Pirithin

In the center of each city, town, and village, the priests and priestesses of Kesava begin the dance - drummers keeping a beat so strong that even amateur dancers can join in on rhythm. They do, slowly at first, the young folks, and those too old to care. Eventually the wild beat takes in all of them, and all of the residents of the town join the dance.

History

Pirithin, sometimes called the day of dance, began during a great plague 700 years ago. The people begged Kesava to heal them from the plague, but she did not listen. They begged again, offering what little they had left to her. Still she did not respond. Eventually they danced, danced as their bodies broke beneath them, danced until they could dance no more. Kesava watched then, and after they had danced for a whole day, she healed them, and the plague was gone.

Execution

The dance takes place over an entire day, but most dance in shifts. Everyone dances after the dawn and welcoming in the next. The rest of the day, people come and go as they can stand.
Kesava's priests, however, dance the entire day, damaging their bodies in their devotion to the Goddess.

Observance

The Dance takes place each year on the 3rd day of the 5th month.