The Cheering

The Cheering is a celebration exclusive to copper dragons, most of whom worship the goddess Hlal in tandem with (or even in place of) Bahamut. It is a week of prayer and living Her teachings to the fullest. Copper dragons spend their entire year keeping diaries where they only record things that made them happy or things they did that they hope might please the Goddess. While humanoids are sometimes involved in The Cheering they are typically completely unaware of what holiday they are partaking in. Most who know anything about Hlal know about The Cheering but don't even know when it takes place- most likely because the date on which it actually starts changes following a calendar scaled up for beings with lifespans much longer than their own.

History

The Cheering has taken place for longer than recorded history can track back, and many copper dragons believe that it would have been when their Goddess ended her period of mourning. This is actually true. It is incredibly ancient, though it has undergone many different evolutions throughout history.

Execution

There are two different parts that a copper dragon cycles between during this week: The Reflection and The Revelry.
The Reflection for The Cheering is deeply personal and insightful. Restful periods begin and end with this deep prayer. Typically this is done over their Cheering diary, flipping through the pages to read from it and be thankful for these moments in their lives.
The Revelry, on the other hand, is very much not. Going out in human form to party or having gatherings among their own kind are typical celebrations but some of it gets pretty crazy or is feverishly creative rather than loud, depending on the individual- anything from testing especially absurd inventions and painting massive murals to marathon brothel visits.

Components and tools

The only consistent component of The Cheering is the diary a dragon keeps between holidays. For some Cheering diaries become a treasured part of their hoard. However because of the deeply personal nature not all diaries are treated the same. Some are destroyed, entombed elsewhere, gifted to close friends, or even set out to sea. There's about as many ways to treat a diary as there are copper dragons.

Participants

Only copper dragons participate in The Cheering. For any other color of dragon or for any non-dragon to partake is considered incredibly distasteful, and some coppers will go out of their way after the celebration to harass such people they may have discovered during their Revelry.

Observance

For dragons, their calendar is scaled up to meet their lifespans for the express purpose of traditions and meetings. This consists of 36 months with the seasons counted as 1st, 2nd and 3rd. The Cheering takes place at the start of the 3rd summer each draconic year. The start of summer is a flexible date and is typically associated with the thaw of Hlal's Mourn.

Primary Related Location

Hlal's Mourn