Pompé

General overview

The pompa (pl. 'pompé') is an integral part of Tarrabaenian cult and worship. It seems to be part of the original cult of the Tarrabaenian people, as many pompé are either conducted be ancient colleges of priests or priestresses called Germantá or are centred around incantations called 'casimen' (pl.: 'casimena'), which are for the most part old, as far as their archaic language indicates. A pompa is characterised by a procession over a certain distance or within a certain area. depending on the kind of pompa, it can either cross a certain distance or go around somewhere to end at the point where it started. The latter kind of pompa is also called 'pompa ambia.'

Aetiology and history

The practice of walking to perform a rite seems to stem from times even before sedentiarism. It is probably to be attributed to the spiritual or ritualistic exploration of an area to be hunted in or to be wandered through, either to just scout the surroundings or to enquire the spirits presiding over the area for permission to move through or hunt there.

With the rise of sedentiarism, the Tarrabaenians did not abandon the pompa, but rather reinterpreted it as rituals to either guide people from one stretch of time to another or into certain situations. One popular example is the Pompa revoris, which is held in Savína every year to transit from the winter season to the season of spring, of sewing and growing.

Role in the present time

Though being an urbanised culture, great parts of the Tarrabaenian society still work in agriculture and all of the civilization depends on it. Thus pompé connected to the course of the year and the transition between seasons are still widespread. Another common occasion are rites of passage, where either an individual or a group of individuals transits from one stage of life to another or is promoted from lower to higher ranks, be it civil or military.

Pompé are generally joined with some kind of either sacrifice or a ritualistic celebration. This means that pompé are quite public events with a lot of involvement outside of the colleges of priests involved. This makes them major events which are often enjoyed and celebrated by the masses. The religious aspect has in some occasions stepped into the background, as is the case with the Pompa revoris for example, which is held in Savína and connected to agriculture, although Savína being the capital is not an agraric settlement at the present time. Thus the pompa is held, but for the majority of the participants the public feast at the end is the main event for most.