Holu'elouyun Ceremony (ˈhoʊlu eˈləʊyn)

Meaning "to make holy"

The low hum of Deggagi rose from the outside of the ceremonial ring. Apparently, the Goron had traveled with Ishes Nimarin for long enough to have come to the faith and added his own solemn prayer to this rite for the dead. So I watched as the young priestess raised her Elougehen. The dance was always the same, everytime I'd seen it. A turn, step, turn, step, step, bow. Repeat. Around the ring.
Ishes nor anyone standing there was expecting the bodies to burst into flame though.

A traditional cleansing ceremony performed by the Hylian Priesthood. This is most commonly used for preparing bodies for cremation, usually a week after death.

History

The earliest examples of the Holu'elouyun are known to have been performed for daughters of the Royal family, ensuring they were ritually clean before coming into adulthood and their position as the goddess incarnate. Overtime the ritual would be extended to marriages and eventually intertwined with funerary rites, adding the element of fire so commonly seen.

Execution

Preperation

A set of purification ties are created the night before, usually by the person requesting the ceremony be performed. These are tied to the Priestess's Gehen and are submerged along with the cleansee.

Cleansing by Water

The more numerous forms of Holu'elouyun that are performed with water follow a simple pattern, with some slight variations across history. In modern times, a river or pool supplied by a river is selected by the Priestess performing the rite. She will say a short prayer to the goddess, resting her Gehen atop the water and dipping her free hand into the water three times before cupping the water and pouring it over the religious scepter. She then motions for the person(s) to be Cleansed to walk or be carried into the water. The Priestess then raises her Gehen and takes a methodic circle around the focus of the ceremony. The pattern is always a simple dance: Step, a slow turn to face outward of the circle, two steps, a slow turn back to the center, and a bow. This is done in time to the Holu'elouyun Prayer, with the raising of the Gehen and bowing punctuating the various segments of the prayer. Once the circle is complete the Priestess then steps to the cleansee, gently guiding them to full submersion under the water, saying a final prayer. In a wedding, the bride is submerged first, and then performs the submersion of her groom.

Cleansing by Fire

While much of the ceremony stays the same, fire replaces water. The item or body is placed on a pyre of wood which is set aflame at the end of the ceremony by the performing priestess. All other elements remain the same.

Components and tools

Traditionally an Elougehen is used, but some ancient texts point to scepters and swords that had been suitably blessed as also being used.
Purification ties must be made for any ritual and are Submerged along with the thing purified. Ties left on the Gehen can become cursed and can cause darkness to infect the spirit of the owner.

Participants

Priestess

All Hylian ceremonies are performed by a female priestess over the age of 16 who has also been purified. For the Holu'elouyun, she is the sole practitioner unless cleansing a large area or extremely malfeasant entity.

Thing or Persons to be Cleansed

Quite simply which ever thing needs cleansed. A fellow priestess, a child seeking healing, a couple for their wedding, or the body of the deceased.

Observance

Preparation for the rite begins early in the morning, ensuring that plenty of fresh water is available. The rite itself must take place during day, with sunlight broadly available. Per the ancient tales, this is so Majora can consume any evil in her light. It is considered bad luck to have a cloud block out the sun during key parts of the ceremony, and an omen of ill fortune for an eclipse to happen at any point during the observance.

Hylian Terms

Gehen

Technically, a gehen is a wand, any length of wood used in the performance of a ritual. These are not always associated with magic and even rarer are they associated with evil.

Elougehen

A purifing wand, normally having a symbol of the diety that the purification is being done in the name of.

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