Remembrance day

This is my submission to the Dark Harvest flash challenge
Remembrance days are celebrated by the Farens in remembrance of their loved ones that have passed away. The rememrance days are celebrated to commemorate the important dates of the late person's life. Each deceased might have more than one remembrance day each year. Celebrated commonly are the birthday and the day of death of the deceased. Other common celebrations could be, for example, that a widow of the deceased continues to celebrate their anniversaries just like when they were still living. It's also not uncommon for a child to continue celebrating their parent's anniversary even when they are both dead.

The actual traditions depend on which remembrance day being celebrated. It is common to practise same rituals as on the actual day being remembered. Generally common traditions include gathering to the grave or home altar of the deceased, and enjoying a meal together. The deceased is also offered food and drink, most commonly by pouring wine on the ground. These celebrations are usually far from quiet and respectful. They are supposed to be fun, and a lot of drinking is usually involved. The participants are encouraged to share any memories of the deceased, that bring up a lot of emotion, as it strenghtens the souls connection to this world. Not all the stories are pleasant, they might be about a particularly embarassing moment too.
During the celebration the decendants can also talk with the ancestor. The communication is usually done by a priest or a family mystique who has talent for such things. Some well cared for ghosts from old families can be quite active participants in the celebrations, but others might be rather confused and scared of being awaken all the sudden. That is one reason why it's so important to keep the general mood joyful, noone would want the party to be ruined by a particularly angry ghost.
The commmunication with the ancestors is known to bring important messages about the future of the family, but the messages are usually quite cryptic. Nevertheless, the Farens try hard to respect the will of the ancestors, to keep them content. A happy ghost in a happy family, as the saying goes.

Burial traditions

The Farens have varying burial traditions depending on the city state. In the western areas, citystates such as Arensande, and West Island the dead are usually buried close to the home, often under the house or on the yard, to keep them close to the family. In the central area with the largest cities, like Fares (Silford) a common graveyard is often situated close to the settlement. In the east it's common to bury the dead on a hill near the town, and built a monument or a small house for them. This tradition shares recemblance to the burial towers of the nearby Ara people.
In any case, the Farens believe that if the body can't be buried in a safe place, it must be burned as fast as possible to prevent any evil spirits capturing the soul. A worst fate imaginable is death by drowning in the sea, and spending the rest of existance alone in the bottom of the sea.