Menshar
"There is neither Day time nor Night time in Belcastel. Only Good times." ~ a Menshari saying.
The people of Belcastel are jovial and happy-go-lucky, focusing more on brewing and creating new foods than anything else. They celebrate so much that foreigners assume locals are simple minded. Though it is true that Menshari people spend most of the time figuring out new ways to celebrate old customs, they are also the most adept farmers and have so much free time due to their efficiency. They have created multitudes of different ales, meads, beers, and everything in between which would make a hardy Ossentox blush. If one is a fan of cheese, Belcastel would be heaven. In fact, cheese revolves around many of their festivities; Cheese tasting, Cheese experimentation, Cheese Wheel Sizes, and the most important Cheese Rolling. The latter festivity according to rumor sprung when a large delivery cart of cheese headed to Elliaster collapsed under a broken wheel, and the most of the cheese rolled down the hill they had so struggled to climb. In frustration, the handlers threw the others down while others tumbled down after the cheese to try and salvage something. Since then Menshar gather in the summer to toss their cheese wheels down the steepest hill and also themselves after them to see who’s wheel can make it to the bottom first.
Culture
Culture and cultural heritage
The Menshari culture is perhaps the most apparently different from other cultures in Elliaster, sharing almost none of the Old Ellistrean naming trends nor rituals.
Shared customary codes and values
If there was ever a place where the saying "Don't worry, be happy" applied, it would be Belcastel.
Art & Architecture
Homes are idyllic when Menshari custom is concerned. They are a mixture of stone foundations and wooden floors, painted in bright colors. Insides are decorated with dancing animals of all kinds, and designers usually compete in attempting to create the most jovial designs. Taverns without exception have skeins with laughing animals etched onto them.
Common Customs, traditions and rituals
It's customary to invite a foreigner of a town to every single home for a night in Belcastel. Though this is well-received and celebrated at first, some foreigners are driven crazy by the coddling and wish to escape the endless fest that is Belcastel.
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
Castelians are known to push the boundaries of fashion, often trying out new dresses, robes, and colors just to try them. It's difficult to pin-point what exactly is considered beautiful here and what is passe, since the distinction can change from day to day.
Gender Ideals
By far, the Menshari are the most egalitarian of all cultures in Elliaster. Men and women converse together in taverns and partake in drinking contests all the same. A cheese crafted by a woman's hands is valued far more than a man's, and a beer brewed by man is shared heartily. A common sight is a woman chasing men, both violently and lovingly.
Courtship Ideals
Everything goes in Belcastel, and it isn't uncommon for a woman to approach a man first. There is a hefty amount of time allotted to casual dating and it isn't rare for people to have had many significant others throughout their life. Weddings are celebrated for an entire week in the town of the woman, with food and ale flowing freely.
Parent ethnicities
Related Locations
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