Festivities & Celebrations
Lore
May 15th, 2024
Reading time
Spring
The Ryukkōsai (Muna)
During the Ryukkōsai, also known as Midori Matsuri, weddings and unions (including the Musubi) are celebrated, and homage is paid to all the ways in which living beings are interconnected. This pastoral festival is primarily observed in agricultural regions or near the Katkera. Humans offer sacrifices to the guardian spirits of the wild expanses to thank them for their generosity and reaffirm the harmony that binds all consciousness together. The Ryukkōsai doesn't have a set date. It's when ephemeral fireflies begin to dance frenetically, having only one night to unite in their final form, that Midori Matsuri is celebrated. To accompany them, humans light lanterns and guide them towards the Kirighai peninsula. In places where Mana can be found in nature (where the Tumult can still be felt at times), children are often sent to gather energy. This energy is collected and clustered so that Mana can be entrusted to Kaibara. During the Midori Matsuri, vibrant green sails and banners are hung all over the cities and hamlets. People adorn themselves with small green accents: scarves, cords, jewelry, hats... while long green ribbons float above their heads in every avenue or alleyway.
Summer
The Jubilee of the Concord (Ordis)
The Jubilee of the Concord celebrates the Foundation of Asgartha and, as the name suggests, the Proclamation of the Concord. The Phoenix egg is immersed in a huge brazier that will burn for a year, in the hope that it will finally hatch during the current cycle. Besides this, it's an opportunity for the Factions to reaffirm their oaths of cooperation and mutual aid underneath the Covenant. Then each Faction entrusts these tokens of agreement to the Basileus, who seals them in a jar within the Asterion. This is followed by a parade of the Factions through the city, as well as a celebration where the Alterers set off fireworks marked with the seal of Alteration. Each Faction organizes its own spectacle, and it's the spectators who decide who has won this year. Alongside these festivities, all the doors of the institutions, places of knowledge and learning are open to the public: whether it's the Monolith, the Asterion, or the University, everything is accessible to the people of Asgartha. Members of the Ordis even stand ready to explain the mechanisms of society in more depth.
The Season of Jousts (Bravos)
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The Omnium The jousting season culminates in the Omnium, Altrun's annual competition, where runners from official leagues and independent participants gather. They compete in various parkour challenges, including timed solo or team races, endurance treks, and acrobatic contests emphasizing aesthetics or inventiveness, all aimed at reaching an inaccessible zone.
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Ringby Championship Each Province, including the capital, sends its champions to compete in the Ringby championship. This sport, a mix of rugby, basketball, armed melee, and Alteration, pits two teams against each other on a field that shifts with the actions of Alterers present on or around the arena.
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Alteration Duels In these confrontations, two duelists compete in three types of challenges: shaping the world until an idea takes root sufficiently to prevent the opponent from influencing it, crafting an artistic work judged by a panel of judges, or engaging in a martial confrontation aiming to subdue the opponent through weapons or Alteration.
Autumn
The Prodigium, Great Exhibition of Arts and Crafts (Axiom)
Every autumn, the grand parade of the Axiom - the Prodigium - takes place, celebrating innovation and the incredible feats of science. The Athanor, usually inaccessible, opens its doors on this occasion, although sometimes venues within the city are requisitioned to conduct demonstrations. Onlookers can stroll while observing the latest inventions, attend shows unveiling the newest technological wonders. After being showcased for a week, everything that has been manufactured or created is mounted on floats and paraded along Concord Avenue, where crowds of curious onlookers and enthusiasts gather. The public can also listen to the presenter's explanations through loudspeakers, echoing through the streets and alleys with a crackling sound. Every city on the Peninsula organizes its own Prodigium, although Arkaster's, due to the presence of the Foundry, is naturally the most prestigious.
The Carnival of Masks (Lyra)
One week after the start of the Season of Mists begins the Carnival of Masks. All of Asgartha celebrates the onset of autumn and pays homage to the waning solar seasons. The houses and palaces of Arkaster are open to travelers from other territories of the Peninsula so they can mingle with the metropolitan population. The toil of farmers and herders is celebrated, and they are offered jewelry and other manufactured goods. All residents cover their faces with masks of various appearances, whether at banquets and other festivities or in the city streets, so that no one can judge another's origin or background. The Carnival of Masks is a celebration of illusion, of the ephemeral. A time when one can afford to be someone else. The Carnival is also a festival centered on the arts. Painting and sculpture invade the cities day and night, music and singing pour through the alleyways and avenues. It's a feverish and intoxicating celebration.
Winter
The Day of Revelations (Yzmir)
Once the Carnival of Masks is over, the masks used that year are broken and burned in numerous fires. This symbolizes the old illusions being exposed and abandoned in order to move forward. Braziers are lit everywhere to ward off the cold and darkness of winter. Then the fires go out, and the stars appear in the sky. Light is for the Yzmir the symbol of truth spreading throughout the world like a healing balm. The Revelations conclude by observing the starry sky, while all artificial sources of light are extinguished. During the Day of Revelations, those who have regrets can seek forgiveness from anyone they may have wronged, after confessing the truth to them. It's the festival of forgiveness and honorable amends.
The Sacrament of Memory (All Factions)
On the last day of the year and the first day of the next, the Asgarthans celebrate the "Sacrament of Memory," a festival dedicated to honoring the ancestors who, through their sweat and sacrifice, made Asgartha the haven of peace it is today. The Sacrament is an opportunity to recount stories, memories, legends, past exploits... But also to celebrate all that has been lost (lands that have been destroyed, cities that have faded away, peoples that have not survived...). The Confluence indeed caused a cataclysm, erasing many things from the world before. It's to remember that such a scourge could strike again, and to emphasize the importance of cultivating and encouraging memory, that the Asgarthans particularly cherish these festivities.