The Feast of Seventeen
Without fail, one of the most thrilling days in the life of a Lischin person is their feast of seventeen, a coming-of-age ceremony that marks their seventeenth birthday, the point at which they gain the status of an adult within their community. A person's feast of seventeen is a joyous day hosted by their relatives and friends; live music, dancing, singing, and of course feasting are vital parts of this event. In the Lischin tradition of exuberance and vivacity, a feast of seventeen is cause for whole neighborhoods to congregate in energetic celebration.
History
The feast of seventeen is an old practice. It began not as a mark of adulthood but simply as a celebration of seventeen years of life, for Lischin culture has long regarded the number 17 to be an auspicious one. The association with ascent to adulthood came later to the tradition, but even that association has been firmly rooted within Lischin culture for a few centuries. As long as Lischin folk have been celebrating feasts of seventeen, it has always been an incredibly vibrant occasion. Many Lischin children spend years looking forward to their feast of seventeen, inspired the feasts held in honor of older children in their community. For the family of the rising adult, it has always been a chance to do the honor of hosting an amazing party, and for the rising adult themself, it has always been a time to be celebrated and wear their first fancy adult formalwear. That has remained true for hundreds of years; in many ways, the feast of seventeen is one practice that has changed very little over time.Traditions
A feast of seventeen is an all-day affair, celebrated during the day by the closest family and friends of the individual being honored and during the evening by that group plus additional friends, extended family, and neighbors. Most commonly it happens on a Fifthday closest to the individual's actual birthday, because that weekday is a day of rest from labor and other responsibilities. Traditionally, the individual being celebrated receives their first adult formalwear the night before their feast of seventeen, which they wear during the day. At the culmination of the evening, the individual being honored serves each guest a cupful of khet, a traditional beverage made from pounded blue-flower cactus pads steeped in water and the nectar of the plant's flowers, which can also be fermented into a mild spirit, before receiving a cupful of it themselves from a parent or other mentor figure.
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