Festivals

The pulsing heartbeat of the Dom are its many festivals. For a people that praise artistic and athletic accomplishments, it is on festival days when the hard-trained get the chance to test their prowess against others and prove their efforts were worth it. Or their efforts were not enough.  

The Calendar

The Festivals are intrinsically linked with the calendar of the Dom, which consists of 12 months with 30 or 31 days each. Only three months possess the extra day. Each week is 6 days; 5 for working, one for rest. After 2 weeks, a three day Full moon period -- often called "bright days" -- are ripe for celebration, merriment, and relaxation. This is the most common time for festivals, especially important ones or ones celebrated in all towns across the Dom of Raone.   After the full moon phase is over, another 2 weeks occur, officially ending the month. Three days between months, often called "lost days", "dark days", etc. are when the New Moon occurs and doesn not shine its light at night. A lot of Raonens are supersticious about these times. Some refuse to work their fields or leave their home at night. Some simply use them as much needed downtimes of rest. Others rejoice in the rejuvenation and see them as times to go within, praying, meditating, and/or fasting.   The Calendar begins with spring in the month of Adonis, meaning "new dawn", and occurs around the time when the first flowers bloom before all the snow has melted.   The months in order (along with our real life equivalent month are listed below.   Spring   Adonis (mar) "new dawn" (first blooming of cold spring flowers)   Flaxmon (apr) "month of flax" (first planting of flax crops)   Bloomon (may) "spring blooms" (full spring. fields of flowers in bloom)   Summer   Sunemon (jun) "bright sun" (beginning of summer, days getting longer)   Pelor's Moon (jul) (month dedicated to the God Pelor, deity of the Sun, fire, hope, play, happiness, war and strength. Longest days.)   Frumon (aug) "fruit harvest" (best time for fruit harvesting)   Fall   Turnmon (sept) "change" (weather changes begin to cool, days begin to become noticeably shorter)   Autmon (oct) "autumn" (called the month of "warm and cool", winds change the weather in the valley, leaves turn colors)   Gondmon (nov) "gourd moon" (squash harvest. pumpkin flavor everything)   Winter   Alemon (dec) "ale moon" (with the last hop harvest, the first batches of ale and cider are ready)   Seluna's Moon (jan) (month dedicated to the goddess of the moon. Deity of secrets, shadows, enchantment, knowledge, patience, and peace. Shortest days.)   Meltmon (feb) "melt moon" (the ending that brings a new beginning. first melting of snow and ice.)    

