Kalan-Goañv
History
Kalan-Goañv is one of the four major festivals of the Druidic tradition, celebrated widely across both Faerie and Bedouar, together with Emwalc'h, Kala-Hañv and Gouel Eost. Kalan-Goañv holds special significance, marking the beginning of the new year, while also serving to mark the harvest and the remembrance of the dead.
At its core, the festival marks the transition of power between the Seelie and the Unseelie, the Fae Courts of Summer and Winter, respectively. At midnight, the Throne of Menez Hom is exchanged, ending a ritual battle between the two Courts. With that, Winterrule begins as the Unseelie rule Faerie until Kala-Hañv returns the Summer Queen to the throne.
Kalan-Goañv has been celebrated on the Armorican Peninsula and the Fortunate Isles for time immemorial, evidenced by the alignment of ancient megalithic structures to the rising sun on the day of the festival. Similar structures have been found across Kornôgel, indicating that the festival, or at least its timing, is widespread.
Execution
The Battle of the Seasons
- For the Fae, the night marks the transition of power from the Seelie to the Unseelie Courts. Rule over Faerie is passed on from Titania, the Queen of Summer to The Morrigan, the Queen of Winter. Despite the cyclical nature of this transition, it is rarely a purely peaceful transfer, and personal grudges are often settled in the chaos. The Queens lead their troops against each other in ritual battle to claim the Throne, while solitary Fae are targeted with tricks or ambushes, varying in severity. The Winter Court is always victorious, growing more powerful as the night goes on. This combat is often mimicked in mock-tournaments and plays during the celebration by those outside of the Court's rule.The Harvest Feast and Related Rituals
For the Bediz and the more pastoral fae, such as the Teuz, Kalan-Goañv is primarily a harvest festival, when fields are cleared and livestock is brought in from pasture for stocking or slaughter. Feasts, drawn from the bounty of the final harvest, are prepared. Seats of honor, complete with a specially prepared meal, consisting of a buckwheat pancake made with spring water, curd cheese and a mug of cider, called Boued an Anaon, are left open for the souls of the dead or other wandering spirits. a show of hospitality. This is typically done in the form of multiple chairs, as it would be similarly bad luck to refuse a seat to a wandering stranger, lest they be one such spirit in disguise. Doors and windows are left unlatched and the appearance of a stranger at the table is not remarked upon. Eating the food of the Dead is thought to bring one back as Fear Gorta upon their death, and is considered a major social taboo. Gifts of food and drink are presented, both to representatives of the Winter Queen and the spirits of the Dead, asking both for mercy and blessings in the coming year. This is most commonly accomplished with the ritual slaughter of a bird and the sprinkling of its blood on the threshold of homes. The last milk produced in a year is taken to burial grounds by the women of a village and poured over the gravestones of the deceased as an offering to the Dead. Disturbing the bones or resting places of the dead is especially dangerous during the festival, but many children consider daring each other to cross certain areas, like churchyard cemeteries, to be an essential right of passage. A special pastry, called a Kornigoù is baked in the shape of a deer's antler.The Vigil of the Ankou
One of the most important traditions of the Kalan-Goañv festival surrounds the enigmatic Ankou, the Henchman of Death. According to Lethan tradition, the last individual to die within a parish will become an Ankou for the subsequent year, the older entity crossing the fields of Mag Mor one last time. During the Festival, the old and new Ankou roamed freely, leaving the protection of the Dead to the living. Should the dead be disturbed, calamity was sure to befall the community. To prevent this, a single individual was selected by lot to stand watch in the graveyards, accompanied by a single orange-waxed candle, remaining awake until the candle is expended. Other candles, placed in windows or in carved gourds, offer solidarity to the lonely watcher. The candle used in the ritual is formed during Emwalc'h, at the Blessing of the Bees.Masques and Tournaments
Spirits, both benevolent and hostile, are thought to roam the lands freely at this time. To disrupt and confuse these, it has become customary for many, especially children, to dress up in costumes and masks. It is common to play minor pranks upon those who have harmed the community without fear of retribution, specifically the greedy, miserly and inhospitable. This tradition of masks and costumes has led to the popularity of formal masquerade balls among the nobility, held during the Festival. In the city of Naoned, the entire riverfront is transformed into a citywide masquerade, bonfires on barges in the Liger River and side canals turning the entire city into a night-long festival. Horseracing is popular at these festivities, and shows of skill have become tradition. More recently, Hastiludes have also become popular, organized by local lords and merchants. These are major draws for the area, and the last of the tournament season until the thaw. Often these will be themed to some legend or conflict of the past, or a mock battle of the War between Summer and Winter.Sacred Fires
Special bonfires are lit in important locations atop hills around the peninsula, prepared in advance. Apples, mint, nutmeg, sage, and heliotrope are thrown into this fire at regular intervals. All other fires in a community are doused and re-lit from these sacred bonfires. Smoothed stones are thrown into the fires as part of a divination ritual. Flames from these fires are used to light the interior of gourds, turnips and pumpkins, carved with faces or symbols, which serve as lamposts for friendly spirits and wards against those seeking to harm the living. This tradition is especially popular among children, both Bediz and Korrigan, who often show off their work to one another.The Pardons
The final event of the festivities is a pardon to honor the dead, walking at daybreak the following day from the local graveyard to the Kalvar to see the spirits of the dead on their way.Components and tools
Observance
Kalan-Goañv is typically halfway between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice, as the days grow shorter and the harvest is completed. While the height of the event is the most important, festivities typically last 3 days before and after as well. The observance of Kalan-Goañv occurs at the end/beginning of the Year, as determined by astronomical observations at the fields of Karnag. During the four "fire festivals", the Veil becomes thinner, weakening the metaphysical divide between Bedouar and Faerie. The thick Feth Fiada that blankets the Fortunate Isles and other Faerie regions is lifted, and the disparate timestreams equalize momentarily, allowing relatively unfettered access. In addition to the well-documented regions of Faerie, others claim that the veil is thinner to other metaphysical spaces, such as Mag Mor, the Plain of the Dead and Mag Mell, the original home of the Tuatha de Danaan. Spirits, messages and individuals may cross between realms with greater ease during this time, and Bleed is common.
For the Bediz, Kalan-Goañv is a festival of the Dead, a time of remembrance for those who have passed on in the preceding year, as well as the ancestral dead of families, clans and parishes more generally.
Kalan Goañv is celebrated in its pure form by the Druidic faith and the Faerie, but is celebrated more generally by others. The Southern Church has adopted its own festivities to coincide with the day n hopes of overtaking the "pagan" traditions.
Kalan-Goañv is celebrated throughout Kornôgel and the Fortunate Isles with some variation. The above is largely representative of the regions of the Armorican Penisnula.
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