Festival of Plenty
In Midlander culture, one of the most popular ceremonies is the annual Festival of Plenty, a celebration of romantic love and of familial closeness.
Not unlike our Saint Valentine's Day, the "Day of Plenty" is an optional observance especially intended for Midlander romantic couples and families, but which also includes a distinct aspect of celebrating the boons of nature: A bountiful harvest, and full stomachs.
Local ceremonies are often held in public, with much of the populace of a town or city in attendance throughout the day's observance. It is especially common to exchange fresh creampies, a food heavily associated with the cold month of Coisa in which the festival occurs. Chartreuse banners or ribbons, also affiliated with Coisa, are hung outside of homes and on public signage. Food shared during the festival is usually hot, as the 11th of Coisa, its observation day, is among the coldest of the year.
History
The earliest Festivals of Plenty preceded the Theft of Souls by several centuries, and appear to have arisen from local grain exchanges akin to farmer's markets held in rural Vilian communities.
Immediately after the Theft, when such communities were left badly depopulated, the sharing of food became an act of generosity bordering on intimacy, bolstering its association with passion and romance. The modern festival appears to have been fully standardized by the 600s AT, and it has undergone little change since.
Components and tools
The most important supplies for a celebration of the festival are fresh creampies and other foodstuffs, especially hot meals; and chartreuse banners and ribbons. For its simplicity, the festival is among the most important in Midlander culture, and to miss the sharing of food is considered a major social faux pas.
Observance
The Festival of Plenty is observed on the 11th of Coisa (the fifth month out of nine) annually, precisely midway through the month.
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