The Festival of Eternity
The Festival of Eternity celebrates love and companionship in all forms. The night of the Festival is the only time someone can forge, remake or Renew a Bond.
Execution
A key part of the Festival of Eternity is the creation or Renewal of a Bond. This ritual has many steps, but the most notable is the writing and sending of Intent. Each member of a Bond (new or old) must carve their love and Intent into a Bond Stone, declaring their promises and hopes for their Bond partners. Ink is then applied to the front of the Stones, which are then pressed into a scroll of parchment so that each Intent of the Bond is displayed on the scroll in mirror image to the Stones. As the final step of the creation or Renewal of a Bond, the scroll must be burnt to ash or, in the case of the more religiously-inclined, thrown into a body of water which leads to the ocean, or the ocean itself.
Other Festival attractions and events include feasts, climbing contests, dancing, and recitals of the Songs of Ota, as well as other mythological and religious stories. Live music is played across the continent, so even those not attending the Festival can hear the songs echoing throughout the night.
Participants
Though the Festival began as a way to celebrate a religious holiday, the festivities have grown and evolved beyond its simple roots. Thanks to this evolution, the Festival has drawn interest and joy from many across Laethius, even including those who do not observe such religious events.
In the present, those who attend the Festival often do so as a way to celebrate or otherwise acknowledge romance and romantic entanglements. This can include old Bonded partners looking for a Bond Renewal, those looking to Bond, and those seeking to initiate a new romantic relationship. However, romance is not the sole benefit of the Festival, which usually attracts families and friends who wish to spent time together and create Bonds of their own.
For the religiously inclined, the High Priests of the Ota Ilukan open their Halls to observe quiet reflections and Blessings for both individuals and relationships. Such Blessings are also available at designated spots throughout the continent of Orlas.
Visitors: Beware!
Though the Festival of Eternity is open to all, offworld visitors would do well to remember that many Naera, particularly those native to Orlas, possess xenophobic tendencies. Though the Festival is a time of peace and love- and thus bans violence with harsh repercussions for those who would break those laws- this does not guaranty your welcome, or indeed, your safety outside of the Festival proper.
Observance
The Time of Renewal occurs every 7 years on Laethius and encompasses a number of rituals and festivities. The holiday season holds root in the major religion of the Mozai and Driseth regions of Orlas. The religion's fundamental belief is that everything in the natural world embodies a Deity or Spirit. The 13 major celestial bodies within their solar system are believed to be the physical embodiment of their 13 Deities. Laethius is believed to be the spouse of Idros, whose embodiment is the other habitable moon of Corpheus.
The Time of Renewal is a month-long event during which Laethius and Idros switch orbital paths. In the religion of the Mozai and Driseth people, this is the time when the aforementioned Deities come together to Renew their Bonds, before parting once more to return to their Eternal Duties.
The Festival of Eternity takes place at the height of the Time of Renewal, on the night when Idros appears largest in Laethius' sky.
Primary Related Location
- Platonic
- Familial
- Romantic
- Sexual
- Queerplatonic
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