Prosperity Solstice

Prosperity solstice is a beloved yearly holiday which takes place on the longest day in the month of Prosperity the last month of the year and the last month of Aer- the wet and warm season. prosperity soltice is to celebrate the ending of the year and the birth of the next one it is a season for clinging to the last dredges of the warm weather, and a time in which people are invited to reflect on the year past and plan anew for the coming seasons. It is a seaon of indulgence where gifts are exchanged and work is paused. Prosperity Eve is seen as such a sacred day that not even the Brotherhood of Tarn walks the land but instead chooses to all paladins and scribes home for celebration in the form of reflective meditation and prayer deep within the halls of The Keep.    

Food and Drink

on the day of the solstice families and communities dine together cooking elaborate dishs and using up the spices and dried food they have saved throughout the year. Wine casks are brought up from storage for excess indulgence along with bottles of a traditional fortified wine called Poet- made from fermented Pearlberry, this is incredibly rich and drank in small amounts, customs dictate that on only a single cup of poet is to be poured at a time but this cup is to be passed around the the table for everyone to partake in sips. Drinking poet gives one a heady rush due to it's high alcohol content. It causes the tongue to pleasantly tingle and to turn a healthy shade of pink. Common savoury foods made include eel simmered in stock and wine, minced meat pies, roasted and glazed boar meat and posset. Common desserts include sugared Pearlberry, rose puddings, chestnut tarts and sweet breads.  

Entertainment

commonly in the Major Cities a city-wide tornement is held for both mellee fighting and jousting as well as various games. This becomes the pride and joy of Zentawen the capital city which showcases elaborate displays of athletic prowess holding high stakes games involving chariot racing as well as throwing, archery and sparring. Small tornements are held throughout the year as they are an enthusiasm of King Arvid the games held on Prosperity Eve are unique in that the melee and weapons tornement have divisions that are open to anyone so nobles, knights and commoners may all compete. Some regard this to be an excessive in futility as often the knights win anyway.  

The Absolution

Another important tradition is that of the annual absolution- a time when the current king, King Arvid sorts through a list of criminals and determines a number to be given a chance to repent for their crimes and absolved of wrongdoing. This must be of non-magic crimes and is often a point of contention among nobles. On this day crowds gather in the town square to catch glimpses of the absolved. They are marched through the town in clean white robes and brought onto a platform. They then beseech the people of the crowd for forgiveness and are branded with the seal of absolution- a coiled snake motif. A prisoner does not have to take absolution and doing so is a double edges sword- it does enable someone to be absolved- which would let them free from prison or erase their debt, but the branding carries a hefty social stigma that never fades.  

Communal Reception

The Prosperity solstice is an important hallmark of any citizens year, it is at its core a time to make merry to connect with friends and family and to soak up as much sunlight as possible. The morning of the solstice is always lit up with the sound of music playing from homes and laughter, its a time when people meander in the street and the sound of laughter and song can be heard.