Holy Days in a Fantasy World

[Tonguez]

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?

Hey I did address the question!!!
As for religion 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.

So there is an active conflict going on between the spirits of winter and the star-dieties because the spirits of winter want to plunge the world into eternal cold. This explains why the star gods and winter spirits aren't interacting with humans everyday.
Humanoids call upon star spirits using prayer and praise (ie the Holy Day Festival) to strengthen the star spirits in the conflict.

 

[Agback]

Sources would be nice too.

The Golden Bough by Sir James Frazer is without question the premier compendium of religico-magical practice. No world-designer's bookshelf (or these days hard disk) is complete without a copy.

Midwinter is discussed under the general headings of "Expulsion of public evils" and "Fire festivals of Europe". Apparently the midwinter fire drives away the storms of winter. For this reason, lightning will never strike a house in which the Yule-log is burning. And for this reason the custom in Westphalia is for the Yule log to be withdrawn from the fire as soon as it has caught light, and set aside for another scorching during each thunderstorm of the year. It is finally burned only at Yule next year, once its replacement is on hand.

 

[Agback]

How do you see holidays, holy days, and festivals in a world with active deities? What would be the same? What would be different?

Well, if I were a god, on my holy day my worshippers would be doing stuff for me, not goofing off. I might come across with part of the tithe to give them all a bit of a party at the end, but my holy day is the day they owe me in return for all the nneat stuff I do for them during the year.

Now, the divine taille need not be onerous. As a god, I might need something strange from my worshippers, such as for them to come of vision-quests or dream-quests to my demi-plane, and there to play bit parts in a pageant of my deeds of the dream-time. I'm provide the necessary datura and fly agaric from my temple stores. Or perhaps I require to have my mythic deeds re-enacted in the form of a public pageant in each village of the Prime Material. The little jobs I have for my tributaries might quite possibly be a lot of fun, and a welcome relief from their dull, wretched little lives. But it has a serious, indeed divine, purpose, and it might (as in RuneQuest involve a sacrifice of experience points, just like making a magic item.

On the other hand, the visiion-quests might be harrowing, even dangerous. And the physical duties might be onerous, involving at least some participants in beatings, ritual torture, auto-sacrifice, or even a lottery of death.

A lot depends on my nature as a god. More on what I have to do to keep my people safe. If I take (or in the dreamtime took) risks, suffered defeats, bled, or died for my people, Then even though I am good I may need replenishment with the courage, blood, fortitude, and even lives of my worshippers. As a god in a polytheistic pantheon I am subject to Necessity and Chance, and may have to pay harsh prices to prevent greater harms.

 

[mythusmage]

All you GMs out there, take careful note of all the free adventure seeds you're getting in this thread.

 

[WayneLigon]

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.

I guess it would depend on how active the gods were. If they are very active, not participating could have a very negative effect on not only you, but your family as well. Your typical very active/involved deity will sprinkle benefits around on people that please him and randomly curse a handfull that don't, to encourage the others. Depends on how important the festival is.

Participating in a major festival typically gives some kind of minor benefit to everyone who sincerely participates, equivilant to a 0- or 1st-level spell. Typically, everyone will be Blessed until sunset of the next day. A goddess of healing's major festival should see people's acne suddenly clear up, the 2-point wound they took when the dog bit them closes up and stops smelling funny, they might feel calm and quiet. A scattered few people, the very devout or those who have truly glorified the name of the goddess in the past will get an intermediate benefit, such as being cured of blindness or suddenly being cured of a major disease. One or two people might get a major benefit. They might rise from the dead, be cured of insanity, or gain the ability to act as a Staff of Curing for a day and a night.

The major festival of a war god would be similar. Everyone is Blessed in their next battle. A few of the truly devout will gain True Strike when they really need it, or Bull's Strength, or Shield of Faith in their next major battle. One or two will find themselves getting a permanent point of Strength, or 5 points of Damage Resistance in their next battle, or getting a sudden +20 HP when they hit -9 in their next major battle.