Inzisana - Sunfestival
Gold Winner by CoolG
Daily the three sun goddesses move their path across the heaven's vault and let the land of fire shine in their light. In the morning, the childlike goddess of the rising sun, Ngidi, is born from the Balaykala volcano in the east and ascends to the sky. By midday the girl grows into the goddess of the midday sun, Tukwatiya. In the evening, the goddess will return as the setting sun Banyulu in the west in the Lamnyasahni volcano into the maw of the volcanic kingdom to fuel the underworld. The spectacle was repeated for thousands of years and the Layikani enjoyed the radiance of their goddesses. But there were dark creatures in the depths of the heavens who loathed the light of the goddess and wanted to destroy them. The celestial lion Kwuri also moved through the universe with a flaming mane and a long tail of fire and tried to catch up with the goddess again and again on her way, but he never succeeded. The sun goddess was too clever for the monster and was always able to escape him. Thousands more years passed and the lion's fire tail was repeatedly spotted by the Layikani on the vault at regular intervals, without the fire walkers becoming aware of the existing danger. In the millennia without any success, the lion searched for an ally to kill the goddess and found one in an inconspicuous male firewalker who also despised the sun and the power it had over the continent. The Sky Lion recognized the Layikani's greed and his hunger to dominate Layida, and so he instilled further hatred and a cunning into his ear, which germinated like a seed in the Firewalker, as if it had been his own thought. The firewalker went to Balaykala and from then on accompanied the sun goddesses on their daily journey. He told them a lot about his country and life on Layida. When the goddess visited the underworld overnight, he waited patiently for her return to repeat the journey with her the next day. The Layikani presented the sun with small gifts that he had collected on the journey and Tukwatiya gradually fell in love with the fire walker. When the Goddess of the Midday Sun reached her zenith, she united with him in complete ecstasy and finally, Kwuri was able to snap and swallow the sun and her lover forever.The people of Layida saw the lion's fiery tail and its bloated belly, which was streaked with bright red glowing stripes. Kuri digested his meal and lay down to rest. The Layikani, however, sought out the oracle of Esawi and sought his advice. The oracle recommended building a huge tower that reached into the sky. The Layikani were supposed to light the pile of wood and add special ingredients to the fire, which the oracle presented them in a vessel. The Layikani followed the instructions and as they added the ingredients to the fire, the flames of the fire formed an ethereal essence and clouded Kwuri's head. The flames fought with the lion until the monster spat out the eaten sun and fled into the vastness of the heavens. Tukwatiya regained her beauty and was able to continue her travels."Legend of the Eaten Sun"-Sleeping Kwuri Lion by Blue Fairy 74
Origin
In the middle of the 5th month of the Layidian Solar Calendar solar calendar , numerous Inzisana - sun festivals take place on the Fire Continent, which are reminiscent of the "Legend of the Eaten Sun" - a myth that the Layikani have been telling since the 6th millennium BEC.
The legend is retold every year by erecting sun towers that are lit after sunset and kept burning until sunrise. The burning of the stack symbolizes the sun being eaten and the victory over the monster Kwuri.
Before the celebrations
A week before the festivities, the Toasomu - Master of Ashes - begin building sun towers up to 30 meters high on the large festival grounds of the cities and towns. The larger the city, the larger the structures usually are.
The towers are made of long trunks of baonyia, a fast-growing hardwood that has a particularly long burning time. The trunks are cut along the length, which further slows down the burning. This ensures that the fire does not go out during the twelve-hour night.
A straw doll depicting the sleeping Kwuri lion is placed on top of the tower. If the doll falls from the tower before it is lit, the Layikani consider this a bad omen, which is why they tie up the lion several times.
The Burning Tower
The festival itself always takes place on the 20th and 21st of Tukwamtu, which are considered public holidays in Layida and end with fireworks made from the ashes of the previous year. On the 20th of Tukwamtu, the residents of the towns and communities gather in the festival grounds around the stacked tower.
A priestess of the Safambi Order consecrates the wood by using a rod made of Njabu branches to distribute a few splashes of Siya oil and throwing four different colored salts into it at each of the four cardinal points. She then lights the pile, the flames quickly flaring up and rising to the sky.
Initially, spark worms appear here and there, escaping into the sky and setting off small, harmless fireworks. They exude the balsamic-sweet and spicy-warm scent of the oil, which lasts about half an hour and has a calming effect on the guests.
