The Festival of the Lantern Bride

In the tangled, twilight province of Lindestheas, where logic struggles and wonder blooms, there is a tradition kept by Fey. A quiet festival celebrated each year on the longest night. It is called the Festival of the Lantern Bride, and while no one agrees on how it started, everyone knows how it must be done.

The honor the story of the The Lantern Bride and her eternal love by spending the precious few hours of the day in communal celebration, weaving and crafting a personal lantern from Moonthread. They put unsent letters, symbols of their loves or even a lock of hair into this lantern. Any thing that represents both them and all those they care about.

At sunset, when the sun has disappeared beyond the horizon, they light their lanterns. They then take them and decorate the trees in honor of the lantern bride herself and the love she poured into hers. Then they dance among the lantern light, embracing the Bride and the joy she shared with her Fey lover.

There are many superstitions that are tied to these moments. For example it is considered extreme bad luck to turn down a dance on this night, as it is seen as spurning the love the pair once shared.

If your lantern refuses to light, then it means that someone is plotting against you.

While if gutters out before the night ends, then your love is lost to you in one form or another.

If two lanterns flicker identically in rhythm, the makers are believed to be soul mates, whether they know it yet or not.

If your lantern burns with a silver-blue glow, it means the Bride herself has smiled upon your offering. Those rare few often vanish before dawn. Some say they are destined to be lovers of the gods themselves, and a spirited away to them. While others say that they are chosen to help guide others to their true loves

During this height of the festival, when the moon is highest, visions can appear to those who have yet to find their other half. They are cryptic and vague, but never lie. But some choose not to follow this path, instead choosing to love those around them. These people find their senses heightened and their feelings blooming. This can lead to some truly unforgettable memories for those that embrace it.

Though the festival carries no formal leader, many believe The Court of Nee-love guides things from the background. The oldest trees in the lantern groves sometimes shift slightly during the night, whispering in languages no one remembers. Some claim to have glimpsed a figure in a white dress woven from fog, holding a lantern that never dims, always dancing just out of reach.

When morning breaks, the lanterns vanish. The music stops. No one remembers the final note or the last step. But all who took part feel… lighter. Or heavier. Or simply changed.

For one night a year, love is holy, memory is magic, and even sorrow may be beautiful.

And in Lindestheas, that is enough.