December Event - Candlelight Revelry

[pumpkinhollow]

Candlelight Revelry

The Longest Nights

{ CONTENT WARNINGS: grief, especially in a winter/December context, exclusive to Mourner's Night. All others should be mostly cw free! }

It is always interesting to consider that across many cultures, and indeed across many universes, there is something that is shared across numerous groups of people from many, many different backgrounds, and that is the concept of winter holidays. Not every culture has them, of course, and they vary in importance, involvement, reason, and length pretty wildly. But it's fun to think about the fact that all kinds of humanoids all across time and space looked at that bleak stretch of time between the end of November to the beginning of March and thought to themselves, "we should put some kind of party in there so we don't all lose our minds." The people of the Emerald Isles, of which Marrow Isle is one, are much the same in this regard.

Since its inception, Pumpkin Hollow has celebrated the two main winter holidays common among the various nations across Northern Leviathan, which are Mourner's Night and Givingstide. Additionally, it's become a bit of a new tradition in Pumpkin Hollow to join in offworlder celebrations, such as Hanukkah, Solstice, and Christmas--- often with more being added each year as newcomers arrive with their own traditions! And somehow, each year, it seems as though for a few weeks all of the evils take a rest as well. Is it because this time of year is simply too sacred for them to create trouble and pain? Or is it because the weavers of this world are too busy booking family dinners, plane flights, and road trips to subject their little toys to more horrors? It is one of the great mysteries of the universe, isn't it?

Anyway, here's wishing you a cozy, restful, blissful holiday season, regardless of your traditions. May this next year be just as full of adventure and fun, with far less trials and tribulations. (For the players. The characters should continue to endure the torment nexus, of course.)

Local Customs

MOURNER'S NIGHT | December 10th

Nightfall comes early this time of year, so it isn't too long of a wait for the sky to grow fully dark. Dressed in mourning clothes and warm coats, the people of the town gather in little clusters in the streets, in near silence. Lanternbearers dressed like undertakers carry tall posts with blazing lanterns hanging from them, faces painted like skulls. There hasn't been a true and final death in Pumpkin Hollow for years now, but that doesn't stop the people here from holding their annual vigil for those that were lost before the barrier.

The lanternbearers guide the groups through town, converging on Main Street, where they are awaited by a long-bodied black carriage drawn by black horses with white skeleton-markings painted on them. A hearse. In the driver's seat, a woman in a tight black dress and a mistletoe-patterned black veil, which gives only the smallest glimpses of her pale hair. It's Fever, acting in the role of Mortanne.

Very few words are exchanged as this procession makes its way through the cold to Fall's Promise Cemetery, where by the light of candles and lanterns alone, Reverend Clayton retells the story of Mortanne's final kindness. Those who pass away are met where they find their end by a horse-drawn hearse, where they ride with Death and recount their life until they reach their destination--- the afterlife they've earned. A mournful hymn is sung that seems to make the sky itself ache, and then…

Silence.

Stay at the candle light vigil for as long as you want. Remember those who you lost back home, honor those who passed away before you arrived but whose influence you still feel every day, or simply pay respects to yourself. You died to be here, after all. And then, when the cold starts biting too much to bear, part ways, and find your way home with a candle in hand. You will surely be left with much to think about.

Those who gravitate towards the outskirts, however, or linger after most have gone, may spy another woman in a black dress and veil. For a moment, it would be easy to mistake her as Fever--- the resemblance is striking. But then you see much longer, stark white hair spilling out of the bottom of the veil, and feel a gaze meet yours that feels like it's calling you home.

GIVINGSTIDE | December 22nd

Ah, Givingstide! After the somber observance of Mourner's Night, you only have to wait eleven days to have some proper winter-themed fun!

Held on the day after the longest night of the year, this holiday is a "thank goodness, we made it" tradition that celebrates the beginning of the sun's return and the first step in the journey towards spring. All across numerous countries in Concorde's Northern Hemisphere, communities gather in large communal spaces to eat, drink, and be warm together while exchanging gifts. And for Pumpkin Hollow, that takes place in the Oak & Iron, the beloved tavern where most spend their first nights on the island.

A massive feast is held, where the tavern itself, local restaurants, and amateur chefs collaborate to create a menu of warming, hearty dishes. Soups and stews, pasta, roasted meat, bread, root vegetable dishes, and sweets galore are served alongside hot cider, cocoa, coffee, tea, mulled wine, and mead. Paper horses and snowflakes line the walls, and boughs of pine and holly create beds for skulls on tables and above the fireplace. A miniature sleigh is set up in the center of the room, piled high with gifts that everyone placed in it upon their arrival. Once everyone has gotten their food, the mayor and Dahlia take turns plucking parcels from the pile and reading off who they are for so as to hand them out. Although some do prefer to give the gifts directly. (The mayor, for once, looks relaxed.)

