Overview
The Meeting of the Wind and Sea is originally a Coastal Maksan festival tradition adopted by all tradespeople who depend on the ocean and ships for their livelihood. The two moons are regarded to hold sway over the wind and sea respectively. On the night of the meeting of the moons, green lanterns are sent seaward and blue lanterns sent skyward as an offering to them in hopes that the moons continue to provide prosperity to their communities. Every coastal town participates in a midnight feast of fish and gift friends and family necklaces and bracelets made of shells, pearls, and sometimes even small dried remnants of sea creatures such as sea sponge or dried coral pieces.
History
During the First Age, a small settlement of Maksa on the edge of the Enclosed Ocean were experiencing a famine, as their crops had ceased to grow after running out of the fresh water they brought with them. Their first harvest was set to be doomed. As they sat around the campfire on the sandy soil, one Maksa noticed that the ocean had fish, something they were familiar with from the smaller freshwater lakes they were used to. These fish were much larger than the freshwater fish, as they weren't as limited to their growth as in the smaller lakes.
A few Maksa also noticed a chain of islands far off into the horizon. A group ventured out into the sea with rafts, but could not get far. After a while, the Maksa developed sails to attached to better canoes and fishing ships, finally able to make it to the island chain with the help of the wind. On these islands were numerous species of plant and animal life in which the Maksa foraged to vary their diet from more than just fish. Of note, they acquired several types of fruit, such as the sandmelon and trenchberries and domesticated them in their community.
Festival Customs
During the Meeting of the Wind and Sea, the children in the community celebrating help their parents make the paper lanterns that are to be sent out into the ocean and sky. The green lanterns that signify the waves include a small balsawood base and a miniature sail on top, to signify the first voyages to the islands. The blue lanterns, signifying the sky are made from paper that has had the wishes of the family making them written onto it before being painted, asking for the blessings of the gods to continue providing food and protection to the community. At nightfall, the community gathers and releases the lanterns into the sea and sky, while reciting a public prayer for continued prosperity.
Afterwards, a grand feast of the largest catches from the day before is held. Some of these fish are colossal, sometimes one or two fish feeding an entire community of 75 to 100 people. If these enormous fish can't be caught, regular fish are substituted in. Community members use the festival as a chance to catch up with each other from the year before, if they have been busy enough to avoid daily interaction. They exchange trinkets strung together on barkthread or hemp thread which contain shells, imperfect pearls, dried sea sponge or coral, or any other small dried sea creature. The trinkets symbolize the bond of community members to ensure each others' survival by the sea.
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