Storm's Light Festival

"If you get the opportunity, it is incredibly amusing to spend the time of the Festival of Storm's Light in the city of Nollar. Now, the local elders of the city are not likely to participate themselves in a distinctly Lorian tradition, but the city itself comes alive at this time. Millions of lights hang from the tree-homes of the berilar, shining in a variety of colours to herald the end of the Raging's grip on the nation."
~A Traveller's Guide to Loria

History

The end of the stormy winters of the west coast of Sedesta has always been a time of great celebration since the end of the Great Sundering. The blizzards and thunderstorms that plague the region begin to let up and end at this time, giving those who have suffered through the winter hope.

Execution

After assembling the various members of the community in a plaza or other meeting place, the group spends much of the afternoon putting together lanterns and lights to hang up in their homes. Some communities make small lanterns out of reed-paper or leather, others simply put bright candles on specially-crafted door hangers. Regardless, the themes of colour and light are heavily represented throughout the crafting time.
As night begins to fall, a local priest will begin a ceremony. They will talk about the dark times of the winter, the hopelessness felt by the farmers and fields during that dark time, how the gods reward toil and protect them against the evil of the Raging. Then they will highlight the change of the seasons, how the spring will bring light and comfort to the people of the world. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the priest will go around and, with the help of acolytes or chosen volunteers, will help light all of the lanterns and candles held by the people, who will then place them in their homes.
Following this, all participants will return to the original meeting place for a feast. The priest will provide a balance of food and drink if the city's stocks are too depleted, but there is an effort to use food and drink that has been made during the winter. Drinking and carousing goes on late into the night, and is often a chance for public revelry after the stoic or fun-less winter.

Related Ethnicities

• Lorian

Timing and Length

The ceremonial aspects of the Festival of Storm's Light often take place at the end of Me'elquil (that is, the end of winter) or at the beginning of Wendequil (the beginning of spring), depending on the region and how many or how few religious festivals are organized around the same time.
The ceremony itself will take place over the course of a whole day, with the various participating people gathering around midday, and the celebrations and the feasting take place late into the night.