The holy numbers of the mythology are three (three good
elemental gods, three sisters, three tribes of div) and five
(five fruits on the tree, five mortal races, five treeborn
gods, five gods born of woman) and so holidays take place
on third and fifth months, and days multiplied by three
and five. Along with these two months of celebration, the
Great Church has weekly religious services.
Three Sorrows
The third month of the year is called the “Three Sorrows.”
For the deeply devout, one must fast during the day, and
contemplate all of one’s misdeeds over the past year at
night. Custom permits one to continue work and perform
one’s secular duties during this time, including adventuring. On the third, ninth, and 27th nights of the month
are daylong services followed by solemn feasts. Each such
holiday is an observance of one of the great sorrows. Those
of the faithful who are not particularly devout do not fast
during the month, but nearly everyone attends the three
ceremonies of sorrow.
The First Sorrow
On the third day of the third month, this service mourns
the fall of Kador, whose name is not spoken in the service
and is instead called “First Born” and “Fallen Fire.” This
service reminds the faithful of the pitfalls of personal
greed and pride, and all in attendance see themselves and
their failings in Kador.
The Second Sorrow
On the ninth day, the service recalls the first murder, brother
upon brother, when Terak and Tinel killed one another and
the great tree. The service reminds all in attendance to be forgiving of their neighbors and to live in harmony.
The Third Sorrow
On the twenty-seventh day, the service recalls the departure of the gods from the world with the forging of the
Compact. In this service, the faithful pray to be reunited
with the gods in death, and hope for a time when the
gods might rejoin the world of mortals in peace. The ceremony expresses the belief that the gods left the world not
only for their own struggles but for mortal weaknesses,
lamented in the ceremony.
Five Blessings
The fifth month of the year is called the “Five Blessings”
and is a month of great celebration. If possible, the devout
avoid being far from home during this month, though
church business has certainly taken servants of the faith
far from home even during the five blessings. Every five
days of this month, there is a great festival day, including
a noontime service in the local parish (which usually spills
out into the streets, as these ceremonies bring so many
people to the church) and an enormous feast. Even those
who are not devout members of the church observe these
five holy days, and it is considered wrong to work during
the festivals.
The First Blessing
On the fifth day of the fifth month, the faithful thank the
gods for the blessing of life. All the babies born during the
past three months are dressed up in ceremonial costumes
and given special names. Each name is whispered to the
baby by the cleric performing the ceremony after reciting
“The Passage,” so it’s generally unheard of for any of the
faithful to know their baby name. It is said if the baby dies
before it can speak, this name grants the soul an immediate audience with Lord Maal. Babies born more than
three months before this ceremony have usually already
had a small ceremony and received their name.
The Second Blessing
On the tenth day, the faithful thank the gods for the
blessing of food. Everyone in the parish prepares the
most sumptuous dish they can imagine, usually spending
more than they can possibly afford on ingredients, and
the faithful feed one another all day long in a festival that
takes place in the streets.
The Third Blessing
On the fifteenth day, the faithful thank the gods for
the blessings of home and family. The faithful hold a
great festival where the parish builds a home for anyone
who needs it. In small communities, this might involve
raising a barn if no one needs a new home, but often the
community builds a new house for newlyweds married
in the past year who, up until this time, lived with the
bride’s or groom’s parents. In large communities with
many beggars, the congregation builds a home for one
person the church’s dean selects to be a symbol of divine
generosity.
The Fourth Blessing
On the twentieth day of the fifth month, the faithful
celebrate the greatest festival—and the one that brings
the Church its most converts. On this day, the faithful
thank the gods for the blessing of joy. Also known as
“Fool’s Day,” this holiday sees no poor performers. Acting
troupes, jugglers, jesters, and other entertainers who can
bring out a laugh are paid handsomely by the church to
perform in the streets for the faithful. There is a great deal
of wine consumed, and all the faithful dress up in outlandish costumes, usually in animal forms.
The Fifth Blessing
On the twenty-fifth day, the faithful thank the gods for
the gift of death, which brings mortals into the gods’
embrace. At this festival, likenesses of all those who have
died that year are placed on a dais, and those in attendance hold a great feast in their honor. Custom demands
that the family of the deceased accomplish something this
day that the departed left unfinished
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