Calendar
Summary
In Vrashyn, there are two major calendars in use: the Common Calendar and the Laivran Calendar. The Common Calendar is based on the converging cycles of Vrashyn's two moons and is used by the vast majority of Vrashyn. Under the Common Calendar, the year is 423 days long and is divided into five cycles. The Laivran Calendar is used in Parthil, Cirithas, and by the Order of the Scathe.The Common Calendar
Used by the vast majority of residents, the Common Calendar is based on Vrashyn's ancient tradition of lunar date-keeping. Due to the lack of seasons on the plane, the length of the solar cycle was unknown to the ancients. As a result, most people noted the passage of time using lunar crossings, the points when Vrashyn's two moons cross in the sky. At some point before The Cataclysm, these various lunar calendars were compiled into what is now known as the Common Calendar. In fact, the widespread use of the Common tongue in these calendars is pointed to as evidence that great human empires ruled over other races before the Cataclysm. At some point, elements of the solar cycle were grafted onto the Common Calendar, most notably the year, which is approximated as 5 lunar cycles or 423 days. The common calendar lists the current era as that after The Cataclysm, or afoú kataklysmós (AK) in the Satyr tongue.Dimnesa
The new year begins at Dimnesa, also called the night crossing, when the Mother (large moon) crosses the Daughter (small moon) in the dead of night, a moment traditionally accompanied by night-long festivals devoted to the moon and reflecting on the past. Conversely, the rest of the month of Enotar is associated with hope and new beginnings. Lodimar is seen as a time of chaos where the new year begins to take shape. In many Human communities, plays and poems celebrating trickery and cunning are performed during Lodimar. Forunar, the final month of the crossing, is a more somber time set aside to honor ancestors and call on them for guidance and good fortune during the rest of the year. The names of the crossings are also given to the eras of Vrashyn's mythological history, with Dimnesa representing the darkness before creation.
Fruma
Fruma, the dawn crossing, is associated with the beginning of creation in many mythologies. It begins with Adashere, a month devoted to fertility and childbirth. In Halfling culture in particular, this association comes from the births of all the children conceived at the new year. Adashere is followed by Sarasede, which celebrates knowledge and often contains festivals meant to impart social lessons to young children. In some areas, it also celebrates those who work in professions that are normally uncelebrated. The dawn crossing ends with Mavas, during which practitioners of the arcane arts are celebrated for their skill and contributions to life on Vrashyn.
Blacerna
Blacerna is sometimes referred to as the blind crossing because it is often obscured by the midday sun. Though Vrashyn does not experience seasons, tradition holds that this sunny crossing is good for agriculture, so Seyhul is associated not only with the sun but with the first harvest. Seyhul is followed by Yusira, a month that celebrates familial and communal bonds. A traditionally Gnomish practice during Yusira is to reenact a great challenge faced by the city or village to celebrate the power of unity. The blind crossing closes with Ilmarnus. While you would be hard-pressed to find a month where Dwarves do not celebrate metalworking in some way, these celebrations reach their height during Ilmarnus and have passed to many other cultures. Because Blacerna is associated with the heights Vrashyni society supposedly reached before The Cataclysm, many Gnomes use the month to hold rituals at the Machines that are the most visible monument to that era.
Dreora
Dreora, the blood crossing, represents The Cataclysm and following thousands years of darkness. Despite this dark association, the tone of Dreora is contested. For example, the month of Diwoder is traditionally devoted to gods that embody social order, so the noble class celebrates while rural farmers might memorialize their grandparents who died in a peasant revolt or air their current grievances. Continuing the theme of violence, the Satyrs consider the middle of Dreora the most fortuitous time for war. Due to their influence, Adraster became associated with war and the celebration of physical strength, such as the Almaspor. The blood crossing ends with Orcusan, a time of terror and death when Fiends' servants are known to roam the mortal plane. Orcusan has historically seen an uptick in violence against Tieflings in many places.
Afungia
Afungia is named the dusk crossing both to represent its place within the year but also because it begins as the last bit of daylight leaves the sky. The term Afungia is also used to refer to the current historical period, where complex society has returned after centuries of more primitive life. It begins with Hausos, a time of relative scarcity sometimes celebrated with ritual fasting. This comes to an end by the beginning of Deghome, the month that celebrates both the second harvest season and nature spirits. Which of the former is emphasized varies with location, but most communities recognize both aspects. The final month of the year is Perkunis, a time where storms are said to be stronger and where The Rime and The Scathe are particularly volatile. It is seen as a time of self-reflection and lethargy akin to waiting out large storm.
The Laivran Calendar
Despite its name, the Laivran Calendar isn't even used by most people who live in Laivra. It's use is restricted to the Elvish Kingdoms where it was originally created in 2277 AK. At a conference of Elvish and Gnomish scholars, recently-rediscovered knowledge of the solar cycle was used to create a calendar intended for use within all the Elvish kingdoms. However, as this new solar calendar began to slip out of sync with the Common Calendar, more kingdoms abandoned its use, with one eastern cult being the only new group to adopt it since. For the Laivran calendar, dates are traditionally given as "the #th day of the #th year" rather than referencing a specific month.The Common Calendar
System: Lunar. Year: 423 days. Crossing: 84.6 days. When the moons' cycles converge. There are 5 per year. Donne: 42.3 days. A rarely-used term for one cycle of the daughter moon. There are 10 per year. Month: 28.2 days. One cycle of the mother moon. There are 15 per year. Week: 7 days.The Laivran Calendar
System: Solar. Tolta: 8-year period. Idhrinn: 419.12 days. Nelde: 21 days. Lemnar: 7 days.Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
Comments