Stildanian Calendar

Here is the Stildanian Calendar, with all its assorted holidays.

Notes:

• Not all communities celebrate all holidays. Some celebrate holidays from multiple religions. All holidays have a unique local and political context.
• Ignore the moon stuff, I cannot get it to work in a way that I want it to.
• The seven-day week and solar Gregorian months of our own calendar are here to provide reference; in-fiction, the months could be different, as could the weeks.

Holidays

Holiday text. Also see Uvaran Holidays, Aentorl, and Kivish Holidays.

Spring

March, Frelden Festival: The most important Uvaran holiday. The primary day is either the 20th or the 21st, whichever is the year's spring equinox. While the night of the equinox is the primary day of the Frelden Festival, the three days preceding it are still holy days with particular ceremonies and preparations. This is a holiday celebrating Ustav's resurrection, the survival of the community through winter, life's determination marching forward, and the promise of the 'Great Spring' that shall liberate life from suffering and evil. It is a day of coming of age, of celebrating the recently deceased, and blessing the coming year. See Frelden Festival. 
March, Yujolin: The Kivish New Year, also celebrated as the formal calendar new year by urban Uvaran communities. Among Kivish community, Yujolin is a sacred time of reincarnation and spiritual rebirth, honoring the newly born and newly deceased in particular. It is a day giving special honor to elders and to new parents, often including gift-giving. Among Uvarans, Yujolin is a nominally religious holiday celebrating the prophecy of the Irunek and the joy of His Return; it is highly commercial, and favors those of the urban middle and upper classes
April, Ertenfelm: An Uvaran holiday celebrating Ertenar, son of Ustav and God of water, weather, and travel. Ertenfelm is a very locally diverse holiday, though it is almost always important in some way. Cult priests use ceremonies to try and control the level of rainfall, typically in the morning and the evening. Other rituals may occur to try and enrich the sea or the waterways with fish. Any local water monsters may be appeased at this time. The local needs of the community and geography determine what the focus is. The most common united tradition of Ertenfelm is the Puppet Sacrifice, where the commoners make rudimentary dolls of straw or sticks and whisper their prayers/wishes to them, before flinging them en masse at the height of the ceremony into a river, stream, or the sea. Settlements without accessible waterways use fire i
Stories of Ertenar and Ustav tend to be acted out; these performances take center-stage in many Ertenar cult centers (such as Selvergen), where local myths are connected to broader Uvaran mythology. At the end of the day is a feast that is themed around Ertenar's blessings (in coastal towns, this is often seafood-rich).
The color of Ertenfelm is Blue. An auspicious day for Warlocks and Ederstone sorcerers who are good of heart.
April, Heavenstouch Day: A cult holiday of Lily of Red; not tied to any faith, but considered rather niche. Celebrates the "Architect", Halcyon, a spirit of creation who sends the winds of fate to shape the world. Considered a representation of destiny and fate by many, Halcyon is worshipped here as the Coronation - she shall crown the Irunek and ensure that the promise of prophecy is fulfilled. Her supreme messenger is Lily of Red (daughter of the God Erenar in Uvara; Aspect of Purpose to Kivishta).
For those who keep this holy day, they give sacrifice and eat humbly together. Any oaths made this day, it is said, are binding beyond death - any who break them shall be tormented by Lily herself.
April, Ketishgretin: A Kivish festival, associated with fertility, animal husbandry, and childbirth. One of two festivals dedicated to the Goddess Ketisk, lady of creation, abundance, luck, and joy. Specifically, this is dedicated to Ketisk as the maiden-virgin-bride ("Ketiskgret"). This is a day of weddings, youthful games, jokes, and animals. As an agricultural festival, Ketishgretin is the day of animal husbandry, particularly cattle and horses. In Southern Stildane, it is also a fruit-picking festival for citrus and peaches. Revelers often dress as animals, though the specifics of festivities vary locally.
