Week of Days
Bedlam begins preparations for their late summer festival weeks in advance. Each day of the celebrations creates different demands upon the Cloud-Kissed City, and the final day's infamous tradition attracts adventurers from throughout the world. While the culminating day of the festival is the one that usually takes all the glory, the entire week of celebrations is full of deep-seated cultural tradition and heritage for the local inhabitants.
History
When it became clear that Bedlam was a prominent crossroads settlement with high levels of transient people, the established population began throwing a vibrant festival in hopes that travelers would speak of their experiences in their homelands. The scale of the festival increased but it was not distinct from most other large celebrations in Yvard. The people of Bedlam wanted to stand out; in that pursuit, they developed the Week of Days to great success.
Bedlam is home to largest population of "civilized" descendants from the Sandsage Nomad tribes. When the indigenous peoples of central [Einborg were cast out of their ancestral lands, many of their various tribesfolk saw only persecution ahead for those who stuck to a nomadic lifestyle. It's estimated that nearly half of the nomadic population across the tribes opted to settle and raise their children to live in the similar stationary lifestyle of most of Yvard's other settlements. In order to make the summer festival in Bedlam popular and distinctive to visitors, the people decided to embrace the distinct cultural heritage of the various Sandsage tribes represented in the local townsfolk.
The traditions of each day have changed somewhat over the years, but still reflect heavily on representing the nomadic culture of the Sandsage peoples. Emphasis on the Sandsage by name has decreased in the last several centuries since the nomads violently reclaimed their homelands and effectively gutted the nation that evicted them, but the practices of the Week of Days still portray these cultures via tradition and spirit.
Bedlam is home to largest population of "civilized" descendants from the Sandsage Nomad tribes. When the indigenous peoples of central [Einborg were cast out of their ancestral lands, many of their various tribesfolk saw only persecution ahead for those who stuck to a nomadic lifestyle. It's estimated that nearly half of the nomadic population across the tribes opted to settle and raise their children to live in the similar stationary lifestyle of most of Yvard's other settlements. In order to make the summer festival in Bedlam popular and distinctive to visitors, the people decided to embrace the distinct cultural heritage of the various Sandsage tribes represented in the local townsfolk.
The traditions of each day have changed somewhat over the years, but still reflect heavily on representing the nomadic culture of the Sandsage peoples. Emphasis on the Sandsage by name has decreased in the last several centuries since the nomads violently reclaimed their homelands and effectively gutted the nation that evicted them, but the practices of the Week of Days still portray these cultures via tradition and spirit.
Execution
Descendants from seven of the nine Sandsage tribes are represented among the residents of Bedlam. Each of these tribes is given its own day of representation during the Week and each presents a unique form of celebration. The Week of Days is laid out in the following order:
The Day of Shaking Ground, which is dedicated to the Naerean tribe
The Day of Ivory and Ink, which is dedicated to the Groshkata tribe
The Day of Vivid Life, which is dedicated to the Valdéra tribe
The Day of Wandering Creation, which is dedicated to the Balapyup tribe
The Day of Mountain Songs, which is dedicated to the Okisun tribe
The Day of Ancient Tales, which is dedicated to the Rescot tribe
The Day of Rolling Thunder, which is dedicated to the Furskin tribe (though many Furskin descendants disapprove of how little their Day has to do with tribal culture anymore)
Components and tools
The items needed to perform the various celebrations depend heavily on which day is being celebrated. Please refer to the individual days for information on this topic.
Participants
Ethnic Sandsage Communities
The tribal descendants are in charge of working together to see to the logistics and materials needed to represent their heritage on its respective day. This is a duty most take very seriously and the ethnic communities of Sandsage descent are very involved in the processes of planning and preparing throughout the year. The exception is the Furskin Day of Rolling Thunder, which has been rejected by the most of the small Shifter population of Bedlam for its bastardization for profit instead of cultural representation.
Locals
Most of Bedlam's local populace works in support of the festivals, as it brings a lot of fun and revenue into the city. Even if not being featured officially, the throng of visitors still visit shops and stay in transient lodging. Besides money, locals look forward to the Week of Days as an opportunity to hear news and stories from faraway places, and enough of it to verify which tales are true and which are rumormongering.
Visitors
These festivals draw hundreds of guests into Bedlam every year, if not thousands. Taking part in the Week of Days appeals to a lot of people worldwide, but the journey is long and expensive. Those who make it come with coin to spare and spend it freely. While most of them attend primarly for the Day of Rolling Thunder, most arrive in Bedlam at the beginning of the week in order to acquire coveted lodging near major event sites before others are able to make it into town. The crowd of celebrants typically begins trickling into the city several days before the celebrations even start.
The tribal descendants are in charge of working together to see to the logistics and materials needed to represent their heritage on its respective day. This is a duty most take very seriously and the ethnic communities of Sandsage descent are very involved in the processes of planning and preparing throughout the year. The exception is the Furskin Day of Rolling Thunder, which has been rejected by the most of the small Shifter population of Bedlam for its bastardization for profit instead of cultural representation.
Locals
Most of Bedlam's local populace works in support of the festivals, as it brings a lot of fun and revenue into the city. Even if not being featured officially, the throng of visitors still visit shops and stay in transient lodging. Besides money, locals look forward to the Week of Days as an opportunity to hear news and stories from faraway places, and enough of it to verify which tales are true and which are rumormongering.
Visitors
These festivals draw hundreds of guests into Bedlam every year, if not thousands. Taking part in the Week of Days appeals to a lot of people worldwide, but the journey is long and expensive. Those who make it come with coin to spare and spend it freely. While most of them attend primarly for the Day of Rolling Thunder, most arrive in Bedlam at the beginning of the week in order to acquire coveted lodging near major event sites before others are able to make it into town. The crowd of celebrants typically begins trickling into the city several days before the celebrations even start.
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