Bá-Ké Festival

Near the end of summer every village in the princedom of Orolay host a large festival to celebrate their local lumber industry and the work of the foresters. This festival is know as Bá-Ké, the Tree-keeping Festival. The festival lasts for seven days and seven nights, starting when the sun rises on the first day and ending when the sun rises on the final night.

History

The Bá-Ké was introduced by the dragon-monarchs to replace an earlier mid-summer festival. This festival was akin to the Svellbjarg  Soulstice festival and similarly contained human sacrifice to keep the sun burning. Most of this festival has successfully been transplanted over the eons, but some small remnants, such as the bonfire on the final night, remain.

Execution

During Bá-Ké the central square of a village will be filled with a maze of market stalls. These market stalls sell several items related to the lumber industry and handcrafted wooden trinkets such as woodcarvings and toys. During Bá-Ké many challenges are hosted, such as the botanical contest where villagers try to proof their mastery over nature by showing their increasingly exuberant bonsai trees.
At the end of Bá-Ké all the market stalls are broken down and throw upon a single bonfire. After the bonfire is lit music is placed and the locals will dance around it until the sun rises up. This is done to show of appreciation for the forest and to rejuvenate it with the bonfire's ashes.

Participants

Each year the Dragon-Princess Veridi visits a different village to bless with her attendance. She will attend for the entire duration and will personally lit the bonfire on the final night as a show of appreciation for her subject's hard work. Veridi's scribes keep a long list of which villages she has visited and when to ensure that every single one has their due. For a village to be added to this list is a great honour and a sign that the village is in ascendancy. Only when a village has committed some great dishonour it its name expunged from the list, which usually also spells the end of the village as a whole.