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Holy Days in a Fantasy World
- Thread starter mythusmage
- Start date
Tonguez
A suffusion of yellow
Looking at the Winter Festival in my own culture
1. It is the Start of the New Year
2. The beleif is that it as
a. the time when the Sun changes his location in the sky from his Winter wife to his Summer wife (ie coincides with the Winter Solstice)
b. is (beleived to be) the time when seeds in the ground begin to germinate ready to spring forth in winter (the planting-harvest cycle)
c. is a rest period when no food products are ready to be harvested
d. is a time to give thanks for the bounty of the past year (which had already been gathered) and look forward to the new year
e. Is an intercalendular period to bring the 30 day lunar cycle up to 365 day cycle
f. coincides with the heliacal rising of the 'Pleiades' constellation
Anyway combining these the Winter Festival (in my culture) was dedicated to Pleiades whose rise (usually early mid June) was said to herald the new year. It was a time when people gathered together and sang songs in praise of Pleiades. Gifts were exchanged, sports competitons were held and any debts outstanding for the year were settled and/or forgiven (thus adding a merchantile element). Politically the various clan leaders would vie to host celebrations (and thus bring wealth and status into their clan).
As for religion priest would gather together and look at the stars making predictions based upon what they saw. Prayers would also be offered to the stars (who were minor dieties) asking them to keep the storms and devestation of winter at bay so that the warmth of spring could return. The final vigil of the priest was held during the solstice wherein prayer ensured that the Sun returned to his summer bride at which point the people returned to their normal lives (and geting the feilds ready for spring planting)
1. It is the Start of the New Year
2. The beleif is that it as
a. the time when the Sun changes his location in the sky from his Winter wife to his Summer wife (ie coincides with the Winter Solstice)
b. is (beleived to be) the time when seeds in the ground begin to germinate ready to spring forth in winter (the planting-harvest cycle)
c. is a rest period when no food products are ready to be harvested
d. is a time to give thanks for the bounty of the past year (which had already been gathered) and look forward to the new year
e. Is an intercalendular period to bring the 30 day lunar cycle up to 365 day cycle
f. coincides with the heliacal rising of the 'Pleiades' constellation
Anyway combining these the Winter Festival (in my culture) was dedicated to Pleiades whose rise (usually early mid June) was said to herald the new year. It was a time when people gathered together and sang songs in praise of Pleiades. Gifts were exchanged, sports competitons were held and any debts outstanding for the year were settled and/or forgiven (thus adding a merchantile element). Politically the various clan leaders would vie to host celebrations (and thus bring wealth and status into their clan).
As for religion priest would gather together and look at the stars making predictions based upon what they saw. Prayers would also be offered to the stars (who were minor dieties) asking them to keep the storms and devestation of winter at bay so that the warmth of spring could return. The final vigil of the priest was held during the solstice wherein prayer ensured that the Sun returned to his summer bride at which point the people returned to their normal lives (and geting the feilds ready for spring planting)
WayneLigon
Adventurer
Joshua Dyal said:
Before they had the reasoning skills our species has, and the ability to conceptualize 'this has happened many times so it will always happen this way'. It probably happened right around the time religion was invented, which I would think predates Neanderthals.
Tonguez
A suffusion of yellow
WayneLigon said:
I think recognising recurring patterns in nature probably predates hominids - probably something along the lines of "hey its getting cold and the mammoths are all going away, lets follow them"
* actually it was probably more like "come on baby the berries at the big rock should be ripe by now, but make sure to leave a few for the Rock to eat" that started the whole process (making for a good feminist discourse on the socialising role of rituals)
The determining factor I would guess is to have long childhoods (as us humans do) so if anyone knows what the first hominid to have a multi-year juvenile stage was that I suspect was the first species to notice...
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Evilhalfling
Adventurer
To address non winter festivals,
a harvest festival is important.
a gift giving ceremony- be it potatch or x-mas like.
a masquerade festival - halloween/Venice carnival/ Rio Carneval
Many holidays are tradtionally drunken riots. (such as X-mas in colonial America)
or St Patricks Day, Marty Graw, Cinco De Maio, Superbowl sunday etc...
also holidays are celebrated differently in different parts of the world, depending on conservatism, connection to the god in question etc...
a harvest festival is important.
a gift giving ceremony- be it potatch or x-mas like.
a masquerade festival - halloween/Venice carnival/ Rio Carneval
Many holidays are tradtionally drunken riots. (such as X-mas in colonial America)
or St Patricks Day, Marty Graw, Cinco De Maio, Superbowl sunday etc...
also holidays are celebrated differently in different parts of the world, depending on conservatism, connection to the god in question etc...
LostSoul said:
Somebody's actually addressing the question. We can't have that. Why, if people responded on topic it would change ENWorld. (
)Anyhow, how do the rest of you see active deities impacting holy days? Would more people or less observe them? If more observed would it be out of a sense of obligation, or in gratitude? What benefits would be bestowed for observation. What penalties for non-observation. Could one 'make up' a missed festival, or would it have to wait for next year. What would change if the Winter King himself could lead the festivities in person? The May Queen?
How would a Day of the Dead be observed if you knew the deceased had survived death and gone on to a better place. What if they could return that one day and interact with you?
