Past Ruler's Funeral
Incumbent rulers must bury the previous ruler. They take care of funerary rites and honour the dead. The public measures a being’s greatness by the level of honour they bestow on their predecessors. In recent times wakes have taken anything from three days to a month. Memorials have been built all over the city. At first, it was plaques or statues, but more recently it has graduated to entire wings of the library, hospital and museum being named after the past ruler.
History
There was a great ruler named Sargon who all the people loved. When they died, a new ruler, Achan, was appointed and they took over and undid much of the good that Sargon had done. Achan started removing monuments Sargon had raised in memory of heroes, soldiers, etc. The people revolted and eventually, Achan was overthrown. The new replacement, Malik, set a three-day feast memorialising Sargon and all they had achieved. Malik also set in place a new law stating that the incumbent leader must find a way to honour their predecessor’s memory. Since that time, each new leader has felt the pressure to come up with grander plans than their predecessor.
Participants
The incumbent Leader, the dignitary's of state, the family members, and the general public. The incumbent Leader plans everything and is highly involved in ensuring that the deceased ruler is memorialized forever.
Observance
Every time a leader passes the rites and rituals take longer. Usually, at least one feast is held with at least one poem and or song written especially for the occasion. All the past leader’s favourite dishes are prepared and the dishes are delivered to venues throughout the city so everyone can partake. Everyone at the dinner must say something kind about the ruler and scribes take notes of the leader’s achievements. Then a book is put together from all the notes and added to the library where the other annals of the rulers are kept. Sometimes favours are put together and distributed to all the people, sometimes an framed likeness, a small sculpture
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