The Night of Lanterns

It is rare, in the Ashworks, for one to be able to see the Sundelier's glow overhead. The smog and soot dims the sun above, and filters it to a dull orange over the streets. Lanterns were the natural solution: hung over doors, on posts along the roads, and so on. Over time, those lanterns began to take on meanings of their own: their placement and coloration could indicate all manner of things, from warnings to advertisements.   The Night of Lanterns is a holiday born of this culture. On the night after the New Year, the industrial grind of the district slows to a crawl. Shifts are halved, drinks are cheap, and the cave ceiling overhead is as clear as it ever gets. Lamps of all sorts -- from small paper ones carried by children, all the way up to massive ones fixed to the back of carts -- parade and flow through the streets, until the Ashworks shine brighter than even the Diamond District above.   Why and how this tradition began is a matter of much debate: there is no definite "beginning" to the Night of Lanterns. Most take it for an excuse to celebrate and relax, though others ascribe a deeper meaning. It is a statement, they claim, a show of light and noise that refuses to be ignored. It asserts the often-overlooked Soots who call it home, and gives them a spotlight of their own making. Gods know the rest of the city will never give them one.
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