Haloa

History

The origins of the vampiric holiday of Haloa lie in the ancient Greek holiday of the same name. The holiday was originally a harvest festival centered around wine and grapes, paying respects to Demeter, Dionysus, and Poseidon. The Fall of the angels and the knowledge that their gods were only angels caused the celebration to lose its religious connotations over time.

The original holiday also called for only women celebrating, often by carrying phallic objects and telling suggestive jokes. Sporting events were also common. Elements of both of these aspects remain, but modern vampires have also been influenced by the commercialization of Christmas to focus some of the activities on the whole family's participation. Modern Haloa celebrations are much different from the original holiday.

Participants

While modern Haloa is, at its core, a family holiday, there are many aspects of it that harken back to the ancient festival. On the first day, the female members of the extended family, especially those who have just become adults, spend the day feasting together on the blood of female humans. Due to the effect of vampire venom on humans, this typically turns into an event that is at least somewhat sexual between the vampires and the humans. The men in the family are tasked with entertaining the younger children and preparing food for the human participants of both days of the celebration. They also ensure the humans have ample wine, as that is an element of the festival that has remained through time. This is because vampires can experience mild intoxication from the alcohol in the blood of someone who has been drinking. The humans involved in the festivities are all willing participants who typically already know some of the vampires present.

Observance

The precise timing of when Haloa is celebrated has changed over time. In the last one hundred years, vampires have chosen to officially change the dates to December 24^th and 25^th. This allows the holiday to pass under the radar of most people, as it blends easily into the major commercial holiday of Christmas. Human participants can easily expect time off from work to participate and can use the excuse of Christmas parties to explain their behavior or lack of contact with other unsuspecting humans.

December 24^th: On this day the female vampires spend the day socializing and consuming the blood of female humans who willingly participate. The male vampires in the family look after the children and ensure there is plenty of food and alcohol for the humans participating in the celebrations.

December 25^th: On this day the entire family group comes together to socialize and have friendly competitions with the humans who have come to participate in the celebrations. These humans are fed and given plenty of alcohol as they desire it, and are treated with tremendous respect. Most are already friends or lovers of various members of the family, and they willingly give their blood, though direct feeding typically does not happen until the young children have been sent to bed due to its natural sexual component. At that point, the day of indulgence for the humans becomes a night of indulgence for the vampires, though the humans quite enjoy it as well.

Throughout both days the human participants are often given gifts of appreciation, especially from lovers. Vampires frequently exchange gifts as well. Some vampires have taken to using some modern commercial Christmas decorations, especially anything with red tones. Bows are frequently worn and seen as both quirky and flirty. Trees are sometimes incorporated as phallic symbols to serve as reminders of the original festival.

Haloa originally blended festivals of:

Demeter, goddess of the harvest, agriculture, fertility, and sacred law

Poseidon, god of the sea, storms, earthquakes, and horses

Dionysus, god of wine, vegetation, fertility, festivity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre.

Worship of these gods lost much of its lustre for the vampires when it was learned that they had been angels under the authority of another higher god (who was not Zeus), not gods in their own rights.