Avvar Holidays

The Avvar celebrate eight different holidays that are timed to the seasons and the Earth's natural rhythms. Many of the holidays are also deeply intertwined with the Alamarri pantheon. Since an exact calendar system is not held, many of the dates are determined by Sky Watchers.

Observance

Winter Solstice

The Winter Solstice is the longest night and the shortest day of the year. Avvar celebrate this day as it is the day after which light returns to their lands. It's a time of renewal and hope, but also a day meant to recognize overcoming struggle. All day long, members of the clan are not meant to eat.
They are not supposed to eat in order to help instill the understanding that even on the hardest of days, the Lady of the Skies will always help bring another day to the land. Every clan holds different traditions for this, but usually there will be several events, rituals, or rites performed by Sky Watchers in the name of the Lady on this day.

Day of Vibrancy

This holiday is a preparation for spring. Avvar clean and organize their living environments, as well as their minds and hearts, in preparation for the upcoming season/day of growth.
It's a time to shake off the winter dreariness and to light the fires of creativity and inspiration. Kids start the day by getting buckets of paint-like material and using their hands to paint colors and patterns on the hold-beast in an attempt to make it look ferocious. Then, once that is done, the keeper of the hold-beast will attempt to commune with it and see if it thinks the paint was done well.
If the hold-beast is pleased, the kids get to chase around the adults and spend the next several hours throwing paint at them and onto their houses and homes. If the hold-beast is not, then the adults chase the kids around and try to throw paint on them. The effects of this day are often seen on people, and their homes, for weeks.

Day of Growth

Winter is finally over: the light continues to increase, ice is thawing, plants are starting to grow, and animals are waking from hibernation. Following this day, the clan's hunters begin their regular hunting expeditions once more. In order to prepare for that, climbing tournaments and races are held. The day is spent cheering on the clan's participants. There are three events in total: the climbing tournament and two races (one for adults, one for children). Following the events, a ritual is lead by the clan's shaman in reverence of Korth. Afterwards, the winner of each event is crowned and considered to having Korth's blessing for the rest of the year.
Beyond the hunters, this day is also meant to see how much each clan member has grown over the winter (both physically and mentally). Heights are taken and marked on walls in one's house. It is also a time where people talk with others openly and honestly for suggestions on how they should improve themselves over the coming seasons (again, both physically and mentally).

Day of Fertility

In the early morning of this day, clan people reenact the scene of Korth and Vitiris's first meeting. It is very light-hearted and often played in a comedic way. Following this, the clan goes and plants the seeds they've stored since last year in their lands. After being planted, the waters first poured on the seeds are given to the clan by the shaman after they had it blessed by a spirit sent by Vitiris.
This marks the beginning of the planting cycle and growing season.

Summer Solstice

The Summer Solstice marks the longest day and the shortest night of the year. Light triumphs, but will now begin to fade into darkness as fall approaches. The crops are planted and growing. The woods and forests have reached their peak fullness. This is the time of abundance for all life.
It is on this day, the clan shaman will bring together any who wish to be married. When married, the bride is meant to sing a song to one of the gods. While doing so, the husband is given a long rope with upwards of one-hundred knots. Supposedly, Korth gives the man enough strength to untie enough knots equal to the number of years their marriage will last. So if the man is only able to untie fourteen knots, it is believed that their marriage will only last fourteen years.
Those who aren't getting married simply use this as a day to forgo duties and to spend time with friends and family.

Day of Vigor

As the summer comes to its end and fall begins, a day of fighting tournaments is held. The exact form of the events, particularly what weaponry is acceptable (if any at all), is based on what each clan's thane deems honorable. It is believed that the winner of such a tournament will forever be blessed with Hakkon's natural intuition or his ability to overcome many wounds in battle.
Though it is rare, some clans that are closely tied together will hold these holiday events in unison with one another.

Day of Memory

For the Avvar, the Day of Memory is a time of both hope and fear. They must hope for a bountiful harvest and abundant meats, but it is always feared that what they have may never be enough. It is on this day that Avvar face their fears, embrace the unknown, and concentrate on finding themselves in the world's chaos. It's primarily a day of reflection and solitude where Avvar each go out and think in privacy, something that's a rarity due to the nature of their lives. No words are meant to be spoken until the sun goes down so as to not disturb other's reflection.
Once the sun goes down, the entire clan decides on which event was the most prominent to happen to them since the last Day of Memory. A symbol or depiction to remember that event is tattooed onto the chieftain's body, so they will never remember who they fight for. Thus, a chieftain with many tattoos is one to be respected and feared.

Day of Guidance

For many Avvar, the existence of the Beyond is an unsettling thought. This holiday is about paying respects to the Gatekeeper of Twilight, who serves as the protector from malicious spirits and demons that are derived from such a strange place.
It is on this day, children with arcane talent who are ready to give up their spirit guide do so with the supervision of the clan's shaman. Each child also spends the day with an adult who is specialized in the craft that the child will one day take up.

Primary Related Location

Frostback Mountains

Related Ethnicities

• Avvar