The Culture of the Viridùm

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

The Viridùm all speak the same language with small regional dialects being the exception.

Culture and cultural heritage

The culture of the Viridùm is entirely based around their faith. The religious leader is the head figure of the faith. He/she gets elected by a council of high priests as the chosen one. The leader sets the standards the Viridùm should/have to live by. He/she needs to set an example for all to follow. Living in absolute harmony with nature and each other is the ultimate goal. Anyone threatening the goal is deemed to be a heretic that gets a trial and is then either pardoned or exiled by the leader. If the “heretic” does not comply with the expulsion from the planet he/she gets executed on the spot.

Shared customary codes and values

The three pillars of Viridùm society are the most important values: The biggest pillar is Harmony that balances the other two pillars, Faith and Nature. The faith guides the way, how the Viridùm should live and nature is the home they live in that needs to be maintained and protected at all costs.

Average technological level

The Viridùm are a space faring race that also is pretty advanced in the fields of genetic and molecular engineering.

Common Etiquette rules

Being calm and centred at all times is a very important quality to have in the Viridùm society. It is courtesy to bow when meeting somebody, exchanging common greetings like “may they river of life guide you well” or “natures blessings to you” and to bow when the conversation has ended and you leave. Being respectful and helping in anyway that may be needed is common within the Viridùm society. Nobody is to be left alone, for there is only unity and harmony.

Common Dress code

All Viridùm wear long dress like clothing that is inspired by nature in its design. When they are on their planet they usually don’t wear shoes to feel the ground beneath their feet and deepen the connection with nature.

Art & Architecture

Viridùm express their artistic side whit their gardening skills. For nearly every home of a Viridùm has a more or less small garden. The buildings of the Viridùm are one with nature, for example a tree forms a house and the Viridùm add to it with a balcony that than gets consumed by the tree and becomes a part of it.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

Viridùm do attend at least once a week a gathering in the temple to educate themselves, to pray and meet up with Viridùm from other workplaces. The temples offer free counselling and spiritual guidance so the people can relax and go back to work with renewed focus. Once a year Viridùm make a pilgrimage to one of the four main temples or even to the holy tree Yg'drazil itself to pay their respects to nature. At home Viridùm pray two times per day at a time they chose. If the temple priests deem you worthy you get a specially crafted bracelet as proof of your faith and hard work.

Birth & Baptismal Rites

When a child is born it gets baptized in the local temple by dispersing a drop of holy sap from the holy tree Yg'drazil on their forehead. As of this point the child has full rights of a citizen.

Coming of Age Rites

When a Viridùm comes of age he/she gets welcomed to the working society in a ceremony in the local temple. The trial of childhood has ended and so have the special privileges they had. Since they were still learning the way of the faith they were not as much accountable as an adult for doing something wrong/against the faith. Nobody would exile or execute a child. Now the lessons should be learned and you should abide the rules of the faith.

Funerary and Memorial customs

Even though the death of a loved one is extremely heartbreaking and sad, the memorial and funerary ceremony is celebrating the life and achievements of the person that is no more. In the spirit of the Viridùm saying “what comes from the earth must go back to the earth” the dead body is given back to nature, to make it stronger and for the lost person to be apart of something greater once again.

Common Taboos

Taboos you should never break are doing wrong against the faith, hurting the nature you swore to protect, break the law or eat meat. Most of these crimes will inevitably lead to exile or death by execution.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Since outer beauty lies in the eye of the beholder the Viridùm focus on the inner beauty of a person. They consider inner beauty to be a pleasant personality, the love of nature and how you treat it and care for it and the devotion to their faith. In other words, the religious leader most of the time sets the bar for a beauty ideal.

Gender Ideals

Male and female Viridùm are completely equal on a social level in society.

Courtship Ideals

A Viridùm of any gender can engage the attempt to win a partner over by impressing them with their skills to handle nature of their respective domain where they work in.

Relationship Ideals

A married pair of Viridùm always strives to achieve perfect harmony in their marriage, with society, with work and their faith. Raising the new generation of Viridùm is also a big relationship ideal, providing them with the knowledge and understanding of harmony as the core foundation of the society of the Viridùm. The balance between nature, the Viridùm and their faith need to be studiously taught to the children.