The Passage of Time
A small but yet important festival to two Forgotten Odes, the Passage of Time is a rare festival that occurs once every 350 years, where they gather together to celebrate both the Passage and Renewal of Time.
They gather together under the light of the four moons, forming a Yrty, offering deep prayers to Etinarni and Kar and thanking them for watching over them. For the duration of what they call the festival, they stay in a tighly knit Yrty and pray the entire night as the sacrifices come together and bathe them in colour, signifying a new beginning, the passage of time and praying for more blessings to come.
History
While there are whispers of how exactly the tradition came to be due to their use of Yrty and some oral meanings having been passed down, the people care not for their history. Instead, they focus on the true meaning of the Festival, focusing on celebrating the passage of time, wishing for more in the future eternity, and understanding the cycle of life is a never-ending one.
Aeons prior, the Goddess Xi'ili used to be celebrated alongside The Constant Eternity and Mistress of Cycles, as one who represents time itself. However, never had she shown herself during the ritual or festival the way Etinarni and Kar had, fading away from the ceremony as a result. Sometimes, the sacrifices may offer a quick thank you to Xi'ili during the ritual as well, but that is a rarer occurrence than the Festival itself.
Execution
Two people become the sacrifices for the festival. A young maiden and youthful boy, each representing Kar and Etinarni, will come together in the centre of the Yrty, clothed in garbes made from sheep's hide and dragon scales and coloured brightly in comparison.
During the night, they will lead the group in prayer.
First, the girl will provide a thank you to Etinarni for being the never changing constant, and the eternal spirt. Then, she cuts the boy's left arm open with a ceremonial knife and uses the blood to bless the people in attendance, sprinkling it on their dark clothes and splashing them with colour, before drinking a sip and wiping it on her lips as lipstick.
Next, the boy will lead the prayer in thank you for Kar, for representing the Cycles of life and leading them on their never ending journey through it. He then takes the ceremonial knife from 'Kar' and cuts off the tip of her ear along with a lock of hair, letting the blood drain into a bowl over the cut lock. Then, after tying it with twine and waiting for the first light of dawn, he sets it on fire.
Everyone gathers around and 'sheds' their black clothes, forming a pyre that started from "Kar's" lock of hair to shed their last remaining link to the current cycle and welcome the new one, before thanking Kar and Etinarni again.
This marks the beginning of the festival. For the next 3 days and 3 nights, the area will be lit with festive cheer, games and foods. Local areas have taken to calling this as the "Shadow Festival", appearing and disappearing as mysteriously as shadows in the night.
When the sun sets over the horizon on the last day of the festival and the night beckons again, the girl's ear will have grown back and the boy's wounds healed.
The only mark left behind will be the scars they each bear, and the girl's lips permanently tinted with the red colour of autumn leaves.
Participants
The main "Night Ceremony" that marks the beginning of the festival is normally only attended by those of the religion and the sacrifices. However, anyone who is "unfortunate" enough to pass by will be added into the ceremony alongside everyone else until it's complete and the true festival can begin with the dawn. Two people - one from each Forgotten Ode, a girl and boy - are to take the roles of sacrifice and lead the ceremony.
