Festival of the Barrier's Rising

Festival of the Barrier's Rising is marked by the appearance of the Barrier Cluster in the night sky and lasts until the Cluster loses it's red glow, approximately five days. The festival is split along five days, one for each of the Cardinal Souls. The festival also marks the passing of the new year, the first two days dedicated to saying goodbye to the old year, and three days dedicated to welcoming in the new.

 Significance

The Festival of the Barrier's Rising is a week-long festival observed throughout the continent, even largely by the nomadic tribes and throughout the Islands. While each country, tribe, and island's traditions can differ widely, the days are still largely structured.

1. On the day the Cluster first appears in the sky, the people celebrate the North Soul. This day is also, in terms of the new year, dedicated to giving thanks.
2. One the second day, the people celebrate the Southern Soul. This day in terms of the New Year is the last day of the year and dedicated to saying goodbye. This is often a celebration of any who have died throughout the year, or ancestors depending on the country, tribe, or island. Alternatively people see it often as a time to release regret and sorrow that may have accumulated throughout the year.
3. The third day is dedicated to the Eastern Soul and is the first day of a new year. This day is dedicated to living, in a very loose sense. Most texts on the festival struggle to explain the meaning behind the day, but while the second day is dedicated to celebrating and saying goodbye to those who have died, the third day is dedicated to give thanks for being alive. It is common tradition to halt wars of any kind on this day, and any who die on this day are held in their homes and not on record declared dead until the fourth day.
4. The fourth day is dedicated to the Western Soul and is dedicated to spontaneity. Most use this day to celebrate what they hope to occur for the year. Many of the continent's wars have symbolically been declared on the fourth day of the festival.
5. The fifth day is dedicated to the People's Soul and to the people. It is a day to celebrate family and people. Traditionally most rulers will provide their people with food and drinks for the day. Children concieved on this day are considered special, and many weddings are held on the fifth day.

(Five) Common Traditions

Eastern Atta: The Beginning - A nationwide (sort of) festival across Eastern Atta (Though much of Eastern Atta hold similar celebrations) marked by day-long preperations and all-night celebrations to welcome the cluster into the sky. The day-long preperations are most commonly marked by the community building some sort of common-good project, such as a widow's barn or a community house, alongside the preperations for the actual festival. The festival itself is most markedly noted by the telling of stories in front of great bonfires at moonrise. The stories are timed to end right as the cluster peaks over the horizon. These oral tales are often creation myths of the Cardinal Souls or of Attans great heroes. This festival is directly reflected on the last day of the Barrier's Rising by Western Atta's "Ending".

Tole: The Floating Cluster - On the second day of the festivals it is tradition in Tole to create lantern boats and sail them down the Tattan, the lanterns being released at or close to sunset. As the last day of the year the releasing of the lanterns are said to symbolize the releasing of the year's grievances.

Yoara: Coral Kites - On the third day of the festivals it is tradition in Yoara that each family builds something called a Coral Kite, a decorative paper kite made to look like coral, something commonly found in Yoara's oceans. Many cities and towns throughout Yoara hold contests for the most creative kite before they are flown at moonrise.

Moonwin: The Masquerade - On the fourth day of the festival, the second-to-last day of their social season, Moonwin's nobility hold masquerades throughout the capital and noble estates. The Masquerade is mimicked throughout the country's commoners as well, where citizens will wear masks to the local festivals. It is tradition during the Masquerade to declare love or rivalry to those you would usually not have the nerve to, to admit to wrongdoings or fears, all in the name of spontaneity for the Western Soul.

Western Atta: The Ending - A nationwisde festival across Western Atta (Though much of Eastern Atta hold similar celebrations) marked by day-long familial and temple visits, meant to celebrate family and community, and a night-long festival. The ending of the Festival of the Barrier's Rising is marked by a story held around a bonfire, timed to end as the Cluster loses it's red glow (which occurs approximately just before the moon fully sets). These stories are most commonly love stories or stories of prophecies that have yet to pass, meant to draw attention to the year ahead.

The Barrier Cluster

The Barrier Cluster is a large cluster of stars that appear to be in a red cloud for the first five nights of their ascent. The Cluster spreads in a thin line across the night sky from North to South. The first record of the Barrier Cluster appears alongside the first map that included the Barrier Mountains. The Barrier Cluster Remains in the sky for the first two months of every year, and it's rising marks the end and beginning of each year.

The Temple

Alongside the parties and celebrations held throughout the continent, the temple itself holds a ceremony throughout the Festival of the Barrier's Rising. The Temple each days welcomes those whose patron souls are represented on the day and blesses them. The oracles of each temple work throughout the festival, giving new prophecies and predictions for those they see throughout the festival. The blessings given throughout the festival are considered a "forecast" of sorts for that person's year.

A Notable Tradition that is temple related: On the fifth day of the festival, as each individual whose patron soal is the People's Soul attends the temple, it is customary to accept a drawn scar down the length of their bodies, drawn often in rune ink where it is available, but in chalk, coal, clay, or other implements when not.