[sidebar]The Quang turned to worshipping gods instead of ancestors because their ancestors were becoming a dreadful nuisance. With all the nagging, complaints, and arguing nothing was getting done. Naturally the 'dearly departed' were adamantly against it, until they learned they'd be housed in a paradise specially built for them. They conveniently overlooked the fact they wouldn't be allowed to leave this paradise for any reason.[/sidebar]
I would give every godling its own "holy" day(s), with any ceremonies, etc., depending upon the godlet in question. Methods of propitiation, etc., would vary widely. Some would be weekly, some once a year, etc. Some simple, others complicated.
Specifically for winter holidays, I would have at least two, with some varying takes on them. Just as I, as a Non-Moslem, can't tell you much about Rammadan, most Non-followers of Farlangh won't be able to tell you much about his holidays, either. Knowing such would be Knowledge (Religion), or Knowledge (Local), where he is worshipped.
I would use a Yuletide as one winter holiday. You can borrow as much from the familiar Christmas, or the older Yule, as you like, and add some differences. In any case, the partying and gift-giving can be fun. Hanging the stockings over the fireplace, to dry, really did have a purpose, in ages where foot travel was more common, and nylon didn't exist!
Anpther possible winter "holiday" could be an evil winter godlet's "Day of The White Death", for instance, when cold storms sweep in from... where-ever they come from... and kill folks wandering in the wilds, leaving them frozen solid... At this time of year, folks stay huddled around their fires, with the animals in the barns, along with a large store of food and fodder. Everyone huddles in fear, and waits for the "Day of Fear" to pass. Except the Barbarians... Spending the "Night of Fear" alone in the wilds is their Manhood ritual.
Naturally, the two should occur at different times of winter!
Winter godlets will have many different ceremonies, during this time of year, as will Cold deities, perhaps Storm, etc., and, perhaps, Darkness, as well. Balancing a good, Yule-tidish holidays with a darker, "Dead of Winter" one seems like a good idea... but it's your world, so you can do what you want.
Specifically for winter holidays, I would have at least two, with some varying takes on them. Just as I, as a Non-Moslem, can't tell you much about Rammadan, most Non-followers of Farlangh won't be able to tell you much about his holidays, either. Knowing such would be Knowledge (Religion), or Knowledge (Local), where he is worshipped.
I would use a Yuletide as one winter holiday. You can borrow as much from the familiar Christmas, or the older Yule, as you like, and add some differences. In any case, the partying and gift-giving can be fun. Hanging the stockings over the fireplace, to dry, really did have a purpose, in ages where foot travel was more common, and nylon didn't exist!
Anpther possible winter "holiday" could be an evil winter godlet's "Day of The White Death", for instance, when cold storms sweep in from... where-ever they come from... and kill folks wandering in the wilds, leaving them frozen solid... At this time of year, folks stay huddled around their fires, with the animals in the barns, along with a large store of food and fodder. Everyone huddles in fear, and waits for the "Day of Fear" to pass. Except the Barbarians... Spending the "Night of Fear" alone in the wilds is their Manhood ritual.
Naturally, the two should occur at different times of winter!
Winter godlets will have many different ceremonies, during this time of year, as will Cold deities, perhaps Storm, etc., and, perhaps, Darkness, as well. Balancing a good, Yule-tidish holidays with a darker, "Dead of Winter" one seems like a good idea... but it's your world, so you can do what you want.
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mythusmage said:
These questions have to be answered specifically... Many people will worship The White Lady of Healing, and moreso if she, herself, is likely to appear among the faithful. Few folks will be willing to worship Mallia, Mother of Disease, and most of them only for self-protective reasons, even if she appears to her worshippers. The White Lady would be worshipped more in gratitude, while the Disease Mother more out of fear. Mallia would grant protection from her plagues, as long as her will was law. The White Lady would offer healing to all (or at least the worthy). Mallia would penalize non-observance harshly (as she is evil), while The White Lady wouldn't, at all (but her power might be lessened - which has its own penalties)!
One of the benefits of belonging to a church, temple, whatever, would be... whatever the deity bids the clergy to give/do for the membership... The Good ones would probably get free healing, or at least the ability to get healing as it's available, and work it off, later. Non-members would have to pay, up front. The goddess of Harp-Magic would probably offer lessons in Harping, as well (among other things).
Could you "make up" for missing a ceremony? Again, it depends upon the godling in question. Mallia would take a dim view of this, save with her highest-level servants (who, for all they did for her, would get some slack, as losing them would be a big blow to her). Good deities would prefer more zealous attendance, but how they enforced it would depend upon their alignment, and what the ritual was for... Ones that actually powered something would be more important than a Wednsday night prayer meeting. Of course, Lawfuls would be stricter than Chaotics, but the LG ones would have to make allowances for Human (Elven, Dwarven, etc.) weakness.
If the Winter King might actually appear at the Winter Festival, whether it was a draw or not would depend entirely upon what he did when he arrived... Freezing people solid would be a "push", while passing out Snow-Diamonds would be a "pull". Is he good? Evil? Neutral?
All of these questions depend very much upon the godling in question.
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