Varekan Traditions

Notable Customs

Crossing Rivers

When crossing a river by another's boat, one must always leave a gift behind. One person could do with a coin, trinket or in truly dire times - something merely symbolic. A company of mercenaries, however, would have to part with a truly hefty sum.
Bridges are not built by the Familias, but they still require maintenance - the river-farers take up this responsibility. So, upon crossing a bridge, leave what you can behind, and may River Mother have mercy on those who dare steal from the neat piles that lay along the parapet. If the river-folk don't catch you, the Bog Father surely will.

Celebrations

The Coronation

An annual gathering of every Familia within Varekai. The boats converge and settle a wide section of a chosen river. They drop anchors, set up bridges and platforms between the vessels. This rickety island is used for performances, feasts and competitions. It is meant to represent a “Kingdom”, in which the Familias celebrate their speculative ancestry.
They engage in three days of festivities and tournaments, where the gaudiest and bravest of the Familias compete for two titles – the King and the Queen. The titles remain for a whole year, though they are merely symbolic.

The Drowning

While a river-farer’s body is to be sunk as soon as possible after their departure, the Familias have a tradition of “forgetting” all that would cause further pain. Once a fortnight has passed after the death, friends, relatives and even enemies gather to a bog. They ceremoniously throw away any possession that haunts their memory.
This brings them piece of mind, and works as an unspoken command, to move on. While mostly for grieving, it also helps in ending disputes – Tseras or whole Familias could engage in a feud if blood is shed between their people. If not for the ceremony, the conflict might go on for decades. The drowning orders peace.

Zheita

When a river-farer couple is to be married, the bride is dressed up to represent the “River Mother” and carried inland, to live and hide in a settlement. Meanwhile, the groom is kept busy with drinks, songs and friendly brawls. Once a few days have passed, they are dressed up as the “Bog Father” and gather a group of friends, to embark on a journey.
They take a single boat and go hunting for the “River Mother”. Once the “Goddess” is found, they have to be stolen away from the locals, who love to play along. So the groom's entourage has to distract the villagers, often with song and dance, sometimes - with shenanigans, while the groom sneaks away.
The bride usually has a guardian elected from the village, which the groom has to defeat with brawn or with guile, to steal his bride back. Once that is done, the river-farers run back to their boat and proceed to be pelted with rotten vegetables and mud balls as they make their escape.