Twilight Vigil
When someone in Westemar dies, it is tradition that the family hold a Twilight Vigil. The deceased is prepared and placed in their home. Friends and family gather to feast and tell stories of the person by candlelight. They stay up all through the night and it can be quite a raucous affair. It is considered bad luck if everyone falls asleep. In the morning, the dead person is taken out and cremated by the Flamekeepers of the Faith of the Sacred Flame. The earthly flames consume the body and send the soul to the Sacred Flame that surrounds and protects the world.
History
Twilight Vigils have been a part of the culture of the peoples of Westemar since before there was a Westemar. They even predate the founding of the Faith of the Sacred Flame, and were a part of the worship of the Old Gods. When people converted to the Sacred Flame, they brought their customs with them. The Twilight Vigil proved to be too popular to get rid of, so it was adapted to the new faith. Now it is customary to hold the Vigil by candlelight, the flames a symbol of the Sacred Flame itself.
Components and tools
The participants feast with food and alcohol. Twilight Vigils for the wealthy can be quite extravagant. There are multiple courses that might include a whole roast boar, the finest wines, approved stories of the exploits of the deceased are told by professional story tellers, and a massive Vigil candle is lit that will take all night to burn out. A poor family might only have watered down ale, plain tallow candles, and the traditional dead-cakes.
Dead-cakes are effigies made in the likeness of the deceased person and are eaten by their family and friends. The main church in Elyria looks down at this backwoods practice, but the Westemaran people are unwilling to give up this tradition.
Dead-cakes are effigies made in the likeness of the deceased person and are eaten by their family and friends. The main church in Elyria looks down at this backwoods practice, but the Westemaran people are unwilling to give up this tradition.
Participants
Family and friends of the deceased.
Observance
After a Westemaran has died, a Twilight Vigil is held as part of their funerary rites.
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Related Ethnicities
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