Irenaia

When the first Irenaia was observed is unknown, but according to tradition, the ritual began in the aftermath of a famine in the distant history of Orochtha. In its earliest conception, the Irenaia was a brief and simple rite involving a sacrifice to the gods which was then followed by the High Moradeikon entreating the Athai to protect the crops, and keep the people from going hungry. Surviving accounts suggest that this rite was undertaken privately, or at most in the presence of other clergymen at the Great Temple to the Athai in the Holy City of Athaios.   Over the years, the ritual grew, both in scope and in significance. What began as an intimate benediction eventually became a public day of solemnity, and not long thereafter, a public holiday. The timbre of the Irenaia also gradually changed from intimate and somber to communal and exultant. Although the sacrifice and entreaty to the Athai remained an aspect of the celebration, the focus of the Irenaia was shifted to the feast and the merry-making that would eventually become the holiday's staples. On this day, more than any other, the inhabitants of Orochtha are encouraged to be loud, uninhibited, and joyful, as the belief was that the sound of the noise and the jubilation would drive away the malevolent spirits that would have threatened the harvest and the winter food stores.   The tone of the Irenaia changed again in the years leading up to the Wealth Wars, and especially as the tensions between the natives and the outsiders rose. In some places, those observing the rite prayed for peace; in others, they prayed for the strength to turn away the invaders and protect their lands. At the outbreak of the conflict and during the six decades that the wars raged, the Irenaia returned to its more somber roots. It became a way for communities to come together and find strength in one another, and the people prayed for refuge from violence, the strength to defend those they loved, and an end to the war.   In the aftermath of the Wealth Wars, and especially as the rebuilding efforts in Orochtha were nearing their completion, the Irenaia regained some of the more joyful elements that had been abandoned during the conflict. With the end of rationing, the feasts thrown became even grander, and having just survived such harrowing times, the people were encouraged to be even more boisterous, even more merry. In a way, the Irenaia became as much about defiance against wickedness and sorrow as it was about driving away malevolent spirits who threatened the crops. It became a symbol of shared grief, healing, and of the shared identity that had begun to take root in Orochtha during the wars. It became a celebration of strength, grit, and determination, of resilience and the will to fight.   That isn't to say that the Irenaia lost the more somber side of the day's observations. In moments of silence and prayer interspersed through the festivities, those who celebrate the Irenaia take time to reflect on the lessons taught by the Wealth Wars. They remind themselves of how much they lost to the outsider menace because they were complacent, and of the price they had to pay in blood to win back their world. They remind themselves that peace is not a right, but a privilege that is fought for and won, at the cost of lives and dreams, never again to be taken for granted.

The Irenaia is celebrated on the night of the last full moon before the autumn equinox.