Harvest Festival
Eleaseth is a country of rolling plains, rich soil, and vast space. All of their outlying cities and villages have communal gardens, even those in the opulent Port Cities may have thir own, small garden. As such, the end of spring and the completion of the harvest is a cause for celebration all across Eleaseth. Most of the produce and horvested goods will end up in one of Eleaseth's major Port Cities, to be shipped around the coast or traded off Yandelar.
This time of plenty is usually celebrated with a Harvest Festival. While they are usually quaint, communal affairs outside of the Port Cities, amongst the more excessive and affluent the Festival becomes a time to display their wealth. Parties are lavish, sometimes grandstanding events that are more political in nature than what might be found in the countryside or amongst the lower classes.
Participants
In the countryside
The Harvest Festival becomes a community event, often held in the town square or near the communal garden. Tables are set up, families bring food to share, and kids run around without a care. Work is suspended for the day and drink made of local fruits are shared. This is usually a community building time, where the extra that can be spared it shared amongst the entire village so the rest can be shipped away to the Port Cities for a coin.In the cities
In the lower class, the Harvest Festival resembles something close to what is celebrated in the countryside. Blocks and neighborhoods will come together in a communal space and share meals, family and friends will show and visit from all over. The shops close up, no markets are open for the day. The city essentially closes up for a day of celebration, This is usually done after they receive the shipments and caravans from the countryside. Given the disparity in celebration times, this does mean that sometimes people in the country will celebrate twice. Once with the village or city they live in, then again once they arrive at the city with extended family or close friends after delivering a shipment. For the nobility, the Harvest Festival starts weeks earlier. As invitations are sent out, preparations are made, and it becomes a popularity contest to see who will attend where, and who will have the most guests. The day of the actual party itself is about many small courses of elaborate meals, many different types of drink, and a display of wealth. No one wants to have a disappointing party.The feast by Shabeer MV
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