The Beginning of Lent
It's not so much the tradition that shows the moral decay of the country, more the fading away of it.
It used to be that at the beginning of Lent, one of the country's holiest periods, the people would come out and repair and repaint the churches, allowing them to enter the new year clean and new. A place befitting worship. Shrines to saints would also be cleaned and prayers said for the good of entire community.
After, they would all feast together in celebration of making it through the winter, every household would contribute as little or as much as they were able so that everyone got a filling meal before the fasts begin. It was a way of celebrating and worshipping as a community and was celebrated in every neighbourhood and village in the country.
Now, the cleaning and prayers have mostly been abandoned in favour of riotous parties and drinking. The once peaceful and community oriented meals have been almost forgotten as a way of sharing what is left and celebrating the survival through the winter and have instead given way to over the top competitions for who can make the fanciest food that wastes half the ingredients and means that the very poor go hungry.
It used to be that at the beginning of Lent, one of the country's holiest periods, the people would come out and repair and repaint the churches, allowing them to enter the new year clean and new. A place befitting worship. Shrines to saints would also be cleaned and prayers said for the good of entire community.
After, they would all feast together in celebration of making it through the winter, every household would contribute as little or as much as they were able so that everyone got a filling meal before the fasts begin. It was a way of celebrating and worshipping as a community and was celebrated in every neighbourhood and village in the country.
Now, the cleaning and prayers have mostly been abandoned in favour of riotous parties and drinking. The once peaceful and community oriented meals have been almost forgotten as a way of sharing what is left and celebrating the survival through the winter and have instead given way to over the top competitions for who can make the fanciest food that wastes half the ingredients and means that the very poor go hungry.
History
The tradition is older than organised religion in Rusfaeris, the meal was always a celebration of the end of winter and those that had survived it and homes would be cleaned in preparation for the coming year. With the creation of a more structured religion it took on a new role in the cleaning and mending of churches as well as homes and continued to help the people.
Execution
Houses and churches are cleaned and repaired in preparation for the coming year, often in homes the winter clothing is packed up in anticipation for the long summer ahead.
Comments