As a town holiday, Ketishgretin is all about games, feasting, joy, and comedy. Funny costumes abound. Cheese and yoghurt are eaten. Marriages are common on this day, and are often covered by wealthy patrons. The holiday is often symbolized by goats and rabbits, with a rabbit with goat horns serving as shorthand
May, Rugenbot: An Uvaran holiday devoted to Rugon, the Lord of Plants. The day is the "first great victory against winter", and is themed around the banishment of dark forces from the land - ensuring the arrival of summer.
The day of Rugenbot is cheery and colorful, but rather pious. Maypoles are erected and adorned with flowers, while elders/priests lead in the story of Rugon - how he wandered the world seeking happiness, before he realized that his calling was to eschew the pleasures of life to support the world. He turned into a seed, and Ustav planted him beside the most sacred spring; through many tricks and much violence Ustav and Rugon's mother (Kragen) protected the sapling-God. Rugon grew and became the World Tree (the Gengaum). Inn doing so, he rooted the world in knowable rhythms of time and space and gave the world its calendar. All dryads descended from his the seeds.
The daytime is a day of charity and selfessness. The poor are to be fed, and all signs of ostentatiousness are put aside (except for rich colored fabric). The plans are made for the next phase of agriculture, and the people gather for assemblies and settle their disputes before the priest.
The seeds of peace, compassion, and charity planted around the maypoles are protected during the evening feast. Through fire, the ground is made ready and fertile, and beasts are driven away. Through masks and scourges, evil-doers, barbarians, and witches are made terrified and scared from the land. The people make merry, drinking and eating - but always giving to the Earth from their plates, to give to the common soil of the World Tree.
May, Awakening Day: A major Kivish holiday. Awakening Day is a day celebrating the Irunek, and is when the dreaming mind of the Great Rumek (dreamer of all the world) stirs. As such, it is a supernatural time, when good and evil alike are most active. Some believe that this the Irunek will be revealed at this time; others believe it is when they will be born.
This is also a time celebrating the three days of revelation that allowed Verkohn the Truthful to create the True Kivish path. Some communities emphasize this more than others (Verkohn is not considered a flawless or even morally upright prophet by all Kivish - only one who spoke truth on reality).
The first day of Awakening Day is devoted to Ketisk, God of luck, abundance, fertility, and love. The second day is devoted to Kivay, God of Wisdom, Justice, Truth, and War. The third day is devoted to Rumek-as-Irunek; the dreamer who makes the world in ignorance finally awakening and ending the world's suffering.
Some Kivish celebrate ranchers, farmers, and child-keepers on the first day, warriors and priests on the second, and all Kivish on the third. Others seek pleasure for all on the first day, restraint and meditation for all the second, and a mixture of both on the third.
This is a very divisive holiday among Kivish, as the different Paths each celebrate the third day very differently.
May, Hainish Day of Honors: A Hainish cultural holiday. A day that celebrates the noble lines and honors. Statues (or skulls) of ancient heroes are paraded through the streets by their descendants, and washed and kissed by the peasantry. Performers are commissioned to tell their tales.
This is a day of ancestor-worship, and (in some places) local tribal identity. It has become a day of patronage and status as well.
This is a big jousting day; the biggest families host their tournaments this day, and compete to have better ones.

