The Rite of Clear Seas

WIP - Summer Camp 2023

The Rite of Clear Seas is a festival held twice a year by the Kanai merfolk before they begin their great migrations. Every six and a half months, they migrate between Etrea's poles, chasing the warm summers of each respective hemisphere.
The festival cannot begin until everything is prepared for the start of travel - food stockpiled, items packed, roles assigned. Kanai spread out into smaller communities, known as clans, in the time they are stationary, but for the festival and the migration they all come together. Whole again, the Kanai spend the few days before the festival getting everything in order. To forget even one step of the crucial preparation could prove lethal on the long journey between poles.
Every festival begins with the election of the leader of the caravan. This is often someone who has proven themselves with the role before, or someone that has been specifically training for it. Though this is usually a clan leader, it does not have to be. Although each adult has a vote, the results of the election are rarely a surprise.
Once the leader has been elected, they lead the Kanai in the traditional prayers for a safe journey, clear seas, and bountiful food. A sarifice is made, most often a seal or a large fish. Each member of the Kanai comes forward to receive an individual blessing from the chosen leader, from the youngest to the oldest. The order the blessings are given in is not usually very strict, unless the previous migration was harsh, in which case the Kanai make sure to go in age order.
After the prayers and blessings are done, the solemnity of the festival becomes revelry. A feast is prepared, the spoils of the last few days of hunts. This is the last fresh food that the merfolk are guaranteed for the journey, as hunters sent out from the main column each day rarely bring enough back for everyone at once.
After the feast, people spend time trading stories from their time apart and memories of previous migrations. Eventually, the leader draws the celebrations to a close and tells everyone to get a good night's sleep.