Centauri Death Paint
Execution
During a festival to Shia, centaur will paint their bodies to appear skeletonized. This is done across the whole body, typically so that the pattern shows most on the lower body's flanks and legs when viewed from the side and upper body's pattern shifted so it looks best when viewed from the front or the back. Rarely is the spine covered in full to be anatomically accurate, most often substituted with squares or circles to look best from the ideal angle rather than it's true anatomical position. This can lead to three separate spine patterns on many centaur. Pegasi typically avoid painting wings or feathers to prevent damaging them.
In the modern era with such a wide array of synthetic dyes and make up products available, the Death Paint has become something of a fashion statement in of itself, spreading not only to just being used during Shia's festivals, but days in preparation for them, especially when semi-permanent options such as skin and hair dye are used that can be applied only once to last the entire duration of the festival and even beyond it. Bright colors such as vibrant purples, reds, oranges, black, white, and greens are quite common, often representing nightshades, blood, autumn, funerary coals, funerary smoke, and life itself. Less traditional centaur may also opt for more fashionable glow in the dark or reflective paints infused with glitters for nighttime festivities.
Components and tools
Traditionally, and when done in the case of a funeral or mourning period, Centari use ash, coal, and charcoal mixed with some form of natural binding agent such as tree sap to form their paint. Aside from during funerary and mourning periods, this practice has heavily fallen out of favor in modern times, instead being replaced with more colorful paints, generally a more widely available substance such as generic body paint, hair and skin dye, or for those sticking to more traditional roots, natural dyes made from plants, berries, and non-toxic minerals. Traditionalists more generally favor washable substances for their death paints, that although it may rub or fade off and need to be reapplied frequently, is typically seen as having much more religious significance.
Participants
The Centari are the primary participants of the ritual, seeing some observance in those descended from Centaurs to varying degrees. Pegasi by far are the group descended from centaurs that take part in the ritual the most often and most consistently, holding most of the same cultural events and festivals as centaurs. Faun typically do not participate in the ritual except for on Shia's main holiday, the Festival of Death.
Observance
Use of the Death Paint is most common on Shia, the God of Death's various festivals. It is often done as a fun activity for friends, family, and loved ones to assist one another in painting their bodies. When assisted by a lover or partner, the affair can typically be seen as intimate, especially if the partner in question does not have Shia as their patron god, signifying the couple's bond in participating in their religious rituals.
Applying the paint is a long drawn out practice that can take many hours to do for the first time of the year, while touch ups to smudged or faded paint previously applied taking less time. Maintenance on the paint is important
Centaur who do did at one point have Shia as their patron god but do not any longer also use a unique marking in their paints- The bones painted on their legs are often painted as broken, most usually on their front legs, signifying a breakage from their connection to Shia.
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