Denema Day (Day-nay-mah)
A day of mourning and celebration, Denema Day is how the survivors of the Denema Era honor the millions of people and civilizations lost to the Demon invasion of Estya. It takes place in the Valley of the Night, a location chosen to honor a critical player in stopping the demons, and honor her loyalty to Nadyn.
Denema Day takes place during eclipses, the symbolic union between Light Magic and Dark Magic, and replaced the traditional celebrations across Estya as a means of uniting the survivors in never forgetting how their hubris and bloodlust cost them everything.
Execution
During the months leading up to the festival, Estyans weave and sew lanterns - one for each loved one they lost in the bloodshed. They are encouraged to include distant relatives and those lost in the war before the Demons were first spotted, as both eras have become intertwined in the minds of many.
On the day of the festival itself, the lanterns, usually numbering in hundreds of thousands to millions are marched to the sea, lit, and cast out into the waves. Known immortals who are missing are cast into the air, in an effort to respect the nearly universal fear of drowning. The fallen Heroes of Denema have their lanterns lit with a white or black flame instead of a golden one (the flame color matching their Blood Number) and are cast out first to symbolize their leadership in unifying Estya against the demon incursion.
Participants
While it is not mandated that all Estyans attend, the vast majority of survivors atend the festival as a means of paying respect to the dead and the heroes that led the survivors to victory.
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