The Festival of the Red Night

Description

The Red Night Festival takes place once a year in all Moroi dominated countries. Food stalls are set up at the edge of the large marketplaces, there is plenty of room for dancing in the middle and the entire square is colorfully illuminated. The festival begins at sunset and often only ends at sunrise. In the past it was only for Moroi, but today everyone is invited.
The festival is divided into a quieter half and a wild half, which usually begins at midnight. During the first half, the presence of children is permitted and quiet songs are played. Humans and Moroi dance together or talk to each other regardless of their rank. The highlight takes place shortly before midnight.
This is a combination of a blade dance and an exhibition fight in which a Moroi competes against a human. Both people are selected each year and then prepared for several weeks for this performance. It is an impressive performance that everyone watches with rapt attention and is accompanied by haunting and emotional music.
The end of the fight is also the sign that the party is over for all children and uninvited people. Now the wild part of the night begins. For this one night, the Moroi are allowed to drink blood in public. Which many do. At the same time, the dances become wilder and more erotic and sometimes end with the exchange of blood. The musicians play matching music, which makes the combination perfect and leads to a kind of intoxicated state even among the Moroi.

Meaning

The Red Night festival is both a reminder of the joy and sadness when the Moroi fought for their freedom. At that time, much blood was shed on all sides and although the Moroi were victorious, they had almost tasted too many losses. In the beginning, the festival was still dominated by mourning and the focus was more on the show fight. Over time, it changed to a festival of joy, celebrating the victory and thanking the fallen through the show fight.

Item type

Miscellaneous