Winter Solstice

by twenty20photos

Winter Solstice is the overarching holiday name that the majority of Jiwenia celebrate. It is also used to describe and mark the mid-time of Celesow. It is characterized by Moon being in the sky longer than Sun and, similar to a lunar eclipse, strengthening and bringing the symbols of darkness and light together. On the other side of this is the twilight and summer solstice which is the opposite with a period of pure darkness that takes place in Hat'ein and in Smoten, Sun taking Moon's place. These three solstices are instrumental to keeping all of Jiwenia on the same track.

There are numerous holidays and traditions that take place during this time celebrated by different regions, species, groups, religions, etc.

• Fest of Dragons: Celebrated by the historical House Dragon and in modern times their ancestors and those who live in peace around dragons. The holiday celebrates the six divine dragons and their kin as they head underground into hibernation. It lasts for seven days, the first six days each devoted to one of the six divines and the last day being a great feast to all dragonkin. The festival holds an assortment of activities, traditions, and competitions for every person, some celebrate all day long. For the feast, each person attending brings a dish (one dish for every household/two if bigger than five) and this celebration takes place all night and ends when the sun breaks the sky.

• Feast of Midwinter: Celebrated by the bulk of Uqanans and Dreolds. It is similar to the Fest of Dragons with the main difference being the exclusion of dragons and lasting only a day. It is characterized by celebrations all day long and ends with a big feast put on by the families chosen that year.

• Lantern Fest:
  

  by Min An
  Originally only celebrated by House Griffin, the fall of the Phaizarn Houses and the spread of their customs led to other cultures picking up the same traditions. Building up to the day, each household creates a lantern out of their chosen material or whatever material is given to them. They write on the lantern all that has plagued them that year and then wait until the day of. The day of the fest, everyone gathers together and set the lanterns on fire, watching as what plagues them burns and the lantern itself is taken to the sky. Some groups like the Kre or more magically gifted groups have special materials that will burn the first coating and reveal a second. With this, they write what plagues them on the first and then on the second coating what they hope for in the upcoming year as well as all the good things that have happened to them.