Dom-wide Festivals

  Many of the larger festivals occur in all towns in the Dom and these all occur during the "bright days" of the full moon period. All towns participate, though it's not uncommon for each town put a little flavor on how they celebrate. They all celebrate the idea/theme, but one town may put on different events to celebrate it.   Adonis -- New Year Festival   With the first full moon of the year brings hope of life returning after death, of new growth emerging from the sleepy snow and icy mountains. This is the festival of dancing, bringing out the last of stored grains and adding with it the new winter berries found wild all over the Dom. Some towns have dancing competitions, food contests for the best incorporation of winter berries, and drinking competitions.   Flaxmon -- Crown Celebration   To honor the current Crown, a festival is held each year since the death of the late Crown Alethera the Gentle, who was poisoned and died in the colder winter months. To celebrate that not happening this past winter, the towns show their thanks for their current crown. In the capital, Elaria, A parade featuring the current Crown is held. All other towns usually have a representaion of the current Crown, either by a living townsperson who resembles them, a statue, or temporarily constructed statue. Even if you aren't the biggest fan of the Crown, it's a good reason to party anyway.   Bloomon -- Festival of Flowers   With spring in full swing, all the colors come out. Things have finally thawed and people are feeling flirty and showing off the brighter clothing they own or had made. Each town celebrates a bit differently, but anywhere you go, the young ladies of the town perform what is called the "bloom dance", in response the young men of the town perform their version. It is generally seen by mothers as the perfect time to begin to find eligible marriage partners for their now grown kids.   Sunemon -- Festival of the Sun   A celebration of the beginning of summer, each town celebrates differently from the next. Carmela holds their first Praon race of the season, The Praon Open. The large town of Sol goes all out, decorating and preparing every open space in the town for different types of celebrating (drinking, dancing, music, racing, and competitions for everything imaginable).   Pelor's Moon -- Pelor Festival   At the height of summer arrives the Pelor Festival. Even those who don't religiously worship the deity join in the festivities. Tourneys and competions draw warriors, archers, strongmen, racers, and dashers to the larger festivals. Watching the tourneys is its own sport, though some people prefer to relax and enjoy the warmth of the sun, a cold drink, and lively music. Keylara sports their boat races during this month, Carmela hosts the Grand Praon Races, and Greenbanks is famous for their River Barrel Racing.   Frumon -- Festival of Fruits   Another celebration that is honored differently in different towns, mainly due to the locality of fruit crops grown in the area. For small rural towns with one or two crops, they typically feature food contests with the featured fruit. For large cities, fruit from all over is carted in and sold in a variety of forms from fresh to preserved, jammed, jellied, custards, and pies. For towns with little to no fruit crop, the them may be slightly altered to feature their local resource like Keylara which has no local major fruit crop, but has fish a plenty, celebrates a Fish Festival instead.   Turnmon -- the many festivals of change   As the fun of summer winds down and focus on major harvests begin, change is in the air. Many describe it as a melancholy time as summer tournaments and races wrap up and serves as a reminder that winter, though not near, is not that far away. The festivals around this time vary widely from town to town. Some continue tourneys and competitions. The final races on the Grand Praon track in Carmela take place during this month. While some towns simply recognize the change in activities and begin preparations for the winter months.   The capital, Elaria, celebrates this months festival differently by embracing change and innovation with the Festival of Invention. Those interesting in interesting technology or applications of magic come to Elaria to see new and exciting spectacles.   Autmon -- Fall Harvest Festivals and AutFest   The melancholy spirit washed away with the full change of the leaves and the first of fall crops ready for harvest. People are typically in more cheerful spirits about the changes, celebrating with baking contests, harvest and crop fairs, and the famous AutFest, celebrating the first small bathces of ales, lagers, and beers of all kinds. The largest festival for the Brewer's United Association. In cities and towns with prominent membership in the assocoation, either a second simultaneous festival occurs, or the AutFest is the main focus of the festival of the month.   Gondmon -- Gourd Festival   The largest harvests of all gourds and squashes, towns find themselves overwhelmed with pumpkins, butter squashes, and other gourds galore. Food contests yet again represent the best bakers and cooks sporting their best pies, stews, and preserves. During the new moon "lost days" of this month, another festival takes place at night in some towns. Called the Walk of the Dead, emptied gourds are often carved into faces and candles light them from within and townsfolk dress in the old clothes of former loved ones, as a way to remember their lives. Followers of Selune celebrate the Winter Moon Festival on these dark days, welcoming the winter and the cold, in order to make way for new life.   Alemon -- Festival of the Horn   If you liked AutFest, then the Festival of the Horn is probably your favorite festival. AutFest is considered a warmup to this festival, which overtakes entire towns and it's joked that many babes are conceived around this time. Newlyweds are especially honored and gifted entire kegs of ale from the festival.   Seluna's Moon -- Seluna Festival/Festival of the Moon   For the followers/worshippers of the goddess Seluna/Selene/Sehanine, this is the biggest festival of the year. For everyone else, it is the only festival during the full moon days that occurs at night only. Begging at Dusk or moonrise (depends on the town), the festival is a magical time of masquarades, mazes, scavenger hunts, and puzzles. Those who enjoy competitions of the mind watch or participate in chess, riddle showdowns, and mysteries.   Meltmon -- Ice Festival   This months marks the coldest and shortest days, and near the end of the month, shows the first sign of melting in the valley. In between snowstorms, icestorms and bearing the cold, the people gather at the height of the day (hopefully during the full moon period, but not always) to play, race, and compete in some physical activity. Ice sculpture contests, snow drake scultping, warm cider and stories by the fire enliven locals during the winter time.