Blessing of Fertility

When the twinsoul refugees arrived in Thormalk they were accepted by the farmers who were already there. This is when the Blessing of Fertility became a formalized ritual. The immigrants brought knowledge from outside the secluded plains regarding the rest of the world and some of the mysteries. On the morning of the twenty-third of FásNua they gathered near the mountain spring of Tanner to collect the water in buckets. These buckets of water were taken back to their home villages and sprinkled over the fields.

The ritual incorporated dancing along with the water gathering. This allowed the young children to participate while also keeping them out from underfoot during the sprinkling ceremony.

The culling of older animals began this year causing the ritual to be extended into the evening hours by adding a feast. Winter foods were used up so the cellars could be prepared for the new crops to come.

The ribbon pole was added to the ritual here. This was for the teens to become more involved in the ritual. They would dance around the pole with a ribbon in their hand, interweaving it around the pole in an over under pattern. At the end the teens would be up against the pole facing a member of the opposite gender and kiss them. It was rumoured that with the ending of the dance they would be facing their future partner. The participation in the ribbon pole was voluntary with the knowledge that there would be a kiss. In about thirty percent of the participants they did end up with their partner. For some the kiss showed them they were not interested in the opposite gender. Still in others the sight of the person in front of them caused jealousy, as in feeling it wasn't fair. They wished to be wearing the clothes of the person they faced.

In the year 1176 oto the Blessing of Fertility has taken its most recent iteration. It starts in the early morning with people heading to the mountain spring with pails in hand. As the sun comes, up a bucket line is created, with the person at the headwaters collecting water and sending the bucket down the line, then taking the next bucket and filling it. This is repeated until all the buckets are filled. Those who have travelled the furthest to get to the spring are the first to leave with full buckets.

At dawn in the towns, the ribbon pole is erected and the roasting pits are dug. The farmers are out in their fields planting the crops in preparation for the water to come. Some towns preform the ritual later in the week as it takes that much longer for the water to travel from the mountain to the town.

The celebration and rituals last all day. The children have their dances and games including the greased pig chase. At noon there is a potluck lunch, then the festivities continue with the ribbon pole dances for the teens, while the adults are preparing the feast. Cattle and mutton are slow cooked in the roasting pits dug earlier in the day. Once the water arrives in the town, the villagers each take a scoop of water and head out to the fields to sprinkle it over the freshly planted crops. After the feast, the roasting pits become bonfire sites, where singing and dancing continues late into the evening. During the evening festivities, couples will sneak off to the fields in order to enjoy some private activities in harmony with the fertility blessings.

Many children are conceived on this night. Unmarried couples who conceive a child during these festivities are married once the pregnancy is verified. The children conceived during the Blessing of Fertility are considered to be blessed in many ways.