Sollenia satús

General overview

The Sollenia satús is the spring festival of the city of Remia in the state of Tebrina. It is set at the spring equinox and is the counterpart of the Éppulo grangiús. The date of the latter is also determined by the sun, in that case by the autumn equinox. But while the Éppulo grangiús celebrates the moon, as autumn and winter are attributed to the moon, the Sollenia satús celebrates the sun. The sun provides light and warmth, enabling agriculture. Thus the Sollenia satús is a festival of fertility and of which sowing seeds is an integral part.

Aetiology and history

The Sollenia satús marks the time of the year, when the light starts to outweigh the dark. It is the beginning of the sun's half-year and has been an important festival since times immemorable. When the gods still lived on Samthô, they say the sun-god Éstlús and the goddess of the fertile soil, Tarranínda embarked on a journey through the land to announce spring and the season of light, warmth and growth and gifted to the people a plethora of seeds so they could grow and harvest them. When the gods withdrew from Samthô, their festivals and celebrations remained as did the virtues of their institutions. Now this festival still honours Éstlús' and Tarranínda's annual journey and makes it a festival of great importance.

Role in the present time

As its counterpart, the Éppulo grangiús, the Sollenia satús also lasts ten days. On the first day, which coincides with the spring equinox, people prepare a stew of different kinds of grain and seeds called Onnigran. Big pots are set up in the streets in which the ingredients are cooked from noon to dusk. Meanwhile the people clean their houses and the streets as the scent of the Onnigran fills the city. By evening everyone gathers outside and gets their share of the Onnigran. People then sing songs in honour of Éstlús and Tarranínda. Then the priests of these two gods retreat to a prepared area outside the city between the fields. Here they prepare the first líbúrró of the half-year.

For the next four days the people celebrate by watching theatrical performances to rekindle all forms of emotions which are said to be subdued in the winter half-year. This is a spiritual cleansing after the physical cleansing on the city on the first day. For the last five days of the Sollenia satús the people go out of town to assist the farmers with preparing the fields and sowing the seeds. The priests supply the people with the bérevo they prepared the four days before close to the fields during that time. Thus starts the sun half-year, during which consumption of alcohol is allowed again.