Season of Blooms

"May Lord Kalico lead us to another fruitful harvest."

— Part of an Arja prayer to the Flora Dragon

  In the latter half of the year, the Arja people celebrate the Season of Blooms. It is a month-long event that occurs during the second dry season of the year. The Season of Blooms celebrates two events in the community - the coming-of-age of a young Arjani and a successful harvest. Most of the celebrations happen in Veskuaga, the native country of the Arja.  

Coming of Age

When an Arjani blooms, the flower on top of their head starts to grow and open. It can take a long time, usually over a week, for the flower to fully open towards the sun. During this time, Arja tend to isolate themselves during this time and stay in one place as their flower grows. They call this process "rooting".   Once their petals are open, it is said that an Arjani has bloomed, and they are now an adult. Growing up is celebrated in Arja culture as the next stage of their life has begun. But blooming is often a tiring process, so the Arja incorporated rest and recovery into their original celebrations. This gave rise to what is now called the Season of Blooms.  

The Feasts

"The celebrations usually involve a lot of food. After all, food is essential for a good recovery. The whiskey is a gift from friends."

— Ezra Kashani, scribe of the Academy of Naskaya

  To give energy back to the newly-formed adults, there are a lot of feasts and parties. At the start of the dry season, the Arja will collect the freshest produce and preserve them in time for the celebrations. The families of the bloomed Arjani prepare dishes using the fresh produce, while the community creates whiskeys of all sorts as a gift to the families. The whiskey is also flavoured with fresh fruit.   Once the preparations are made, the parties are held in Veskuaga, mainly its parks or in the streets. Although some people still prefer to celebrate within their own homes. Prayers are said before the celebrations begin. The actual feasting lasts for a week, and takes place at the end of the season.  

History

The Season of Blooms comes from an old tradition now lost to time. Oral stories say that the people would collect the first fruits of a good harvest and set it aside. This would be given back to the community in the form of meals, as a celebration for another successful harvest. The people would pray to the Flora Dragon to thank him for the harvest. So the early iterations celebrated the hard work people did in agriculture. Over time, the Arja merged the coming-of-age traditions with their harvest celebrations to form the Season of Blooms.   The original celebrations were very quiet and peaceful, to avoid drawing the attention of the Elves nearby. During the Age of Triumph, relations between the two were unfriendly at best. But by the time of the Ice Age, relations had improved, and the Arja could celebrate openly and with happiness. In turn, they opened up their celebrations to locals and travellers, making it an anticipated event throughout the Jade Rainforest.