Jovinalia - The Days of Joy

The few days every year where it does not matter who you are. King, slave, noble, poor and so on. It simply does not matter. Oh happy days, oh happy days.

— Lucius Avera, Primarch of the Fourth Hegemony (3301-3315 DA)

A day of peace, a time where no one has to worry about anything and can simply rest. Such a thing is perhaps the only thing everyone regardless of culture or creed can agree on. And while there are countless holy days for the people to enjoy, there is only one such even that is universal in every corner of the Known World: the Days of Joy.

Last Days of the Year

The Jovinalia occur every year around the same time. When Frigian gains dominance in the last month of the year and brings with it cold waves of icy rain and snow, there is a period of roughly eleven days where the skies show a great spectacle. Filled with icy crystals and battered by lightning from fierce storms in the upper skies, the atmosphere produces a play of light and colour without equal. Enhanced by the darkness of northern clouds, streams of strange and alien colours mix and mingle.
Many cultures have used this spectacle as a backdrop for some form of celebration. But in the modern age, the one dominating all others is the Jovinalia. Like many other aspects of it, the Jovinalia is a remnant of Vardanian imperialism. When the Second Tarquinnian Hegemony conquered the world in the 1700s DA, it brought with it not just war and exploitation, but also practices and ideas. Many were discarded when the empire fell, but the Jovinalia's unique nature made it attractive to everyone regardless of culture or creed.

Days of Joy

What makes the Jovinalia special is that everyone can partake in them equally. There is no distinction between classes, casts, faiths or ethnic groups. For eleven days each year, everyone is equal and treated as such. This unique care shows itself in several of the rituals that are part of the festivities:

Equality

It is no lie or exxagaration to say that everyone is equal during Jovinalia. Both poor and rich alike eat the same food, drink the same and partake in the same celebrations with narry a boundary between them. Laws and the normal social order still apply so joy may not descend into anarchy. Donations are a common tradition for many a beggar Jovinalia may finance an entire year worth of food and drink.

Celebration

Jovinalia is in essence a large series of banquets and parties, both out on the street and in the privacy of homes. Cities and realms will often finance large comunal celebrations for the masses, but individuals will often take the chance to show their own generosity or wealth. Temples and other institutions will do the same and the weeks before Jovinalia are spent working a schedule so that there is some order to the fest.

Candy

One aspect that has become a rather common feature of Jovinalia celebrations is the presence of candy. Be it in the form of little gifts, small donations, sacrifices and even art pieces, candy has become a key aspect of the event. A rather natural conclusion as candy is often associated with joy in many cultures by both adult and child, making it a perfect fit for a holiday all about joy.

Because that is what Jovinalia is all about. There are no grand symbols or rituals. It is joy at its purest, a few days where there is nothing to worry about and one can simply be at ease in both body and mind.

The Last Days

by Bram Sels

But that was not always the case. And high up in the Mountains of Ash and Ice, where the old cults of Vardania still thrive, the Jovinalia has a decidedly different character. Joy is still present, but fear and finality permeat every action. And if asked what they plan for the days after Jovinalia, the people there will reply with nothing.
For they do not expect there to be a day after Jovinalia. In the old days, it was a celebration dedicated to the god Jove. A minor deity in the grand scheme, their position was nevertheless of great importance. For Jove controls the Final Tear, the last of those that the Goddess Nykara wept, and with it the power to unravel existence itself.
Every year, and for reasons that mankind will never unravel, for Jove is perhaps the most alien of all the gods in both mind and existence, they will start to crush the tear. As existence starts to break, colours that should not exist spill into the skies. Twelve cracks are enough to break the Tear and each day another one appears.
Since mankind can do nothing to stop this process, the wise men of old decided to make the last twelve days of existence a period of joy and rest. A tradition that has lasted for many millennia to this day. Thankfully, the lights have always disappeared on the twelfth day, marking the end of Jovinalia.

It makes sense, really. If there is nothing you can do but wait until death gets you...why not enjoy yourself? Granted I'd be a bit more violent about it, but it is a nice idea.

— Anis Moarannon, Feran Warlord

by Micaela Dawn

Political Tool

One reason for the celebrations enduring popularity is that most rulers and states quickly recognised the benefits it gives. For a relatively small price they can satisfy their populations for months on end and smooth out otherwise dangerous issues. It does help that the period where the Jovinalia fall in is usually one not suited for military campaigns making the end of each year a largely peaceful time.

Family Gatherings

Families are one group that take special advantage of the Jovinalia. Large scale family gatherings are the norm and it is not unusual for them to travel across countries and even continents for the occasion. This has made the weeks and months preceeding it a dream for everyone dealing in transportation, there existing entire companies solely dedicated to helping people reach their families in time for the Jovinalia.

by Wayne Leung Hou-wai

JThe Stranger God - Jove
Jove is perhaps the strangest of the Aediratae in both looks and purpose. They are a genderless being, with no defined looks or voice. They don't seem to have had a purpose before acquiring Nykara's final tear and some of the old scripture speculates that they are not of the gods but an usurper that once tried to depose them.

by Sabina Lewis