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Festival of Colors - (Jo'Arca specific holiday) Usually within the first week of April
Far out in the Painted Desert, there lived a tribe of StarDashers that hid themselves well within their home. Two factions resided within the tribe; the Daylight Dashers and the Moonlight Dashers. The Daylight Dashers were usually muted colors, such as red, tans, browns and grays, which blended in with their desert during the day hours. However when the sun went down, the desert soon came to light with all kinds of glowing plants and even glowing creatures. The Moonlight Dashers were bright, florescent colors, or dark as the night with bright markings. Their gems always glowed in the moonlight to help them blend in with their surroundings. As time passed, the Daylight Dashers grew envious of the Moonlight Dasher's bright and beautiful colors, and grew sad with the knowledge that they would never be as 'beautiful'. Thus, the Tribe's leader came up with a brilliant solution. Pigment was taken from the glowing plants and made into dust which could be thrown at the Daylight Dashers to coat their fur as they ran through the dessert once the sun set for the evening. For the very first time, the Daylight Dashers took joy in prancing around under the moonlight, glowing brilliantly under it's lovely moonbeams. The Moonlight Dashers quickly joined in, and soon all of the tribe's people were completely covered in colorful dust. On that day, the Tribe's leader declared it an annual holiday. All Dashers of the tribe would run through the desert together, laughing and playing in harmony. The dust covering their fur would remind them that under all of the colors, they were of one people and all important. After years passed, it soon became a tradition for even Dashers of other tribes to join in on the celebration. In the morning, color from the night before would be left everywhere along the desert, making it literally painted. But it would not stay for long, for the April showers would quickly wash it all away. Only those lucky enough to know about when the celebration was held would get to see the beautiful array of pigment scattered about. Holiday Credit ~ CascadingClovers |
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Festival of the Painted Night (Jo'Arca specific holiday) The entire fourth week of January
Primarily a weaver festival, this holiday occurs in the most northern/southern regions of Jo'Arca as during this week the night skies are illuminated with colourful displays of light (basically like aurora borealis) and many stardragons believe that this is the time in which Yvonne is most influential. While the monasteries of the region tend to dedicate this time to prayers and humble worship, the more general populace of local villages have taken to hosting a week-long festival as well as a large art merchant bazaar due to the large crowd that tends to migrate to the poles to witness the sight Because of this, the event has attracted many tradesmen and craftsmen who now see the holiday as THE opportunity to display their wares to a world-wide audience. Due to the distance, it isn't uncommon for some merchants to travel to the southern bazaar one year and then to the northern bazaar next year.
The bazaar itself is a unique phenomenon in that there is no actual city the event is located in since the holiday occurs simultaneously in both northern and southern regions...and for the most part the areas are not inhabited save for small villages and monastic shrines. Instead, weeks before the event many weavers and locals spend time carving and using magic to create a temporary city made out of ice and snow and tents. As such, the location is never quite in the same place twice. While the majority of buildings are often simple igloos, some of the more elaborate constructs are in a sense art unto themselves. Regardless, the various white buildings of snow are considered a spectacle of themselves as they catch the various lights from the sky above and mirror the shimmering effects.
Due to the cold nature of this holiday and its location, a lot of the festival is focused on the selling of pre-made artistic wares and small indoor performances...as well as many small food bazaars that give folks excuses to constantly duck in and out of buildings to keep warm. While many find the idea of staying in tiny igloos part of the charm and appeal of the holiday, the more cosmopolitan and cold intolerant usually are able to find the doors of the local villagers open to guests as many will turn spare rooms into bed and breakfasts for travelers as the holiday brings in business to the nearby communities.
A sacred holiday to the weavers, they feel it is a sign of good fortune to be able to stand under the sky of Yvnonne's blessing and a time of safe travels and one of the few events that open their doors to shooters...albeit carefully and usually under a watchful eye of the weavers. While most of shooter society turns their nose at the idea, quite a few craftsman cannot resist the opportunity to try to flaunt their races 'superior' artistic endeavors...if not outright steal concepts and bring them back to their capitol and claim them as their own designs. Many locals feel it is a holiday dedicated artistic endeavors and togetherness and community, an opportunity to see the various cultures of Jo'Arca come together through their hand-made works of art and foods and hospitality.
Inversely, the fishers also hold the fourth week of January in special regard as to them its the event of "The stupid lights in the sky cause the Ourrou to go into their breeding season and mess up everything" and likely the reason the rest of the stardragon world consider it a time of safe travel is often due to the fishers being too occupied with trying to stop the Ourrou from trying to mate with their houses that they have little time to bother with their land-dwelling relatives. Needless to say, the fishers are less impressed by this event and do not really consider it a holiday so much a blight on their society.
Starfall Festival (Christmas) December 24th - December 26th
StarFall Festival is the festival dedicated to Hylcinth and the start of the StarDragon race. As the legends go, Jo'Arca was a world created by Hylcinth's husband Helgin along with the aid of their three children. Its original purpose was to give Hylcinth a place in which to put her most cherished creations. As Hylcinth gazed upon the world, the question arose of where to actually place the first of her creations.
Raziel was the first to step forward and declare that the forests and jungles were surely the ideal place to set his mother's creations down. The forests were teeming with fruits, creatures and resources after all. At that statement however, his sister Lenus scoffed before countering that her mother should instead consider the oceans as were in fact the ideal place: filled with fish, food and just as many if not more resources. The two siblings began to bicker as their third sister quietly watched. Disheartened by her children's argument, Hylcinth departed to inspect the new world for herself to see if she could find a location on her own.
