Dwarven Birthdays
On the day of the celebration the day is broken into three parts. During the first part, the clan acts as if the celebrant(s) aren't there, ignoring them for the most part. This is to help remind them of what the family and community mean to them. Traditionally they do not interact with each other either.
The early afternoon then has various members of the family sit down and tell stories of different times the celebrant(s) helped out here or there or made a difference. Some of the stories are about personal help; other times they're about how a job no one else wanted to do was done; or about how they helped solve some kind of trouble. This helps everyone remember what the celebrant(s) means to the family/clan as a whole.
The longer the stories last the more prestige the celebrant(s) gets as well. The length of how long this takes can change a dwarf's status in the family. This encourages hard work and community thinking rather than putting oneself first. Finally when all of the stories are done two sometimes three are selected and made into songs or in rare cases added to the collection of clan/family tales that children are raised on. After that there is music, food, dancing, and drinking until people are too tired to celebrate anymore.
The next day is a celebration of life in general for the whole clan and thinking over the great stories of the evening before many dwarves set themselves new goals to accomplish before their time comes. Dangerous game is usually hunted at this time, be it boar, cliff dwelling mountain goats, bears, or pelt only animals such as wolves and great cats. After all what better way to remember that you're alive than to live dangerously.
Components and tools
The celebration is held at one of the clans 'homes' or refuges. Being nomadic the dwarven people still have a large circuit that they travel in, varying the circuit usually each year. Some routes and clans take only a year to travel and others can take longer, one clan is documented as having a five year long route that they continuously travel. Each refuge that a clan keeps will have caches where supplies are stored and put in for future passes. Inevitably, they will have some extra potatoes that are put away with yeast to become vodka. Fruits and vegetables will also be packed away in vodka that is already finished for storage or honey if it can be found near by. The celebration happens when one of these refuges is traveled to and there will be plenty of vodka to drink from the previous year(s) set put away.
Observance
The nomadic dwarves only celebrate an individual's birthday once per decade rather than once a year. This is done for all of the dwarves who are reaching a decade of age that year regardless of the actual date of birth. This celebration is always held in the fall so that harvest and hunting is at it's prime.
Related Ethnicities
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