Night of Drums

While much of the Palti religion is focused on being silent and unnoticed by whoever may be watching from beyond the The Skystone, once every Skystone Cycle, when the Skystone is at its thickest and least cracked, they celebrate with abandon. The Palti who fled to the valley have adapted this ritual to their unique situation. For a week before the Night of Drums, Monks of the Order of Olfien track the Skystone's turning to ensure that it will indeed be at its thickest. Every member of the Palti clans gathers on the Islands, abandoning their work throughout the Valley to be with their families for the celebration. On the morning of the Celebration, each family gathers on top of their Island, piling up large stacks of wood, and cooking for the night-long celebration. Naps are taken throughout the day in preparation, as mischief is visited on those who fall asleep by their relatives. As night falls, bonfires are lit on each Island and the drummers take up a slow rhythm. This rhythm is echoed from Island to Island, and soon the beat begins to speed up and the dancing begins.

Purpose

The most important observance of the Palti people, The Night of Drums is celebrated when the Eyes of the Destroyer, the antagonist of their religion, are shaded by the Skystone. This is the only time that they feel comfortable breaking loose in loud celebration bright bonfires. The drums and dances are supposed to communicate to their ancestors their needs and desires for the next year.

History

The Palti took many years to reestablish The Night of Drums after arriving in the Valley. The Skystone that turned over the Valley was quite different from the stone above their coastal archipelago far to the west, beyond the mountains. The Order of Olfien spent that time tracking the Skystone, charting its cracks and the amount of light that seeped through the semi-translucent stone. They determined that every two hundred and ninety-five days a portion of the stone without cracks and appropriate thickness appeared over the Valley.
Ten years after the refugees arrived in the Valley, the Palti celebrated The Night of Drums for the first time in their new home. As they migrated to the islands in the south-west of the Great Lake, they continued to adapt the celebration to their changing environments.

Participants

The Drummers

Each island has between one and four great drums, depending on the size of the extended family that lives around the island, that are played throughout the night. The drums are meant to sound all night, so the drummers trade out throughout the night.

The Dancers

Every hour the drums increase their rhythm, signifying the start of another dance. There are eight separate dances throughout the night, four representing a different portion of their daily life and four that look forward at their goals till the next celebration.
Koken: A dance celebrating the cooking and eating that happened since the last celebration. Vissen: A dance celebrating the many fish that were caught since the last celebration. Cess: A dance celebrating all successful deals and projects that were completed since the last celebration. Gebouw: A dance christening all of the boats that have been built and repaired since the last celebration.
Kalm: A dance requesting a season of calm weather and a still lake. Rikj: A dance looking towards good deals and profitable sales. Deschad: A dance to protect food from spoiling. Verwoe: The most important dance of the evening, performed when the night is at its darkest. This dance is supposed to keep the eyes of the great destroyer away from the Palti people for another cycle.

Primary Related Location

Anglen

Related Organizations

• The Order of Olfien

Related Ethnicities

• The Palti