Bás' Banquet

Bás' Banquet, or Feast of Bás', is an annual festival occurring on the Day of Bás' - the coldest day of the year. The day traditionally marked the onset of Winterr. It is also a time to celebrate and honor the ancestors and the respected dead. On this day, folk bless their ancestors' graves and perform the Rituals of Remembrance. People also gather to tell stories of the deeds of their ancestors and of the gods, deep into the night, until they merge and become legends. This is a time to hear of past heroes, great treasures, and lost cities.

In Amith, battles are typically fought between Sithe and Time of Níl. This means that most of the fighting usually occurs between the months of Bás Dara-Sayle Dara. The timing of the Bás' Banquet—after recently slain soldiers had joined the ranks of the dead—was thus practical, if sadly ironic.

The The Manu had a number of special duties on the Feast of the Bás'. Prime among these was to perform the Bloodsong ceremony, at which a Herald publicly recited the genealogies of each noble family in the area. In this way, the Heralds reaffirmed a noble family's traditional authority and status, as well as the respect accorded to them.

Priests of a number of deities of various pantheons hold rites, ceremonies, and festivals on the Feast of the Bás'. Many, though not all, focus on remembering the dead in one way or another.