Summer

June, Allmoot Day: A minor Uvaran holiday; more significant in Hain. A day memorializing the writing of the Sovikov, the Uvaran Book of Tradition, and the unity of all priests of Ustav under a single temple.
In most places, this is a day of priests and lords. This is when new priestly apprentices are taken, and old apprentices graduate into priests. Uvaran lords on this day take oaths to protect the Faith and honor Ustav on this day; any Uvaran who wages war on another Uvaran on this day is cursed to suffering. Individual copies of the Sovikov are also blessed for use, and many lords are encouraged to give donations for new ones to be commissioned for the next year.
In Hain, this is a celebration of druids and Hainish supremacy over the faith. In the centers of Vetka's cult, Vetka is honored. Across all of Hain, lords and priests are encouraged to host feasts and give charity to the peasants, who celebrate their generosity and the safety of their land. Lords who fail to keep their people safe have seen discontent on this day.
June, Wonder's Day: A Kivish holiday, celebrating the Goddess of Wisdom, Kivay. Wonder's Day celebrates the gifts of magic and skill that allow the Kivish to thrive in a harsh world. Craft associations or guilds lead the festival in towns, and people celebrate the artisans. In the countryside, it is a celebration of the weavers and the small-artisans. The great master-works of newly graduated masters are also displayed and consecrated.
Magicians who are beloved by the temple also see particular celebration, and are encouraged to show off publicly. Great choreographed dances take place, and many communities tell their best religious stories through song, dance, and plays.
Many communities also notably incorporate boats into their celebrations - specially made boats, or boasts with special coverings, compete for attention in the water. The best-decorated (and sometimes the fastest) boat often wins a prize.
In some places, such as Kizen's capital city of Eveko, this is also a day honoring veterans and warriors, and includes military parades.
June, Dawn's Watch: The summer solstice, a holy day in the Cult of Haru. On this day, offerings are given to Haru the Wanderer and his servants of light. His cultists chant his sacred chant, and provide what healing they can to those in need. In the Northernmost lands, this day is particularly popular - there is great revelry during the Midnight Sun.
July, Olmieron: A minor Uvaran holiday. "The Feast of the Broken Spear". Celebrates the defeat of the Kivish Scourings of Stildane. Which Scouring is defeated, and how, tends to be a local matter - it is a day that generally remembers the defeat of powerful enemies and the strength of the defenses of the faithful.
In some places, this is a militaristic day; in others, it focuses on the treaties and diplomacy that brought peace to the last two centuries.
In many places, this is a minor fast followed by a minor feast, with some particular rituals.
July, Hero's Honor: A holy day for the Cult of Wimbo; a niche holiday. A sacred day for honoring the heroes of the past and present, particularly paladins and monster hunters. A day for drinking, cheering, and stories. Popular along the fringes of the settled world.
July, Hafrunas: A minor Kivish holiday. A day when Rumek, the world-god, has their memories run wild. Ghosts and the unexplained are common this night, they say.
This is a quiet holiday, particularly in the towns and cities. In the countryside, it has more of a dairy theme. Milk offerings are given, and people share cheese, milk, and eggs in special meals. In both the towns and the countryside, weavers and wheelwrights also play a ritual role. A ritual wheel is brought forward, decorate to symbolize the great wheel and the great star. It is turned in a full revolution, with special prayers at each point. Spinning wheels are decorated with the Star as well, and those who spin with them must be thanked by any passersby. The lead textile workers and wheelwrights help the priest spin the wheel, and get a special meal in the temple. This is a day of charity and thanksgiving.
July/August, Elkmob: An Uvaran agricultural holiday. Celebrates the first major grain harvest, as well as the berry harvest and first group of apples. The first four days are fast days, where those who do not work in the harvest refrain from daylight food, and those who do work in the harvest give up other luxuries (such as meat, sex, or alcohol). It is on day five, the first of Hostmoy, when the true Elkmob festival occurs. There is feasting, rest, and merriment then.
After the first fruits of the harvest are given as sacrifices to the Gods, the people parade to the bakeries to produce food for all. After a day of blessed cooking and ambient eating and merriment, the people drink and play games. Funny costumes are not uncommon, particularly fruit-or-hay themed ones.
Who this day is dedicated to varies; it is frequently either Rugon (God of Plants), Ustav (God of Renewal and Protection), or Kragen (God of War and Harvest).
August, Aelbaht: A Kivish agricultural festival. This is the end of the big Kobold hay farming season, which drags on later than most hay-farming seasons, which tend to end in June or July (Kobolds rely more on livestock, and therefore require much more hay).
This day is much more common among sedentary Kivish communities, notably Reverent or Promised path ones. It celebrates both Kitesk's bounty and Kivay's wisdom in settling down; it is a heartlands festival that celebrates their safety away from the chaos wastes.
Exalted and Truthful Path Kivish despise the Aelbaht as a sign of decadence and contentment. Heartlands Kobolds love it; this is a day of races, both on horseback and on foot. Many berries are eaten, as is much pork, fish, and beer.
August, Elfentun: A holiday mostly celebrated in the chaos wastes of Deverzel. This is a scattered and local holiday all about appeasing any traveling sentient Ederstone monsters that might be hiding nearby. A series of rituals are done to invite the monster in and bind it into the role of guest; if one does appear and fulfills the ritual code to be acknowledged, it is hosted and then dismissed the next dawn. If one does not appear, the town sings songs and rings bells to scare any non sentient monsters away.

