Festival of Death

Execution

At the start of the festival, just after midnight, people flock to graveyards and catacombs to clean the final resting places of their loved ones, scraping away dirt, unsightly plants, and fungus. Graves will be lit with candles coated in Death's Bloom Oil and offerings of food and news of what has become of their family left behind. If a Death Mask is present on the grave, it is also cleaned and anointed with death's bloom oil, often left on top of the tombstone or grave marker in a bed of the death's bloom plant mixed with lavender and wheat.
After tending graves, practitioners of the festival often will head to the nearest shrine or temple of Shia, the God of Death to leave their own offerings and words of encouragement to protect their sick, dying, and old for a gentle passing to Limbo. Offerings given are often wrapped in obituaries, given alongside horseshoes, apples, and lavender. This can be the only time of year many fallen gods will be remembered and given offerings, their shrines popping up for the day and revitalized, without worry of offending the god who has replaced them.
All ghosts who have not yet made their way to Limbo will be freed from their journey to visit their loved ones, as are Shia's Dead. For ghosts, this is often the only chance they get to make amends and relax before they must return to making their way to the afterlife, without risk of Shia forcing them to move on, or sending Shia's Dead to steer them in the right direction.

Participants

Shia, the God of Death is the host of the festival and main beneficiary of the celebration. Shia's Cult, Shia's Dead, and Ghosts often lead many of the rituals and festivities, but also are key members of those often given offerings during the holiday.
Centari and their kin such as the Pegasi are typically well known to place great cultural value on the festival as well, as Shia is most often seen as the main god worshipped by their groups, considered the patron god of all centaurs. Typically, among the Centauri especially, a tradition of the festival is to paint their bodies with skeletons in honor of the fact that one day, they will all return to Shia's domain in Limbo.

Observance

The Festival of Death is held on the first day of the last month of the year, during the Festival of Elements.
The Festival of Death is not a somber event, instead a celebration of one's ancestors, and part of celebrating the cycle of life itself. During this festival, people don the death masks they created for themselves, walking among the ghosts and Shia's dead to graveyards, tending to graves and giving offerings both to Shia and their fallen friends. Many fallen gods only receive offerings in this time, altars and temples springing to life overnight. Ghosts and Shia's dead are freed from their duties during the festival, often visiting their loved ones from life and reuniting with their families and decendants.