Doathum: celebration of the old gods

The Qijon are pagan people who worship strange gods that they say dwell beyond the sky. In this they are like the Moon People though Qijon deny this and say the Moon People's gods as weak and small. They do not worship with The Order of Heaven though they will place the Phoenix of the Empire and emperors in homes are are supposed to carry an idol to the rituals at the Standing stones that appease their gods. This ritual of appeasement they call "Doathum"

AS the sages of the Holy Island of Kuan observe- in the worship of the gods is seen the true virtue of a people. The Qijon are degenerate and lack virtue aside from respecting the ancestral ways.  There is no beauty or refinement in their bestial practices.

And what are these degenerate pagan rituals? They will make procession of house and underlings, what common little people are under a noble house. They play drums and pipes and will dance twisting and writhing like serpents, contorting themselves in various ways. They claim these forms are pleasing to their gods. Once they reach the summits and stand amongst their stones, they remove garments and continue in the dancing, striking each other with either long nails or special clawed finger covers. The wounds and blood is again believed to please their gods. They sacrifice to their gods, small animals. They do not offer them in flame or passing into the earth - instead they simply lay them out on flat stones. It is considered sacred to eat the sacrificial animal- raw. Flesh torn from the carcasses with their hands and torn by long nails or the nail cover claws. The Eseret say that in days of old, humans were sacrificed and devoured the same way. There is talk that these practices continue in secret. The dancing and claw scratch fights continue, frequently with alcohol. As the night progresses, it becomes wildy uncontroled and all propriety is lost. Frequently it may descend into an orgy devoid of divisions of class and status, or even marriage. In delirium from dance, liquor and other activities followers hear voices whispering.

Tsu Gihoji. "Observations of the Barbarian East". Imp. 981

Participants

The head of the noble house leads the processions and acts as the principle priests. There used to be a priestly class, but that is virtually extinct with the dwindling of the Qijon.  The pipe and drum players may swap with others or play the whole night.  The rule is that the music must not stop.  Such a thing is a grave affront to the gods.

Observance

The Doathum is performed on nights of dark moons with the nights of both moons in darkness being most sacred as "the stars are right" to reach their gods.