Holy days & Festivals of Haven

First Bloom (spring)
Celebrated once the first seeding has ended and the first pale green buds poke their way through the soil, the festival of Seed's First Bloom is a celebration of a successfully endured winter and a prayer to the gods for a good year in one. A festival often dedicated to the god of life, Savitar, it is a celebration of life and perseverance.
In this Festival, spring is in the air and it is common for the old-folk of any village to play match-maker with the next generation.

Victory Day (early summer)
Set on the day of Gallica's foundation, this date is both a civic celebration, as well as a major festivals for the priests of Illuvatar, the god of all nation-builders.
In the royal capital, this festival is celebrated every year with a grand parade. In the various cities and villages it is often various festivities sponsored at least in part by the nobility. Some nobles use this festival as an opportunity to une-up each-other, much to the displeasure of the church.

Hallowed Souls (autumn)
This festival is dedicated to the god of death, Samedi, as well as the remembrance of the departed. It is a time where one honors the heroes of old as well as one's late family members, as it is when the world of the dead is closest to the world of the living.
The festival is characterized by an abundance of candles and incense, as well as special charms being either hand-made or purchased to be displayed for the duration of the festival.

Harvest's Glory (autumn)
While the exact date of Harvest's Glory can vary from village to village, it is always shortly before winter and the first snow. The last dregs of the harvests are collected and the cold is beginning to really set in. It is at this time where all food available is either turned into preservatives.
Finally, at the end of the festival there is essentially a country-wide feast, as as much of the perishable food left over from the summer is eaten so as not to be wasted over the cold winter months.

Stillwinter (midwinter)
In the middle of winter, on the shortest and coldest day, when the snow can pile for many feet, the people of Gallica honor the festival of Stillwinter.
The strongest men of any community will venture out of their homes and clear the snow from select spot, where they will erect grand bonfires. These bonfires are massive pyres often containing enough wood to bring a family through winter easily, and as they are lit their flames reach for dozens of feet.
The burning of these pyres are often accompanied with singing, as well as the characteristic 'Stillwinter tea' that is made around this season.
Through this festival the citizens of Gallica symbolically begin the thawing of the bitter cold that grips the land and usher in the end of winter.