The Fracas
In the Shadow of Syltan
Towns and villages close to The Syltan Ruins have lived in fear of the strange ruins as far back as history has been recorded. The haunting howls and strange creatures that occasionally wander out of the ruins have left farmers who live on the edges of towns particularly rattled. This fear inspired the earliest iterations of The Fracas.
The First Fracas
Historians record that the first Fracas was a sombre and serious event. Only adults took part and children were expected to stay in the town halls with the elderly to monitor them. The earliest practices included the villagers spreading out in a line and walking towards the ruins, shouting and hollering to scare off the monsters that might wander down to kill the crops or farmers. These early Fracases were almost ritualistic and would occur rain or shine on the first day of spring before planting began.
The Modern Fracas
The ritual of The Fracas has turned into a holiday as scholars study the ruins and bring a better understanding of the creatures and plants that live among the crumbling stone structures. Villages always plan The Fracas for the first sunny spring day, and people begin preparations in the middle of winter. The Fracas is now a boisterous celebration of spring and used to bring communities together at an important time of year. Where adults once shouted in fields, children are now encouraged to shout for joy at winter’s end, ringing bells to welcome spring. Adults will shout their hopes for the year, and lovers will make loud declarations. Colourful decorations are nailed over doorways and gifts made over winter are exchanged between friends.
At sunset to honour the traditions of the original Fracas, all the villagers will line up and walk towards the ruins with bells and noise makers. This practice is kept not to scare off the monsters of the ruins, but to ward off bad luck and poor harvests.
Expanding Influence
As adventurers and merchants have passed through these towns and villages that were in the midst of The Fracas, they have spread word about the celebrations through the surrounding lands. A few towns and cities have adapted elements of the celebration somewhat clumsily. Gifts are purchased instead of made, and the shouting is less prevalent, replaced with boisterous parties and feasting. The custom of making a loud declaration of love has been the most faithfully adopted tradition of The Fracas.
Fracas Gift Guide
Gift giving is taken seriously when it comes to The Fracas. It is encouraged to make the gift yourself and for it to be personal, as such gifts are typically given to close friends, family, or lovers. Anything that can be crafted or built is suitable, but requires personal touches, such as the name of the recipient or themes that signify the relation between giver and receiver. Themes that centre around Tebin are best for lovers, or declaring your intentions towards someone you’re interested in, while gifts the feature themes of Umera are best for farmers or people who will give birth soon or have recently had children. There is no limit to the number of gifts that can be given, but most will rotate between friends to ensure a quality gift.
Winter Work
In the doldrums of winter, it’s best to have something to look forward to, and nothing could be more exciting than giving a much anticipated gift at the beginning of spring. Winter work takes many forms, such as wood carving, sewing, embroidery, lace weaving, rug hooking, and any other number of small handicrafts. Children usually help a parent or older sibling with winter work and many families will work on a joint project for a young child’s closest friend. Adults will encourage children to learn a skill they can use to make gifts in the future, and if a family has no one that can teach a skill that a child shows aptitude for, they will overwinter with a neighbour who can teach them. These children will make gifts for their own family to show their progress, when a child becomes more proficient and able to practice on their own they are expected to produce gifts for their teachers until the teacher deems the quality good enough for the student’s friends.
Flowers
A popular theme for gifts are flowers. These could be a friend's favourite variety, or a representation of the Teberia Flower for a potential lover. Flowers are also a way to show skill with small details and delicate representations especially in carvings.
It's really nice how the celebration has evolved from a fearful ritual to a great big party over time! I love the sense of history here. Good work!