Time

The people of Progonos measure time almost the same way as we do, by relying on the observation of the heavenly bodies. Interestingly enough, the way of reckoning shows many similarities in every culture, suggesting that its development might date back to the early times, before the tribes have scattered.
In civilized settlements, the annual calendar is etched into large stone tablets that are put on display on the main squares to help people keep a better track of time. In less advanced communities, announcing the change of a period and the arrival of special occasions is the duty of the wisemen.

• A Sunphase is roughly a year, a duration of time under which the sun dims over the world, then comes to shine the brightest once more. At the moment the world is in the middle of the 450th Sunphase according to the adrean calendar, and at the end of the 467th to its phorisian counterpart of the First Age.

• A Moonphase is what they call a month, the time between one new moon to the next. Thirteen Moonphases make up a Sunphase. the names of the Moonphases in order from the start of a Sunphase to the end are the White fox, Cat, Owl, Bear, White Crane, Bull, Stallion, Stag herd, Serpent, Falcon, Loon, Grey wolf, and finally Three Ravens. Currently, the world is in the Falcon's Moonphase.

• A Starphase is like a week, a period under which the signs on the night sky change into a different form. This is a unique, but yet unexplained phenomenon of Progonos that mystics believe to have some sort of relation to arcane powers, and might even influence the flow of sorcery. Three Starphases make up a Moonphase. Starphases are left out in the reckoning of the islander tribes.

• A Cycle is the equivalent of a day, the time when the sun and the moon both turn once. Twelve Cycles make up a Straphase. The Cycles do not have any particular names, the people refer to them only by their number within the Starphase.

• With still lacking the comprehension to divide time to hours and minutes, a Cycle is made up of seven Segments, and in order, they are called twilight, morning, midday, afternoon, dusk, night and deepnight.

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The following celebrations and memorials are called the High festivals, that were a part of the common calendar since its inception, thus each and every culture observes them equally and more or less according to the same names and related customs. There are of course many other festivals that are tied to only one specific region or culture.

• Lightbirth is held to honour the start of a new life along with the rebirth of the sun. It is the first high festival of a Sunphase when the people clean their houses to the smallest corners and also repair everything that is broken around their homes. It is customary to visit public baths or clear lakes for a ritualistic cleansing bath.

• Pale sun is the festival that takes place when the first full moon shines on the night sky during the Cat's Moonphase. It is said that the spirits become stronger, and it is easier for them to visit the Surface world. The people welcome them with ceremonial singing and offer them a great feast. Those who don't can expect some sort of calamity in the near future.

• Skyrise is held to honour the young who are about to enter adulthood. The exact day varies with each culture, but the festival always takes place in the Stallion's Moonphase. Those who fail the right of passage will have to wait for one Sunphase to try again and be recognized as an adult.

• High sun is perhaps one of the most important high festivals on Progonos. In the middle of the Stag Herd's Moonphase the communities are led by their wisemen on a parade as they bless the fields and the family homes, praying for fertility. The first harvest is offered to the ancestors, or spirits in a ceremony, while it is also auspicious for couples to lay that night if they wish to have a healthy, beautiful child. We call it the summer solstice.

• Last harvest is a relatively short ceremony that takes place in the Falcon's Moonphase, once the storages and granaries are filled. Regardless of the number of resources they have managed to store, people thank the earth and offer a blood-sacrifice. It is a tradition that is fading more and more in civilized circles as the people have lost their connection to the living soil.

• Day of Remembrance is a lengthy celebration that is dedicated to the loving memory of the heroic ancestors whose deeds have ended the Mythic Age. On this day the people pay their respects to all Tribal ancestors with feasting, dancing, and offerings gifts, reenacting their epic stories. It is held in the Grey wolf's Moonphase and could be the equivalent of the Autumn equinox.

• Lightfade is held at the end of the twelfth Moonphase before the transitionary thirteenth. The people remember their deceased kin and friends by visiting their resting places and pray that their souls will remain to be at peace in the Underworld. It could be considered to be the equivalent of the winter solstice.

• Lifephase is a two-days festival held from the dusk of the last year to the night of the coming year's first day. The time is spent singing, dancing, feasting, and giving small gifts of kindness to each other. The people are merry for this short time.

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