The Last Days Festival

The Last Days festival is celebrated in Isokar in the four days preceding the winter solstice, with the fifth and last day being the solstice itself. The celebration is considered to mark the end of the year and the rebirth of the world as winter begins to loosen its grip.

History

Mythology, Religion and Storytelling

The Last Days Festival, also known as the Five Days festival or simply as the New Year celebrations, has been celebrated in Isokar for centuries. It has its roots in mythology and religion; the winter solstice was reportedly made a festival by the deity Staraan during the first year of the world. As with most ancient stories in Isokar and indeed the world, the tale of Staraan and the First Year has been passed down orally. The first written recording of the story contains the following passage (translated from ancient Iveki, the linguistic ancestor to Isokari):

"Staraan was proud of their children. They saw the ingenuity of their children. They saw the bravery of their children. They saw the compassion of their children, and what they saw pleased them. They said, 'My children are beautiful and good. They have survived all the hardships that stood against them. They have survived the First Year. As a gift to them, the last five days shall be a celebration of all they have achieved, and a celebration of the new Year, which brings ease to the hardships of the Rule of Night.' And it was so."

Execution

The First Day

The first day is a time for cleaning and decorating. This is used as a kind of midwinter equivalent to the [Placeholder: demonym] tradition of "spring cleaning". The Last Days are also a time for charity, and on this day people typically give away things in their house that they do not need, especially in noble households. This may include furniture, clothing or tools. Food and medicine is donated throughout the Last Days.

Decorations

Decorations for the Last Days festival are sometimes prepared for weeks in advance, and although they are traditionally hung only on the first of the five days, as they have become more extravagant decorating may continue for several days before and after this time as well.
Decorations typically include fabric streamers and banners with good-luck messages on them, in the Isokari colours of white, gold and green. The sacred whales symbol is also frequently used, with Staraan's gold whale (sometimes also represented in red) being the most common. Bark lanterns featuring star, whale and sun designs are hung up between buildings alongside the streamers. These lanterns are not lit until the Last Day itself. Bone chimes are used to create natural music in the wind, and are often carved beautifully. Fish made from bone, antler or ceramics are also a common decoration, usually hung alongside banners, as they are seen to represent plenty and abundance. Amber, relatively common in Isokar and an object of national pride, is often carved into chains, made into beads or used to ornament lanterns and banners.

The Second, Third and Fourth Days

The middle days of the festival leading up to the solstice are a time for prayer and for giving thanks. Gifts are given to family members throughout this time, as well as charitable donations of food and medicine. This is considered a lucky time for beginnings, and as such many couples get engaged during the Last Days festival, with plans to be married the following year. Babies born during the Last Days, unlike other babies born earlier in winter, are seen as lucky and destined for great things. (Babies born after the New Year are neither particularly lucky nor unlucky.)

The Last Day

The Last Day is the winter solstice, the longest night of the year. The loudest and busiest celebrations typically do not begin until the sun has set on this day, at which point all the lanterns and many large bonfires are lit. The fires are used to clear snow from public spaces and keep people warm as the dancing and festivities begin. These include:

• Lively dances, similar to a square dance or morris dance. The dances range from complex displays peformed by professionals to simpler dances that all the public can participate in.
• Mock or stage combat, designed to recreate famous battles in Isokari mythology and history or simply to display one's skill. They are often called combat dances as they are frequently highly-choreographed and a work of art in their own right.
• Feasts, featuring livestock animals raised and slaughtered especially for the occasion, as well as preserved delicacies from earlier in the year. Fish is the most common food at these feasts, and the alcohol flows in abundance.
• Contests, including: archery, wrestling, sword-fighting, horseriding, dog-sledding, skating and other competitions. Swimming is a very popular competition and to be crowned the winner is a great honour.

Sacrifice (the lack thereof)

There have been rumours for centuries that Isokari people practise human sacrifice on the winter solstice, but this is untrue. In fact, the Isokari do not sacrifice living animals of any kind, although foreign visitors may be confused by the animals slaughtered for feasts around this time.
A "sacrifice" of sweet-smelling herbs is thrown onto the bonfires at midnight, but otherwise sacrifice is not part of the Last Days festival. The idea of the festival is to celebrate the life lived in the last year, that the worst of winter is now over, and to welcome the new life in the coming year. Sacrifice of any kind does not fit in with this view, especially as the festival is considered to be a gift from Staraan which needs no reciprocation.

Midnight on the Last Day

This time represents the start of the New Year, and is the most important time in the whole five-day festival, although the festival does not officially end until the first sun of the new year. The exact moment was traditionally declared by priests; the introduction of clockwork timekeeping has made the timing more precise, but religious figures still play a crucial role. The time is celebrated with a chant or cry that translates simply to "The New Sun!", which is followed by music, dancing and revelry with renewed energy.

Observance

The celebration occurs during the last five days of the Isokari year, which are intercalary and not considered part of any of the twelve months in the Isokari calendar. The Winter Solstice is the last day of the year. (Leap days are inserted into this intercalary period at the end of the year, so that every four years the celebration is six days long.)

Related Organizations

• Isokar

Related Ethnicities

• Isokari