During the fire, the festival is accompanied by light Layikani songs, which consist of a mixture of cheerful folk songs and Layikan gospels.
The burning Tower by Blue Fairy 74
Glowing Dances
Dance over glowing coals by Blue Fairy 74
The next day, when the fire has gone out, the ash masters pour some of the glowing coals into long, shallow braziers. The smaller part is used for fireplaces in the festival complex.
To honor the sun goddess, the women of the Layikani run, or rather dance, over the glowing coals. Many women fast for a few days before the festival in order to complete the fire dance in a deeper trance and meditation. The length of the run varies and is not tied to any fixed rules. Rhythmic music serves as inspiration to accompany the dance over the fire. The women always come up with very special dance steps in order to be cheered on by the crowd.
Sun Festival Specialties
While the women dance over the glowing coals, the men are responsible for the guests' food, which is prepared at the various fireplaces. In small communities, the preparation of mainly traditional dishes is very family-oriented. In the big cities, on the other hand, food is increasingly being offered for a fee by trained cooks who prepare different dishes at stalls.
Regardless of whether the Sun Festival is celebrated traditionally or commercially, there are dishes that are very popular. These include various kwuri grill torches, sweet waffle skewers and kwurilion bug soup. Drinks include fire punch and various crazy Eddian coffee and cocoa creations.
by Blue Fairy 74
Kwurilion Fire Soup
This soup is made from the meat of chicken-sized meat bugs kept on farms throughout Layida. Depending on the region, there are also different vegetables such as sulfur cloves, kabuso, okra, fire cabbage, lingar beets and keana.
The soup tastes sweet with a slight fragrant spice. The aroma can be varied using different dried herbs. For this purpose, the chefs usually provide small bowls with the herbs for festival visitors, who can then put together their own mixture and add it to their soup.
“Could you also replace the meat bugs?”
"Yes, but then it wouldn't be real Kwurilion Fire Soup anymore!"
"This is so delicious! I'll have another one right away."
Eddian flame cocoa
Layikani would describe flame cocoa as a dessert rather than a drink, as it is a very creamy, thicker cocoa made from red-skinned beans. This variety has a cinnamon-malty base note.
The beans are ground and dissolved in a little hot water. Then you add some prickly pear schnapps and light the drink.
by Blue Fairy 74
Preparations for next year
When the festival is over and the coals have burned out, the ash masters collect the remaining ashes and bring them to their workshops. They use most of the fireworks to produce the fireworks for next year's Sunfire Festival.
They add different color pigments to the smaller remaining part and mix everything together. The ashes are then pressed under high pressure into various crystals, which are then sold to dealers or jewelers. After processing, the jewelry is mainly sold as good luck charms. The Layikani believe that the ash created from a sunfire has been blessed by the sun goddess herself and protects the wearer. Maybe you'll be lucky enough to buy one of these talismans at one of the annual Sunfire Festivals?
Lucky Charms by Blue Fairy 74
Under Layikanis
"You should have seen the priestess in her robe! She looked like the sun goddess herself in her radiant gown. It was so beautiful! And the ceremony! She stood there full of grace and lit the fire. But the best part were the little flying sparks that gave off a wonderful sweet scent. Some said it smelled bad. But I thought it smelled like the magic of a warm night."14 year old from Zimunyia -
"Come on, hurry up! Otherwise we won't get any of the Kwurilion fire soup again. Last year, the queue at "Yami's Sun Kitchen" was meters long and when it was finally my turn, I could only get a grill torch. People descended on the stand like locusts! The best soup is only available at “Yamis”. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water!”Dancer of the Pilanitebos-
"Every year they put on the same theater. The smelly, dirty smoke in the air that makes it hard to breathe. The flying sparks that eat at least a hole in my clothes every year and the loud music with the exuberant mood of the people, as if there was no tomorrow! Why can't someone try to set this monster on fire a few days beforehand? That would be a spectacle!"anonymous resident-
Incredible article! The story is tied beautifully to the burning tower ritual. And as usual lots of nice details, like the oily scent of the fireworks producing calming effects. Add to that your rich artwork.... you really are a gem!
"It's like reading TvTropes" -- Kroww
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Aww this such a great compliment, thank you soo much. This means a lot :).