eat dishes made with
cherries as this is the month when cherries come into season as well as
Adefoyen (diamond shaped pastry stuffed with vegetables, similar to a spring
roll). Cherries are the herald of spring as well as a symbol of courage. The
Cherry blossoms are symbols of feminine beauty and are a prevalent decoration
in the homes of young girls. There is a unique drink made of cherries that is
consumed during this festival called Tanebon. It has a sweet, almost syrupy
quality to it and is a little bubbly.

Boys aged 5, 9, and 14 and girls
aged 6, 10, and 15 are given special gifts on this day to celebrate those
milestones in their lives.

Flowerbloom
23: Parade of the Flowers

A few days before the festival, the
Flower Maid and the Green Man are selected and together they preside over the
coming festivities.

This day is celebrated by decorating
wagons with flowers and parading them through the streets of the town, city, or
village as part of a contest. Prizes vary from place to place. Tuarel has the
most impressive displays to be found on Keverynn. There are also flower
arranging contests. It is a common activity to pack a picnic lunch and sit in
the public gardens simply relaxing and enjoying the day.

Longdays
19: Midnight Sun

A day for late night picnics and
outdoor parties as this is the longest day of the year.

Dragonhatch
25: Day of the Dragon

While hatchings occur throughout the
entire month, many hatchings do occur on this day. Dragons hatched on this day
are considered lucky. Celebrated largely by flying dragon kites, displays of
fancy flying by riderless dragons, aerial combat displays by the dragonriders,
and eating food shaped like dragons.

Hotdays
31: Star Festival

If the skies are clear, most folk
gather outside of town to look at the stars. There is a meteor shower that
occurs on this night nearly every year. It is bad fortune to not see one as it
signifies a bad winter. A long shower is indicative of a milder winter to come.
Star shaped pastries are typically eaten.

LeafFall
10: Harvest Faire

This is a day to celebrate the
fruits of the field. Usually marked by handiwork, cooking, baking, and art
competitions as well as pot luck banquets that feature the foods from the
competitions.

Chilldays
08:

This day marks the beginning of
winter in the northern regions as snow often begins to fall around this time.
All the fields are bare now and many people are nearly done storing up for the
coming winter.

In the far south, they are planting
their second crop of the year as the weather permits. In Me’chu’, they are in the middle of
harvesting the forest bounty or nuts and berries.

It is common to spend the day
engaging in outdoor activities and games. Horse racing is especially popular
and this day marks the last race of the year.

Deathsleep
12:

This is the shortest day of the
year. By now, the northern parts of Keverynn are buried in snow. The afternoon
is spent judging ice sculpture contests and ski races. Children build Snow
Demons to scare away any monsters that may want to come calling in the dark.
The evenings are spent inside burning candles in the windows and at least one
stick of birch wood in the fireplace. Wealthier families have fires entirely of
birch wood. A traditional white cake is eaten on this day topped with
raspberries in some form.

Whitecold
31: Last Day

The last day of the year is marked
by people gathering in the village or town square. A bonfire is built of Rowan,
oak, ash, and birch wood. People write down regrets and sins of the past year
and wishes for the new year and burn them on the fire.

This is also the day for cleaning
the house to be rid of the clutter and bad things from the last year. It helps
to start the new one off with a clean slate, as it were. Sprigs of cornflower,
dogbane, and clover are tied above the door for the coming of new things, keeping
threats away, and fortune.