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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tonguez" data-source="post: 2661435" data-attributes="member: 1125">Looking at the Winter Festival in my own culture1. It is the Start of the New Year2. 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' constellationAnyway 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)</blockquote>

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