Kerzennächte (kɛrt͡sɛnˈnæxtə)
"The best thing is that I'll be at Home for Kerzennächte!" - an elated sailor
The passing of The Candles over the Great Ring is a time of celebration for many of the cultures that live there. Among the Þiodic Peoples of the Northeastern Region, they celebrate the festival of Kerzennächte, a celebration of home and family.
The Candles appear each year just after the winter solstice, and remain in the sky for several days. Kerzennächte officially begins when on the first night they are visible, but the preparation for the holiday can take up weeks beforehand. While the specific observances can vary, there are a few common elements found across all the Þiodic cultures. Kerzennächte is always marked by a great feast that brings families and communities together, and decorations always involve dozens or hundreds of candles. All fighting is banned during Kerzennächte, and it is even known for feuds and wars to be abandoned entirely during the holiday as people from both sides come together and find alternate solutions for their conflicts. Even when this idyllic outcome doesn't happen, there are many stories of enemies coming together by candlelight to celebrate with each other, in a phenomenon known as the Kerzenfrieden, or Candle's Peace.
Kerzennächte on Eyju
Among the Eyjamaður, the holiday is usually called Ljósanætur, or the Nights of Light. In addition to the feasts and the candles, Ljósanætur is marked by a ceremony known as the Vættirblot. This is intended to honor the Vættir, the spirits of the land. The Eyjamaður will carry spiced wine, cider, and mead to the sacred places, and pour a measure of each upon the ground while singing traditional carols. The Vættir are said to receive the spilled drink in their cups, and will toast the singers and bless them for their gift. In many places, the Vættir will physically manifest for this celebration, and the mortals and the gods will drink together for a night.
After the first feast and the Vættirblot, the remaining nights of Ljósanætur are quiet and focused upon comfort and relaxation. The Eyjamaður stay in their homes and by their hearths, and tell stories to each other. Close friends may visit each other to share the Ljósanætur tales of their families, but only those near enough to be treated as family themselves. Leftovers from the great feast are typically all that is eaten, and it is important that no person be asked to do labor for the remainder of the holiday.
Kerzennächte in the Volksland
In the Volksland islands, Kerzennächte is marked by the opening of traditional markets (known in Inselsprach as Kerzennächtemärkte). These are similar in some ways to other market days, but are just as much a fair or a carnival. Amongst the stalls selling traditional treats and crafts are entertainers of all sorts - musicians, puppeteers, actors, jugglers, acrobats, and many more. Children are indulged during a Kerzennächtemärkte, and many vendors will give away small treats to any child in exchange for a song or a piece of poetry. Kerzennächtemärkte will continue until late at night, and in some places do not close at all until The Candles have vanished entirely for the year.
One tradition that originated in the Volksland is the Kerzenbaum, or Candle-tree. The Volkslanders will cut down pine trees that they then bring into their markets and their homes, decorating them with candles and other ornaments. A fully decorated Kerzenbaum is a beautiful sight, and while it is most common in the Volksland, it has also spread south to the islands of Ynys and Guith.
Kerzennächte in the Kattalands
The cold and remote Kattalands are notorious for their riotous and exuberant celebration of the holiday, which they call Leuchtlinachta. On the first night that The Candles appear, parties of drunken Kattalanders go from house to house, singing songs and partaking of libations and food from every table. Frequently the inhabitants will join the party when it moves on, carrying platters and pitchers to the next home, until the entire community is gathered together in a great mass, singing and drinking and announcing to the world that they are alive and jubilant and will not be crushed by the long dark winter. They see The Candles as a promise from the gods that light and warmth will return, and they meet that promise with one of their own - to endure joyfully, and celebrate despite the cold and the dark. When the great party finally winds down and the sun rises, the Kattalanders return home to exchange gifts with each other - these are typically homemade woolen clothes, a commodity the region is well-known for. On the subsequent nights of Leuchtlinachta, the Kattalanders gather together around great bonfires to tell stories. Ghost stories are considered particularly traditional, and they will compete with each other to present the scariest tales to the community.
Kerzennächte on Ynys and Guith
When the Volkslanders migrated south to the island of Ynys, they brought the traditions of Kerzennächte with them. In most of the island, the celebration resembles those of the Volkslands, combined with the drunken parade of the Kattalanders. The celebrations on Ynys have also incorporated the concept of the Interannum from the Clarati calendar, leading to a tradition of making wish-candles that burn throughout the holiday. Each wish-candle must be made by the person whose wish it represents, and according to lore burning it can bend the fortune in the wish's favor during the period when fate is more malleable.
For many people of Ynys, the center and heart of Kerzennächte is located on the island of Guith. This small island in the Bay of Bees is the home of the Solennefrieden Lighthouse, whose goddess Mother Solace has become the patron of Kerzennächte. The island is blessed with a sense of good will and fellowship throughout the year, and during Kerzennächte this feeling becomes pervasive and even transformative. To many of the sailors of the Great Ring, Guith is known simply as 'Home', and they will do their best to spend the holiday there, basking in the atmosphere of love and family that fills Guith during the holiday season. Many say that they carry the memory of Kerzennächte on Guith all year long, and that it brightens the darkest hours and brings out their finest version of themselves.
Leuchtlinachta
Ljósanætur
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This article was originally written for Spooktober 2024. You can find all of my Spooktober Articles at Spooktober Central.
This article was originally written for Spooktober 2023. You can find all of my Spooktober Articles at Spooktober Central.
Sounds like a very wholesome and comforting holiday! Maybe we could all take a page from Kerzennächte and focus more on the comforts we have than the consumer goods we want for the holidays.
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