Rite of Passage

To most Morivians, household gods are vital to the household's success and if the household is moving they will seek to bring their household god with them. The Rote of Passage is the most common method of ensuring that this happens and is particularly important for households (and other groups) that routinely move.
The details of the ritual and the prayers offered vary from region to region reflecting the long history of the ritual in a decentralised religion, however the key details are captured here. In general, although there are regional norms to this ritual, like all the others associated with household gods, there is no view that those who perform the rite differently do it wrongly, for each god is an individual and whatever works for them must be right for them.

History

Like most elements of the folk religion of the Morivans the history of the Rite of Passage is unclear. From its presence in all Morivian societies it is generally agreed to have been in existence before the migration out of the remains of the Marivan Empire and thus dates back well over a millenium although the earliest documentation of it is from much later. See The Origins of Morivian Religion for more on the current understanding of the development of this faith.

Execution

The execution of the rite is effectively the extinguishing of the fire and destruction of the hearth. In all cases the fire is extinguished with each member of the household pouring a libation onto the fire as part of extinguishing it; the god is called upon to hear of the intended move and destination before being entreated to follow the household even if these plans go awry. The hearth is then disassembled - in a camp or a simple dwelling the stones forming its edge are removed and carried through the journey by the individual household members. In more complex and urban dwellings fireplaces are built with loose brick floors so that the bricks on which the hearth is built are removed to achieve the same end.
At the end of the journey, or each day if the journey lasts longer, the hearth is reassembled for the observance of Evens the hearth is reassembled, the fire rekindled and the household god is invoked to join the reformed household.

Participants

All members of the household are expected to participate - whilst absence from one of the daily rituals is undesirable, absence from the Rite of Passage is seen as an insult to the household and a serious risk to the efficacy of the ritual. In some areas, indeed, the Rite of Passing will be carried out on absent members of the household so that the full, formal, household will be present for this rite.

Observance

For most households the Rite of Passage is only conducted rarely, and as some households have remained in one dwelling for several generations it is not uncommon for someone to pass their entire life without carrying it out. At the other extreme we have the nomadic or peripatetic groups - caravans, military units and such for whom it is a daily ritual, normally carried out after the first meal of the day.

Desecration

Perhaps during war, or at other times, a perversion of the Rite of Passage may be encountered to encourage the god to depart and to symbolically destroy the household. This is carried to an extreme in Narravine but even a rapid desecration can be enough to cause the household god to leave. Scattering or stealing the hearth can be done quickly as part of sacking a settlement, with urinating on the fire (as a parody of the libations offered as part of the rite) and taunting the god will often happen as well.

Regional Variations

Whilst the details vary between households regional there are some general trends. In the northern temperate climes beer is the most common libation offered though in the far north of the Kingdom of Mor and among nomadic groups you may see the rite conducted with milk, either fresh or fermented. Further south wines become more widely used and the general rule is that the drink of feasting is the usual libation offered during the rite.

Caravans, nomads and others regularly on the move will usually take an ember from the fire before extinguishing it as part of the rite while those of fixed abode normally ensure that no lit ember remains at the end of the ritual. Special circumstances arise on board ships where the "household" is evermoving but ever using the same hearth. Larger ships that have a hearth on board will normally offer the libations and prayers but leave the hearth intact and the fire lit for though the household is moving, it is still occupied.