Saatil var-Saabra
the Sacred Right of Abdication
Officially the celebration of the date that their goddess Oregano left her terrestrial communion with her children, proudly considering them able to survive in the harsh Rupeean landscapes unaided.
Fennec religious practice almost always maintains that Oregano made the wrong decision by abandoning her children to the elements so soon, and that a price in knowledge and lives was paid as a result. In some sects and traditions, even the high religious ceremonies boil down to “thank you for your trust, but you did fail in your only real divine duty.”
History
Extended (and theologically fraught) archeological study has revealed that what actually happened was their colony ship misread some internal files and started automated disassembly protocols long before it was supposed to, leaving the early Fennec colonist cultures to fend for themselves. In a characteristic act of Duner-led pragmatism, spiritual leaders have often maintained that the religious and aercheological story do not contradict one other.
The actual date of the ship's deconstruction has long been lost to history, so there is no set point in the local year when the Oregano was lost. The holiday has generally been applied to an already significant date in the cultural calendar in the hope that no one questions its veracity - the current date is determined purely astrologically (not astronomically) and was selected by the High Antarctic Sect.
An interesting quirk is that the Arctic festival traditions are completely different from the Antarctic - since for a long stretch of their history the two poles could only communicate by maintaining aercheotech radio sets, they knew of each other’s festivals but couldnt accurately articulate how it looks or operates. The two holidays therefore grew far from one another's shadow and differentiated in a number of ways.
Execution
Besides formal religious rites, the main cultural purpose of the Saatil var-Saabra is to get families to reunite and reconnect, and communities to gather and enjoy themselves.
Drinking also occurs. Sometimes, the whole event is mostly drinking.
The Arctic tradition is also the date at which people finally grow up, fly the nest and form families or communities of their own (and a great time to sell or let property).For some legal purposes, like drinking age or some types of drivers licence, its also the date used in Arctic Polar society instead of birthday for the formal age of majority - as Oregano judged the Fennecs worthy of living by their own judgement, so too the year’s cohort of youths.
Observance
In the other core worlds, the celebration of Saatil var-Saabra has changed with the physical conditions of the primary settled planet.
Rasaan Bandir has a remarkable tendency to be the boring but serious segment of the Fennec population. This mostly manifests in their observance of a fairly logical blend of Rupeean Arctic and Antarctic traditions, leavened with the exchange of gifts on the day (almost always clothes, traditionally a new or repaired thermal cloak or other hard-wearing warm Fennec Clothing ). Rasaan's Fennecs do sometimes know when to cut loose, however, and usually get through more alcohol on the day than the rest of the Imperial Protectorate combined.
Tarii Bandir enjoys an alternate form of the festival, focused around releasing paper lanterns from island shores to spread light and warmth to those still at sea. Originally the lanterns were meant to fly, but the tradition has mutated and often semi-waterproofed lanterns are set loose to float on ocean currents. Individuals or communities usually compete to present the brightest or longest-burning lantern.
Every few years a story surfaces of a lost fishing boat from Tarii's more isolated communities, navigating home to safety by the lights of their family's lanterns. (For the sake of the spirit of the festival, the presence of modern navigational equipment and transorbital SAR teams tend to be strategically missed in the retelling)
In the Rupeean Armed Forces the observance of Saatil var-Saabra is viewed as a bad day to spend fighting, and when fighting amongst themselves it is not unusual for battlefield truces to occur - The same is true today even in anti-piracy operations. The rare foreign wars the Fennecs have joined have been a confused affair, since the enemy cannot be assumed to follow along with the tradition but the Rupeean soldiers or naval personnel remain reluctant to fight. Offers of truces, prisoner exchanges or the collection/return of the dead are not uncommon nonetheless.
Should anyone attempt to engage a Fennec military formation during Saatil var-Saabra, even if they are supposedly celebrating at their posts, the response has usually been instructive. A concerted effort has been made to inform likely enemies that betraying a festival of peace and fellowship makes one undeserving of mercy. In some cases during the current war, Terran officers have even responded by naming holidays that their own people consider equally sacred.
In one exceptional (and highly publicised) event, the Terran freedom fighter Florence Kramer came out of hiding in the Monazzo system to break bread with occupying Rupeean commanders and share a toast to the distant promise of peace. The event was repeated the folowing month for the local Elvera festival, although widespread fear of poisoned food cast a shadow on proceedings. Unfortunately the mutual publicity stunt did not lead to a peaceful resolution, but tensions in the immediate region have eased.
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