Reynjastág (RAYN.yas.taug)
Feast Day of Reynja Lifemother
Celebrating Life and Renewal
In the far northern land of Hrafnawyld, the Spring Equinox marks the first day of the Wylden new year, and is celebrated as a feast day honoring the Súðárín gods of life and consciousness, particularly Reynja Lifemother, after whom the day is named.
Specific modes of observing Reynjastág vary by Jórveif, with a variety of traditions associated with the celebration; the most well-known and ubiquitous of these is the brewing and consumption of Sjædíllínjogabrót, or Snowberry Meade.
History
Reynjastág was first celebrated as a simple day of feasting and praise in the last few centuries prior to The Godswar, when the ancient Wylden first became aware of the Súðárín as some of the latter began to discreetly walk among the early human civilization. It was during this time that the traditions first formed of honoring the Lifemother by doing no killing on her festival day, and by consuming only foods that required no death to prepare.
Sundered and Lost
After The Godswar (more specifically, The Cleaving), the Ancestral Wylden who remained behind on Abhagan continued to uphold the observance of Reynjastág, while those of their kin who went on to establish the new nation of Hrafnawyld forgot the tradition as their worship turned more toward the Nostín gods, whom they viewed as patrons of their new home. This condition persisted until the Migration of the late third and early fourth centuries ATC and the founding of the Twin Orders, particularly the Riverseers, who revived the festival in the Ravenfjords, Black Mountains, and Icewall Glacier.
It was also during this period that the brewing of Snowberry Meade first developed, as the incoming Ancestral Wylden expanded into the lower hills of the western Black Mountains, and both kindreds began experimenting with brewing meade using the delicious Snowberries native to the region. As the spiritual effects of the drink became better known and understood, it quickly became the traditional beverage for offering gratitude and praise to the gods on Reynjastág.
Observance
Reynjastág is observed on the first day of Spring, celebrating the return of life, the essence of Reynja Lifemother, to Gæðí. It also marks the first day of the Wylden new year, so that every year begins with a new cycle of vitality and growth.
Traditions
One of the earliest traditions to develop around the observance of Reynjastág was the avoidance of hunting or slaughtering on the feast day, in honor of the festival's namesake. Though it was widely accepted that the Lifemother understood and was unoffended by such natural predator-prey relationships, it was nevertheless believed that on Reynjastág, it is ill luck and rude to kill in any way. Over time, this came to extend to plants, and even to the consumption of previously killed food, so that all meals served for the feast are prepared with components and ingredients that required no killing to obtain.
Popular foods eaten on Reynjastág include baked goods, such as pies, sour breads, and pastries; creams, yogurts, and cheeses; egg scrambles, roasted squashes, seeds, nuts, and cereals. In the cases of the squashes, seeds, and nuts, some of the seed is held aside and planted for a new season, regardless of whether those doing the planting have need of such, to honor the cycle of renewed life.
Music, Singing, and storytelling have always been an important part of celebrating Reynjastág, the former two being particularly sacred to the Súðárín. All songs sung and stories told for the festival should contain themes of vitality, rejuvenation, and/or remembrance of lives well-lived; themes of death, destruction, or sorrow should be avoided.
Wisdom of the Ancestors
Sjædíllínjogabrót, or Snowberry Meade (also called Gáðjogabrót, "Spirit Meade"), is a traditional drink associated with Reynjastág; it is aged over the course of the winter to be first opened and consumed on the feast day, and often grants an experience to the imbibers in which they perceive the voices of their ancestors speaking from the spirit realm, offering wisdom and counsel.
Sounds like a good time!