Feast for the Lost Souls

You walk up to the table. It is covered in a woven reed mat, and lit up in by small copper lanterns. The smell of baked cactus and herbs fills the air, bringing tears to your eyes. He used to love those. You sit down at the long, dark wooden table. The table is covered in food, with what looks like a whole cactus plated around the table. The sandsrirs surrounding the table begin to eat. Many ears droop, and you hear someone begin to cry, but the storytelling begins regardless.

History

This tradition began in the Desert of Souls. The people there were having a lot of difficulty with their newly gained sentience, and many died during this hard time. Dealing with grief was a new concept to these creatures, and so they decided to create a celebration of life instead of a mourning the loss of the life. They created the feast for lost souls. Originally, it was a meal of cacti, various greens, and any meat they can find. However, as the creatures in the Desert of Souls evolved further, they were able to find more varied food. Nowadays, this feast is held using the dead creatures favored foods. If the dead was too young or did not have a known favorite food, you default to cooked cacti. This food is easy to find and delicious if cooked well, so it makes a good default.

Execution

This celebration is done two days after the dead is buried, giving enough time to grieve uninterrupted. After this period of time, the dead's next of kin will cook up their favorite foods and drinks, prepared exactly as they liked it in life. However, they will prepare enough of it for all of the dead's friends and family to enjoy. This will then be served at dusk, as it is believed that this is the time the dead are closest to the world. A slightly somber party will be held. Everyone will keep spirits up, and tell stories of the dead. This is believed to help ease grief and therefore allow the spirit of the dead to pass over easier. A seat at the table will be left open, and food will be served at that seat, as it is believed that the dead will join the living at the table. Afterwards, the food from that seat will be buried under only a few inches of soil or sand above the grave of the dead.

Participants

The participants of this ceremony are the dead creatures family and friends. The dead's next of kin or primary caretaker is responsible for the cooking of the meal. The dead's friends and families come to the feast, as well as anyone else who feels the desire to show up.

Observance

This is observed two days after the burial of a dead creature, at dusk. The cooking will usually begin at dawn, and the celebration will often go well into the morning.