Boonweal

A day dedicated to weal (well being/wealth) achieved through shared boons (benefit, blessing, or favor). It is widely believed among all races that the process of giving a gift to those you care about brings about good fortune for the coming year, and wards off the evil and cruel servant spirits of Lord Ix the Rime-Hearted during the season.   The main focus of the holiday in the current time is the Boon Tree, which are decorated with festive ornaments, Praise ribbons, and glowing crystals. Gifts are often left underneath them for one another to be opened on the last day of Boonweal. This is believed to strengthen Dame Viridia through embodiment of her representations and belief in her ideals.   While a lot of people do keep their celebrations and traditions to the actual week of Boonweal, many cities and towns celebrate the whole month, often throwing banquets, parades, special events, or special privileges. A lot of races have their own preferences for displaying their festivity, such as tieflings decorating their horns like boon trees, dwarves dyeing and decorating their beards with small ornaments, elves dressing in flowing clothing representative of the twinkling winter sky or elegant snowflakes, or gnomes dressing in bright striped clothing and pointy shoes.   Many races and cultures celebrate the week differently, though all with the same core belief. While the vast majority of Verdan celebrates the ''Common'' variation, many smaller communities or groups of individuals follow their racially cultural path, or some variation of it.   Elves, for example, prefer small family gatherings with their household that contain music, fine food, and small but meaningful gift exchanges, typically something handmade and sentimental.   Orcs and Half-Orcs are a more native race, gathering with their community and holding a great feast, with singing, games, and dancing long into the night. Not big on flashy gifts, they prefer doing what's called a Chorus of Esteem, and the tribe will present each person with a new weapon or tool, respective to their role within the community.   Dwarves also prefer larger community gatherings, oftentimes also showcasing the best smiths and brewers of the year and holding plenty of strength and drinking games. They will often showcase the best 5 each day of the week, with the weekend being reserved for one massive feast and gift swapping.   Tieflings observe what they call Duskwatch, isolating themselves from just about everyone and keeping to themselves in their homes. Typically, on the day after the fasting, they will have a grand meal and swap small gifts with one another.   Gnomes and Halflings host huge family gatherings oftentimes mingling several families together due to marriage. Massive amounts of food are prepared, alongside gallons of fine wines and spiced liquor. Oftentimes gnomes will exchange whimisal and fun personal creations, while Halflings prefer to gift carefully grown plants of various kinds.   Dragonborn follow a more natural approach, and the patriarch of the family will take a sack of gifts, handmade talismans, and written prayers to the top of a mountain, where they will prepare a small altar of stone and wood to burn the sack as offering to Dame Viridia.