The Week of the Unknown

A festival held in Ajuchitlan just before monsoon season hits, honoring their spiritual figures and enjoying staples of their town. It is no small secret that Aju is a flower capital for the southern hemisphere, and much like its northern counterpart, many dishes are created from the various flowers, some with significant cultural importance and others used as a mere filler meal.

The Week of the Unknown is named after the week following a major storm that nearly wiped out Ajuchitlan, the days were filled with mysterious creatures and bodies washing up and invading the ruined settlement. Many of the survivors believed these creatures to be the cause of the storm and destruction and treated them like gods in fear of what would happen if they were made angry. Ever since the incident, a festival has been held shortly before monsoon season as a way to appease the gods, and hopefully prevent a great flood or destruction on the settlement once more.
Every day of the week focuses on a set of figures and flowers in the same order they arrived at Ajuchitlan, dishes are made with the flower of the day, and idols are created for the creatures that arrived. The main meal is held at noon when most creatures appeared and flowers just bloomed, and immediately following was a floating ceremony wherein families put their idol creations in the channels and let them float further into the marsh wilds.
Most families lived in the same district and often celebrated together, every day they would gather at the designated home and undergo the celebration as one. If a family member living outside the common district they would take one of two steps, either they would travel to the designated home and stay for the entire week or they would stay with their immediate family and celebrate together. The latter was common among farmers and construction workers, both of who were important in keeping the town safe and supplied.
Most, if not all, dishes served at this celebration involved the flowers grown in the settlement, either as a key ingredient or garnish. Drinks would often be made using the nectar of the flowers or honey from local insects, teas and other floral-based drinks were also very common. Salads and various vegetation-centered dishes were served in high demand, fish was cooked in wraps of flower petals and other meats were marinated with flowers and spices.

Primary Related Location

Ajuchitlan