Day of Shame

The Day of Shame is a dual-purpose ritual, to both welcome the annual Water Seeker delegation and recall the clan massacre that prompted their interest in Eihlari.

History

The annual visitation of Water Seekers has been honored with a celebratory feast since the original intervention. The recitation was inaugurated several years after the Water Seekers stopped maintaining a constant presence on Eihlari, to distract children who didn't understand why they weren't permitted to eat until the Seekers arrived. Over time various clans elaborated on the ceremony, to the point of being more competitive than contemplative. The clan Wardens, fearing a return to pre-intervention discord, met to establish a scripted ritual that all clans were to follow. This meeting established the question-and-answer format, a hard time limit to the fast, and meditation throughout the observance. After the destruction of the Eddy put an end to the delegation of Seekers, the feast was replaced with a quiet meal and a brief rest, after which the clans returned home with no further festivities.

Upon becoming Dancinglight, Nkeba Rruend introduced the tradition to those Seekers who had once been Wringers. The Day of Shame is currently commemorated at the Eddy as well as on Eihlari.

Execution

Clans spend the week before the remembrance in preparation.  Each clan prepares a set quantity of nonperishable food, bringing it to the island's single port ahead of time to be kept in locked storage until the feast.  On the morning of the event, clans prepare themselves by sleeping late and eating heartily.  At midday all activity stops, and each clan's Warden initiates the ritual.  After the recitation, everyone strips off their clan insignia.  Those who can walk or be carried march from their clan compound to the bay.  The clans then spend the next full day in meditation, without eating or drinking or sleeping.  The observance ends at midday with the arrival of the year's delegation of water seekers, and a great breaking of the fast held in common at the port.

Participants

Every member of the clan either capable of making the walk or light enough to be carried is expected to participate.  Exceptions are made for individuals of fragile health, and those selected to care for them for the duration.
The Wardens pre-select participants for the recitation from the clan children between the ages of eight and sixteen.  Although the entire clan is present to listen, any babies born within the past year are brought to the center to hear it for the first time.

Observance

The rememberance is observed on the mensiversary nearest the sidereal anniversary of the Halsul Massacre. The exact date is calculated according to combined lunar and stellar observations, and announced a week prior.

Primary Related Location

Eihlari

Related Ethnicities

• Eihlarian