As she circled the world, she did indeed note that the forests and oceans were lush with life as her children declared, but that in choosing one location it would surely no doubt snub the other. She came across the cold northern regions, seemingly neglected and barren. While there were certainly signs of her children's handiwork, it was all subdued and quiet as it were buried beneath the frozen snow and lay dormant. Landing and walking among the snow that matched her scales, she paused as she noticed a single sproutling that had pushed itself out of the snow defiantly. At that moment, she decided that here she would place her first creations and then lead them to the humble valleys and streams. Soaring up, she scattered the snow with many glowing gems, lighting up the white ground in a dazzling array of colour.
And thus, the first StarDragons came to Jo'Arca.
While primarily an Eater holiday, most all of the StarDragon races have adapted some of the customs for their own purposes. Eaters in particular hold this holiday with special regard as they feel it signifies their creation and often point to it as the reason they are such a hardy race.
The exact date of this holiday had some difficulty in that while traditionally it was celebrated on the longest night of the year during winter. It was soon later realized that what was one half of the world's winter was another half's summer and then those directly on the equator had no winter at all. During the reign of StarEater King Marius the third, he declared that going forth StarFall Festival would be celebrated on the same day regardless of season (which many critics scoff that lo and behold, it is during the winter of the northern hemisphere where the King himself was from). However some traditionalists in the southern hemisphere still prefer to do their Starlight Festival on the original date.
Most celebrations involve decorating a tree with orbs and lights to signify the sapling that inspired Hylcinth, and to many the holiday is one of generosity and thankfulness where individuals are encouraged to give to those less fortunate by leaving anonymous gifts left under a large communal tree or at roadside shrines dedicated to Hylcinth. In recent times, there has been a custom of giving gifts to friends and family though this is not as widely practiced as many feel it draws attention away from the spirit of the message of altruism. With the exception being Shooters who have more or less adapted to the practice of gift giving to friends and family and all but abandoned the message of anonymous charity. In areas with snow, many StarDragons take to the custom of creating large ice and snowy sculptures in which they place glowing lights underneath. Those who do not live in such areas tend to make do with what they have, even if only just creating ice sculptures that will only last a few hours in the summer sun and some of the tropic locations have taken to making large sculptures out of sand for their festivals.
The ReWakening Festival - Originally, The Dark Harvest (Halloween/Days of the Dead) October 30th - November 2nd
This holiday marks the birth of the StarRobbers. When the world was still new, and frequent warring among the races wasn't unheard of, Helgin felt as if the lives of many were ended too soon, unfairly. A firm believer in justice, Helgin took over his wife's role when it came to giving life- in his own way.
Many thought long gone were given a second chance, raising from their graves to seek vengeance for an end deemed unfit. Fear struck the masses as loved ones, friends, and family once thought dead reappeared, unsightly and grotesque. It did not go... exactly as Helgin planned. This magic he cast was not something familiar to him, and mistakes were made. Mindless, thirsty for anyone that crossed their paths, StarRobbers turned on anything and everything, but as time went on, StarDragons began to notice on nights when the moon was at its brightest, the StarRobbers seemed to have more clarity about them, more the loved ones that were cherished and remembered, less the monsters they've become.
Ceremonies were thrown in hopes of gaining Helgin's favor, to give back their loved one's peace, and/or keep him from raising their dead to begin with. These ceremonies were followed by events were the dragons would dress as what scared them most, almost becoming a game of trying to scare others, but also accepting their own fears, and learning to face what frightened them the most.
As time went on, Helgin learned to master his abilities of reanimating the dead, easing the racing minds of the newly awakened, and helping them to focus on those who had put them in the ground to begin with. The 'newest' additions to the StarDragon race were eventually accepted to a... small degree, as the tales of grisly murders and attacks died down.
The ceremonies continued, though some took to celebrating those who were not reanimated. No longer was it fear of the dead, but rejoicing in the memories of the deceased via song, dance, and feasts. Dressing up became a favored past time for children, and though attempts to be the scariest are still made, costumes of all shapes and design are donned these nights, and sweets are passed out to accommodate the younger folks joining in on the traditions.
The Great Hunt (Easter) March 27th - March 29th
The origins of this holiday began in the days of old, when Jo'Arca was still new, and the Gods still walked the mortal realm. Most of the StarDragons warred for the favor of Raziel, the Demi-God responsible for shaping the earth that they made home upon, but no one fought harder than the Dashers and Sweepers. Frustrated by this, Raziel pulled himself away from the StarDragons all together, refusing to heed the call of any who spoke his name. Feeling guilty for their actions, the Dashers and Sweepers laid down their weapons and worked together to find Raziel. Eventually, they came across him in the form of a large, glowing egg, where he'd been laying dormant to allow his anger to subside so that it did not boil over. On emerging from said egg, Raziel was pleased to find the needless bickering had subsided, and returned to his followers once more.
To celebrate the new-found friendship, the StarDragons of Jo'Arca celebrate with a scavenger hunt like competition. Goodies are hidden about the contest zone, though the main prize is a large, ruby red orb. The one who finds this prize is granted the honor of leading the festival of the Great Hunt, a celebration that lasts several days. Miniature scavenger hunts are often held for the children.
Fishers, Weavers, Robbers, and Shooters, all generally pledging their worshiping to different Gods (Or in the Shooter's cases, none) still may celebrate the holiday.
Shooters might have taken it on after their servants (Various other StarDragons) still attempted to continue on their practices. Young Shooters found they were all too eager to play such fun games, and eh, it kept them out of trouble and gave them something to do, so the Shooters often allow their servants to go along with their own mini-festivities, with the occasional Shooter who seeks to join in on the fun.
Bits of info regarding Raziel can be found Here