Gaela's Revelry (guy-ella)

This three-day festival occurs between the seasons of autumn and winter. It marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of preparations for cold weather. In many parts of Ayndrinor, winter has already arrived by the time this celebration starts, so the specifics of the celebrations differ wildly from place to place. Most of the festivities take place during the night, and during the day there are all manner of street magicians and illusionists performing in the streets and squares - all to honor the deity Gaela.
Some of the most ubiquitous practices associated with this holiday involve magic and masks. Street magicians and illusionists perform in the streets and public squares during the day, celebrating Gaela's command of the arcane, while court mages or other powerful arcanists will put on impressive spectacles of magic at night. Wealthy families and some civic organizations use the three nights of the holiday to host masquerades and masked galas, celebrating both the nighttime that is Gaela's main purview but also the inherent mystery and secrecy provided by the night. Those who cannot attend the masquerades make or buy masks for themselves and their children and partake in the usual festival and carnival activities in the public squares. The street vendors, among the usual sweets and alcohols, sell winter furs and warm clothes to help people prepare for the oncoming season.
The northern reaches, where winter has already set in by this time, tend to have smaller celebrations. With food stockpiled for winter, there is much less emphasis on feasting and galas. Most towns will build bonfires on the second night, inviting whoever wishes to attend to gather round the fire for some camaraderie and dancing. On the other nights, people tend to invite friends or neighbors to smaller potluck-style meals and give thanks for a (hopefully) plentiful harvest that will sustain them through the cold season.
Regardless of the location or the specifics of the celebrations, there is much less emphasis on the religious rites during this holiday than some of the others. Priests of Gaela do perform some rites in the temples of The Four, and some individual worshipers give their own sacrifices or other offerings to praise Gaela for what she has helped them with over the year. But there are no public readings or rituals, Gaela prefers her adoration to come through the arcanists and magicians who thrill the crowds.