Lanternfest

History

Though it’s been awhile since people came back to the surface and rebuilt their civilization, people are well aware that life back on the surface wasn’t always as easy as it is now. Before all the towns were rebuilt, people only lived in small communities, similar to the one that still remains in Wasteland of T@Ö#Ä3. Soon after the return, there were no real towns, and no real shops where people could buy and sell their stuff freely, no places to gather and no time to celebrate much of anything, being busy trying to just survive and rebuild civilization. And so, people decided to organize festivals dedicated to just that: trading their stuff, taking their minds off of the hard daily life, and celebrating the return to the surface and start of new life.

These festivals lasted for 4days continuously, through the days and entire nights. During the days, people would trade their stuff, it was a good opportunity to buy things from your favorite artisans and craftsmen, but it was also a great chance for new and young ones to present and sell their items to a wider audience. On the festivals you could also find many food stands offering all kinds of food and drinks, that were so hard to find during the month, people would play games with each other, socialize and have fun. When the evening came, sellers would one by one gather and store their unsold items and joined others that were now enjoying plays and concerts until late evening. Some people would stay and celebrate all night, some wouldn’t even sleep at all during the days of the festival. And it was in these dark evenings and nights when people would light up the place with hand made lanterns they hung up all over the place. Those lanterns gave the festival its name: Lanternfest.

After 4 days, these festivals would end in special ceremonies. Oftentimes there would be games going on during the festival, and at the end winners of those games would be announced and given extra prizes. But the most important event was the offering to Gods. People would take their finest items and poduce and offer them to Glitter God and Satan, as a thanks for saving them and giving them a new life, and to ensure their benevolence for the coming month.

Lanternfest today

Today, Lanternfest is still the main event of every month, though some things are a bit different. While in the past, in all Lanternfests everyone sold their goods, today every month’s Lanternfest has a different theme. One month is dedicated to only food, the other one only to fashion and so on. Lanternfests consist of shows that last throughout the day and evening. Despite other modern sources of light, people today still like to make lanterns to hang up at the town squares where festivities take place. While the official program of Lanternfest ends in the evening, a lot of people still like to stay up on the town squares all night and celebrate all through the night.

The biggest Lanternfests can be visited in Central Area of Ä+*4~, Rich Area, and Central Town of Fairy Gardens, but every town has their own smaller festival. These smaller festivals aren’t as elaborate, they usually only have stands that sell goods,and food stands, but they also have live shows in the evening in the form of concerts, plays or art performances.

Themes for monthly Lanternfests are the same every year and for entire Ä+*4~, but are different in City of T@Ö#Ä3. While there isn’t a ceremonial offering at the end as it used to be, this is the time where people get their payments for the last month, and it is a time where they are especially inclined to give offerings to Glitter God and Satan to gain their favor for the coming month.

Meanwhile in Wasteland of T@Ö#Ä3, Lanternfests are still celebrated very similarly as they were in the past. Life there is still similar to what it used to be, and people there are facing similar hardships as they used to. Every Lanternfest is still dedicated to trading all the goods people have collected during the year. But in modern time, the people there invest a bit more in organizing festivities to attract visitors. People of Wasteland already consider themselves one big family and don’t have much to trade among each other, but there is a lot to gain form visitors coming from the wealthy City of T@Ö#Ä3, bringing in goods that are hard to get in Wasteland.