Autumn

September, Allmoon's Day: A joint Uvaran-Kivish holiday celebrating the Lunar Pantheon as a united whole. All ten Gods are given seats of honor at a feast, with their statues present (and paladins, if possible). All are given food sacrifices and promised worship, and in response the priests demand that they work in harmony to protect the land.
The Uvaran version tends to emphasize the kinship relationships and stories of the Gods. The Kivish version tends to emphasize the spiritual meaning and 'lesson' of each God. Both bake moon-cakes and tell stories of the Gods and their servants.
September, Phoenix Day: A Kivish holiday celebrating the Atarvuke, or Great Phoenix. This is also an agricultural festival, where the people gather to harvest wood, burn charcoal, and smoke and salt meat for storage. Uvarans call it the "Slaughter-Day", for the number of animals prepared for slaughter this day, and there is an element of blood and fire here. There is also a focus on spice; spicy herbs and monster parts from the wasteland are used to spice the meats wherever possible, and many communities compete to see who can eat the spiciest sausages.
The Phoenix means different things for different communities. Legend has it that the Phoenix was a bird that saved the first Kobolds by burning itself alive to keep them warm, that it was transfigured into a demigod for its selflessness, and that it is the Mother of All Fire. Reverent Path priests have claimed that the Atarvuke reincarnates itself as lesser phoenixes or gurus to guide the Kizen empire (supposedly, the Empress Kazalim was coronated by the Phoenix Reborn). Liberated Path mystics see the Phoenix as the First Angel (a mortal bridging the gap between kobold and non-kobold through Ederstone ascension), and celebrate this holiday with great joy.
September, Direntun: A holy day for the cult of Orchid of Blue. A day of physical rest for her followers, devoted towards discussion and education. A day to teach one's children to write, or to talk with one's fellows. Among the peasants, it is called "Troktun", or "gossip day".
October, Faidlunfelm: A Kivish holiday. This day dedicates the end of horse season, when it is best to avoid over-working horses in the colder regions. The day celebrates the domestication of animals and the Legendary Faidlun, the Under-Mare that rides the deep roads underground, carving a maze of tunnels as it goes. This is also the bloody feast, when the last sacrificed animals are drained of blood for ceremonial and culinary use. Beast tamers love this day as a time to show off their monstrous mounts. On this day, many communities build wicker horses and open great pits into the ground to welcome the spirits of the earth into the world. This pit, once consecrated, is considered rather magically dangerous until it is sealed by the proper rituals.
October, Crescent Revelry: A Day of Hiku Cult. On this day, her followers sing songs, produce art, and praise her name. Mostly, they revel. It is a simple and wonderful time to be a Hiku cultist, really; it is also a popular event for non-cultists, who tend to enjoy parties regardless of the patron. This day comes at the end of a month of brewing and art-craft in Hiku's name.
October, Kragintern: An Uvaran holiday. This is the holiday of Kragen, Goddess of War, Authority, and Harvest; the woman of blades and scepters. This is a day when the wheat is cut and beaten, not people; to direct death away from people and towards the grain, people dress as skeletons and blow funerary horns. This is also a day of miners and prisms (as prisms are Kragen's children local mining towns often exchange people with or celebrate alongside farming towns.
The first day is the day of Day of Harvest, where work is done alongside play. The second day is the Day of Struggle, with more martial elements; veterans are praised, and many communities stage mock battles between summer and winter. The third day is the Day of Age, where Ustav defeats winter but ages into a wizened crone; the cold times begin. This is the spookiest of days
November, Dragon's Feast: A cult festival dedicated to Jade, popular in Eketen. A day of pomp, play, and costume, where people wear masks and dedicate small token coins to "pay taxes" to the Gods, typically in a stream or river. A large wooden or paper dragon is paraded around town; many make merry. This is, by all accounts, a version of the Calazan festival of 'Tishalla's Night', honoring the Chimera's mortal manifestation. It has also become the night of Knights in Eketen and Southern Stildane; it has taken on a more dignified aspect, though it is still surprisingly light-hearted for Jade (Goddess of Law).
November, Glory Day: A Reverent Path Kivish holiday, dedicated to Sacred Rumakel and the peace of the dead. This day, dedicated to Kivay's Law and the great mission to banish chaos from the wasteland, is a day of communal song and prayer. Order is glorified, especially in the cities. In the countryside, there is more of an emphasis on horns and hats and music. A day honoring masons, monster-hunters, and priests.
Snowfall, Movable: An Uvaran minor holiday. This day shifts times, and is celebrated usually on or a few days after the first snowfall in a community. It is often a November holiday in the North (and can be an October one!), while it is often a January holiday in the South (and can even be absent entirely). This is a solemn day of communal prayer and remembrance honoring the Death of Ustav. The story of his demise is told, and he is given a funeral as well as a mock-grave. The deaths of all who passed since the Frelden Festival are listed and honored with the buried God.
November, Day of Beasts: A Liberated Path Kivish Holiday. This day honors the hunted beasts, and offers them empathy. The people gather together and honor the creatures and monsters through an escalating series of rituals that involves the audience imagining that they are the creatures. This sometimes involves drugs, sometimes centers on a few "shamans" who can entire a disassociated state, and sometimes is communal. It always ends in the renewal of the Hunter's Pact: that the prey shall be given respect by the hunter, and will accept its death if hunted correctly and with a pure heart. The feast of hunted flesh also involves the "wisdom" and "lessons" of those creatures for the community. It is a day that merges indulgence and contemplation.
November, Silstren: An Uvaran holiday dedicated to Silta, Goddess of Starlight. On this day, the community gathers to honor Silsta for protecting the dead from the demons of the underworld. A woman dressed as Silsta typically guides the community in a circle with a lantern or torch, while a gaggle of community members wearing masks screech and harass them - but are driven away by the light. If the light goes out, the whole town must give prayer to Silsta and make a new fire through the Renewal Magic of Ustav. Many local variants exist, of course, but the goal is typically the guide the spirits of the dead to safety.

