Reapers Return Festival
In the Heartlands of the empire, few days are as celebrated as Reapers Return. It is a day to celebrate the bounty of a well-tended crop where people of a town, regardless of station or social status can share in feasting and parties until the early hours. It is a chance to try new dishes and reflect on a successful harvest before the work of preparing for winter must begin. There is music, dancing and decoration abounding, the people of the Heartlands go all out on this one day of the year knowing that a bountiful harvest is hard-won.
History
The tales say that the term was coined by the first Kala fruit growers of Goldengrove after a particularly bountiful harvest allowed them to retire and the tale of the Reapers Return soon made its way throughout the Heartlands, into Ardania and Dolgar before being carried north as the festival spread through town and villages. When the three kingdoms were conquered by Tyrus Vakarian and the Empire founded it was made an official holiday among the repopulated peoples, another common heritage to tie them all together as Valgaridans.
In truth, the original farmers paid a dark price for such a bountiful harvest and they feared the return of the fell being they had bargained with, a Reaper not of crops but of souls.
Execution
The build-up to the festival begins days before when the harvests are brought from the fields to the towns and preparations can begin. Children are tasked with decorations under the watchful eye of their grandparents. Local lords will often hang streamers or colourful banners from their keeps.
Components and tools
The main ingrediant of a successful Reapers Return festival is food. Plentiful and varied.
Participants
Often the town Noble will declare the festival begun and the following dawn will signal its close.
Primary Related Location
Related Ethnicities
