Thaumen Birthday

It is the way of the Thaumen to create a story of one's life so that when they die all may enjoy it

— unknown cult cleric

In Thaumen culture, one's birthday is of great importance. However, the actual day of birth is a minor celebration compared to the larger celebration help on the next full moon. During this later communal birthday, all people born during the previous lunar cycle will celebrate together.

The Twin Days

One's birthday is celebrated on two separate days, one on the day corresponding to their actual date of birth as well as the next full moon where the true celebration is held.

Day of Birth

On the day that coincides with the birth of a Thaumen a small celebration is held with the immediate family before dawn. Often the celebrant will receive a collection of Grenlins equally the number of years they have lived through normally no more than a dozen. Then, the celebrant will dress in a simple brown robe, which represents the simple nature of life and the equalling of all people through the passage of time. For the rest of the day, the celebrant won't be allowed to eat or drink. However, once the sun is set they are allowed to act as normal.

During the day the individual will perform the right of passage. During this ritual, the individual will walk through the graveyard of those that had fallen in the last year paying their respect to those that had passed. Any grave dated to the same cycle as the celebrant's has tribute given in the form of a small gift. This can be flowers, food, etc. Once the celebrant has made their way through the graveyard they then go to the cult's God's shrine and make a small offering.

At sunset just before they are released from their duty, the celebrant will in private confess all the sins they had committed in the last year at a shrine of their cult's God. After their confession, they strip themselves of the robe and submerge themselves in the shrine's water. This represents the drowning of the sins of the last year and the rebirth or rising of a new individual who is not weighed down by their past mistakes. Once all these things have been completed the birthday is considered over.

Day of Celebration

The actual celebration of one's birth is held on the full moon that comes after the Day of Birth. During this day all those in the community who have had a Day of birth since the last Day of Celebration will celebrate together. During the morning all is as normal with people going about their lives. However, after midday, the celebration begins. Those who are celebrating dress in fine robes coloured to match the constellation they are born under, for example, those born during the lion's month will wear red. They Also wrap themselves with the ceremonial Sash of Stories: an item created for them and presented at their first birthday, which is added to every subsequent birthday.

From midday onwards, the community and celebrants will hold a grand party with plenty of food, drinks and events to go around. To people outside of Thaumen culture, this would resemble a fair or festival. This party goes on until the sun begins to edge towards dusk, and the full moon slowly fades into view. It is then that the rituals begin. During the evening a number of things occur, all of which represent the passage of time and hold importance. These events are:

Spinning the Year

One of the first things that occur is the action of Expanding one's story. During this, a thin strip of fabric is added to the sash which is then embroidered with an event from the last year that the celebrant wishes to immortalise. Great pride and care are taken in this process, with the dedicated sowers of the cult spending the entire cycle creating all the strips needed for the next celebration. This represents the story that the celebrant wants to tell of their life, highlighting the most important or impactful moments. As one gets older their Birth Sash becomes a tapestry that if read allows one to understand the life of the owner.

Binding of Years

Once one has expanded their story the next step is binding. This however only occurs every 5 years one has celebrated, whereas one expands their story every year. The binding is when the celebrant is given a piece of jewellery, be it rings, bracelets, bands or piercings that the celebrant will wear for the rest of their life, only removing them to bath, during their Day of Birth and during sleep. The jewellery is engraved in a similar way to the Sash of Stories however instead of the celebrant choosing the event being depicted it is either the parents or the partner of the celebrant. The type of Jewellery is often up to the celebrant however some enjoy allowing others to choose for them, feeling that the whole of the binding should reflect the views of others and thus they themselves should have no say in the process.

Mark of Years

Every 10 years starting on the 10th birthday the celebrant receives and then adds to what is known as a lunar mark. If the spinning is the tale told by the individual and the binding the views of their closest peers then the mark represents their soul without bias. The mark resembles a tattoo however instead of being inked in by a needle these lunar marks are instead seared into the skin when the celebrant takes a dip in the waters of their cult God's shrine in a similar way to how they would during their Day of Birth. However, this time they have their bindings and Birth Sash with them. On top of this, the local cleric will perform bless the celebrant as they enter. The celebrant while submerged is then marked by their own soul.

The first mark is known as the Tag. This marking is always that of the moon that the individual was born under. Showing not only the phase of Linith, the position of Avula and Kelth but also the cycle they were born to. This represents their connection to the moon itself and what allows the additions to the mark to be made. The additions to the mark are known as remnants. These form complex patterns that mean nothing to mortals however when read by one who can comprehend the true meaning allows true insight into an individual along with power over them. As such Thaumens are adverse to show their mark to clerics outside of their own cult or any being connected to the divine.

Related Ancestries

Thaumens

Birthdays for adventurers

If a Thaumen finds themselves away from home during their birthday there are ways for them to celebrate still. A common one is to only celebrate on the actual day that coincides with their birth and to then not celebrate communally until they have returned to their cult. If the absence is known about before the celebration then it is expected that you would make the sowers aware of the addition you would like to be made to your Sash of Stories.

While acceptable to miss one's birthday it is still somewhat frowned upon as doing so normally means you have been away from the cult for a long period of time. There is a strong expectation that those that venture out do return to the cult periodically to check-in and help the cult.