Passing of Omehiri
"It was the most curious thing. I arrived in Noria, capital of the Empire of Odrenna, about a fortnight before the festival and already preparation was in full swing. They had built massive pyres, one for each of the gods, outside the city. The locals were quite wary of me, it was a great honor the Empress granted me, to be able to witness the Passing of Omehiri. For all I know, this will be the only first-hand account of the festival to be shelved in the Tower of Knowledge."~ an excerpt from Nakiasha Genmaer's Journey to Odrenna, submitted to the Tower of Knowledge in Aiova in 1402
History
The Passing of Omehiri started as the way for the Fae of Odrenna to keep track of the comet, Omehiri. The comet only passes by Saebetia once every 25 years and the Fae believe it is the thing that grants them their Vine. In the very beginning, Fae sacrifice was used to worship the comet and give thanks. That later changed to sacrifice of a wyvern, born on the third morning of the previous comet's journey. Some smaller villages on the outskirts of Odrenna still use Fae sacrifice, generally of those who have already been stripped of their Vine, although this has been officially outlawed by the Empress.
Eventually, the Fae worried that giving praise to the comet, as the source of the Vine, was to snub the Gods and so proceeded to include worship of the Gods during the Passing of Omehiri. to this end, each village creates pyres, one for every god and burns them at the same time, with a sacrifice of a lamb placed in the center of each one.
Execution
The current way to perform the ceremony of the Passing of Omehiri is for the community to create the most resplendent alter of wood and nature. This means decorating the alter with flowers, moss, and small animals. Then, the 23 pyres for each God are lit, with their lamb sacrifices inside, and then the wyvern is sacrificed on the wooden alter. The Fae then feast on the wyvern and dance in the light of the fire and the comet until the comet is gone from the sky and the fires have burnt out.
Components and tools
The Fae are very connected to the earth and as such, will replant the amount of trees cut down to make the alter and pyres. The wood itself is sacred to the Fae as it is only to be used for the ceremony.
Participants
The Passing of Omehiri is considered the most important of all Fae celebrations and all celebrate it, for fear of losing access to their Vine. Even Fae who do not currently reside in Odrenna will either make the journey or do their absolute best to celebrate wherever they are.
Observance
This ritual is performed every 25 years when the comet passes by Saebetia.
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