Tundea's burning day

On the summer solstice the people from Vagrigh have a tradition to apease the gods and avoid their isand being burned down by the now awaken volcano. This tradition prepares the island for another year of Tundea's awakening and the participants give offerings to the spirits asking for their blessing and protection.

The week before that day, hundreds of people get ready for the day, and on the solstice, people burn down part of the island forest in a controlled fire and then celebrate all night long, offering offerings to apease the gods.

It is hold on the summer solstice since it is believed (by the Ipharians inhabitants of Vagrigh) to be the day where they are closest to friendly spirits (and thus easier to contact them) and it allows the controlled fires to do their job for longer. It also allows for people to cook more calmly the food for the night.

Preparations

The preparations of the festival start a week before the solstice, hundreds of people work on it, and it consist in preparing the forest for the controlled fire. Some of these preparations are:

Digging pits to divide which parts of the forest will be burnt.

Make sure there are no organic connection between the two parts of the forest.

Cutting down the amount of plants on the shurb layer of the forest.

Cutting down healthy trees, saving the logs for the festival (the amount of trees cut vary depending on the amount of time they have)

Primary Related Location

Vagrigh

Silhouette of people looking on fire under starry night photo by Deko It

The Solstice

Early in the solstice day's morning, as soon as the sun raises, the forest fires start. During all day, the people who had been preparing for the fires will be watch over them, making sure it does not become wild and uncontrollable, and that everything is under the norm. Meanwhile, other people ready the festival and specially the food.

When the sun finally hides and the night starts, people make sure to stop the fires and then, the celebration begins. Multiples places around the island hold food, music and a wood-carving competition. The party and the competition keeps on going through all the short night. On the next sunset, the best wood figurine will be picked; the prize tends to differ on each place.

On the next morning, people make sure that the fires did the job, killing possible surving plants and taking out anything that could be a hazard. This work might take a couple of days to finish or even a week. After all has been done, the carved wooden figures done during the solstice night will be put in the healthy part of the forest, as offerings to the spirits so they protect the forest from the Tundea's awakening.

It is believed that, if spirits accept the wooden figures as offerings, they will take them as their new houses and that will protect the forest from any possible fire from the volcano.

Brown wooden log on brown soil by Matthew Ball

History

This tradition started three decades ago, after the great fire that almost caused the island to be evacuated, also known as the Tundea's wrath. Since then, this yearly tradition is done, believing that it will calm down Tundea and cause more harmless Tundea's awakenings. Other than calming down the volcano, the traditions helps avoid the volcano eruption starting a fire that can easily spread through all the island and cause the risk of having to evacuate the island.

The whole island gets together for this celebration, even some townfolk from Etetol (as it all happens in the interior of the islands, Sirens, who are a big part of the population, cannot physically attend), who tend to be more reserved to themselves.

Since its start, people have slowly learn more tricks and techniques to apply to the forest before the controlled fires. And, because its a theme affecting all the island, everyone is obligated to tell if they learned more tricks and techniques and share it with all the island's towns. As magic is being learn, there have been investigations on how to attempt to control water (with the intention to eventually being able to control the weather as the mysterious couple did three decades ago).

No fires provoked from the volcano's lava has affected in big scale since the start of this tradition.

Brow trees on green grass field during daytime by Martin Groh