Winter

December, Hadashten: An Uvaran holiday celebrating Hadash, God of animals, crafts, and the hearth. This is a hearth festival first and foremost, about hunkering down for winter with your neighbors. Isolated households check on each other, exchange cloth, and promise that they will adopt each other's children. Each community is to send their two strongest adults to check on the other families, belting prayerful song - one dressed as an eagle, the other as a lion. Hearths are blessed and decorated with garlands. In the temple, the priest(s) ritually tie down and bind the statues of the Gods with sacred ropes or chains, to prevent Winter from stealing them away.
December, Demonsbane: A cult holiday of Ishkibal, dedicated to monster hunting. On this day, Ishkibal gathers his warriors to prepare for a hunt against all profane monstrosities that chaos sends against the civilized realms during winter. It is a martial holiday, intended to prepare for the hunt and memorialize those that came before. A great feast follows, after the hunt is complete.
December, Sovernten/Yule: A significant Kivish holiday, also the Winter Solstice. A big series of days, dedicated to the Promise and Prophecy that one day, all souls trapped in the cycle of reincarnation will be freed from earthly suffering. The first day is the day of contemplation and preparation. The second day is the most joyous, and the true heart of the festival: Kobolds stay up all night, scaring away the monstrous spirits of the Deepest Night of the winter solstice with stories, prayers, songs, feasting and laughter. While individuals may sleep, the party must not end until the dawn, awaiting the coming of the Irunek. Finally, the people slumber and rest over the next day,
Sovernten is a day of potent oaths and heightened prophecy. The Deepest Night is a dangerous time to be out - even Uvarans know this to be true. Also, while this may all sound rather secular, it is not; the reversal of when one sleeps and when one wakes is seen as very powerful, and the rituals at dawn are deeply emotional calls for the Savior's Awakening.
January, Varshasten: An Uvaran holiday, also called "Survivor's Day". This day celebrates Varsha, the quiet Goddess of Life and Creation. Two stories are told across the two days: first, The Story of the Morning, which tells of Varsha's fight for survival against the Dark Gods Ubibi and Deversain. Then, the Story of the Evening, when Varsha awoke from her long slumber to venture to the underworld to gather up the parts of broken Ustav. Both stories are melancholy at best; this is a sad, if hopeful, holiday. Activities of this day vary wildly; some places forage for mutated winter-life, others stay together patiently.
January, Almsgiving: A holiday for followers of Theia. On this day, those who follow the Goddess of Freedom give what they can to the poorest of their communities. It is a humble day, though it can be joyous.
February, Trodyert: A Kivish holiday celebrating Ketisk, Goddess of plenty. This festival celebrates Ketisk not as the maiden, but as the matron; this day celebrates births and rebirths. This is the day when, after her marriage in Rizaiz, the Goddess gives birth to herself in self-reincarnation. Most celebrations do not linger on this, but rather focus on the image of Ketisk as a parental authority figure, carrying a sacred god-child.
This is both a day celebrating parents (particularly those who carried the child), as well as a day of calving - many of the cows bred during Rizaiz will be coming to term. This is a fertility holiday, as well as a day of beating the boundaries of towns and healing. The symbol of the festival is the unicorn.
February, Vanokten: An Uvaran holiday devoted to Vanoke, God of Sky, Time, and Creation. Old Man Vanoke's Day is a day to sing, check in on one's neighbors, and eat all sorts of pancakes and pies together if foodstocks allow. Candles are lit and blessed, representing the hope of survival and the acts that the God took to preserve life at its most vulnerable. Babies are blessed and purified, as are the elderly. This day also represents the start of new agricultural activity at its most humble, though real full farmwork will not start until Frelden.
February, Kianahass: A cult holiday to Emesh, known as Wizard's Night. On this day, learned keepers of lore gather to trade and preserve knowledge. Wizards in particular celebrate in their own spaces, reserved only for masters of magic. Most people who are not paladins, scholars, or mages have little awareness of Kianahss.
February, Trodiren: A minor Kivish holiday, dedicated to Kivay, goddess of wisdom and authority. This is the God's Rest, a day dedicated to calm and to charity. On this day, alms are given both to poor kobolds and to monks and priests; temples are cleaned and community spaces repaired. No money is to be exchanged, only kindness and words of piety. This is also a day of prayer and contemplation.