With all the gifts passed out, songs are sung and instruments played in groups while others dance or sit by the fire. Some will go out to play in the snow, and by the end of the night, more than a dozen snowmen will have popped up outside the tavern. Others still will remain inside, basking in the warmth of being among their community. Children play with toys, adults laugh, desserts are overindulged in, and all is well.

OFFWORLD TRADITIONS

Winter Holidays from Around the Universe

The interfaith space within the Temple of Sacred Roots stays busy this time of year! Since most local traditions are celebrated outside the temple, many of the main areas are offered to the pursuit of offworld religious observances for much of December.

Hanukkah is up first among the larger celebrations, running from December 14th through the 22nd this year. The island's Jewish population consists primarily of Anzu, Lev/Lyubov, and Zivia, though they'll warmly invite friends and family to join in on the festivities.

Christmas, of course, is on December 25th, though the preceding evening is also a busy time. Despite being a Pumpkin Hollow native, Dahlia Leeds has partners who observe the holiday, as well as a gaggle of young housemates and a television who are all very enthusiastic about Christmas. As such, she's made the decision to host a fairly well-appointed and cozy Christmas Eve party in her home (though she largely allows Radar and the teenagers to select the guest list). Dress in your Christmas best and have dinner at Leeds Estate before proceeding to the Temple for midnight mass! Non-partygoers are invited to attend the ceremony by candlelight as well, as usual. Christmas Day celebrations vary by household!

But for those who don't have anything in particular to do on the afternoon of the 25th, a recent town addition is also hosting a celebration for the Feast of the Winter Star from her own home world. Those who signed up can participate in the "secret gift exchange" organized by Haley. But you don't need to be in the exchange to come and have fun! Light and decorate a holiday tree in the snow, enjoy a potluck with friends new and old, and enjoy some stargazing afterwards--- it's a perfect way to cap off the day, whether you're incorporating it into your own holiday or just there to have a nice time.

Other holidays celebrated throughout the month are:

• Saturnalia on the 17th, celebrated by Gaeta
• Winter's Crest on the 20th, celebrated by Cassandra
• Dongzhi on the 21st, celebrated by Shen Qingqiu alongside his found family
• Mittvinter on the 21st, celebrated by Hector, Capochin, Godpoke, Patty, and their found family and close friends
• The Birth of Hathor on the 23rd, celebrated by Marik
• The Winter Solstice celebration on the 25th, celebrated by Sorceress and Wizard
• and Gyftmas on the 25th, celebrated by Mettaton and Papyrus

And of course there's New Years Eve on the 31st, celebrated by both locals and a majority of offworlders! Share some holiday cheer with your friends from all across the multiverse and take some time to get to know how your neighbor spends the season this year, and cap this year off with a wonderful, festive bang!

Happy Holidays!

Comments

[abhorrently]

She looks for her, in the darkness. When things clear, when the heavy and somber silence allows for it, she pulls away from the others, bringing herself to the outskirts out of respect. It wouldn't be right, after all, to distract anyone from their grief with the joy that rises in her heart instead. A reunion in the midst of loss would please no one. But it's her, and Fever has waited with all the patience she can manage for the other seasons. Away, she can still be hushed and respectful of the vigil. Away, she can extend her hands and softly call out.

"Mother."

Look, she's trying to be less formal about this. Trying being the key word.

[psalmofseasons]

As soon as Mortanne sees Fever, she lifts her veil up away from her face, and smiles. "Hello, my darling," she says softly, taking those outstretched hands and pulling her close. "I've missed you terribly. Happy birthday."

[abhorrently]

She's beaming behind her own veil, pushing it up when they're close so that she can look at Mortanne unobstructed.

"Thank you. I missed you too."

It really is a happy birthday, getting to see her again. Last year, she had looked for her with trepidation, and now, it's with all the relief of coming home for a while.

"They asked me to be you again this year. Can you believe it?"

Of course, here she is in the role, but it's about what it all means, both to the ceremony and the island. It's hard to not feel proud to be reprising it after everything.

[psalmofseasons]

"Of course they did. You are perfect for the role," Mortanne assures her. "You look so much like me that you could be my biological daughter, frankly."

Mortanne leans in, kissing Fever on the head. "How have you been, my love? You look--- electric."

[abhorrently]

She wonders, briefly, what that life would have been like. Far happier, perhaps, and a lot less bloody. But ultimately, it's only a thought. If she wasn't herself, then she wouldn't know the people she did. Might not love the world with all the passion that she does, or be able to stand by those who need her. It's a tangled, thorny path to consider what could have been. Better to be here now.

"It's been...complicated, in truth. A number of struggles from all that's occurred." The demons, the Fears, the chaos god's touch. "But I'm still trying to be hopeful. And I've made a number of new friends, and...I'm trying to be nicer to myself." A little laugh. "Oh, there's so much I want to tell you, but if I said it all, we'd be here for hours."

[psalmofseasons]

"My snow angel, I am four billion years old and barely out of my youth, you may have as many of my hours as you desire. I shall gladly give you a whole winter if you wish it," she says, offering Fever the crook of her arm. "Why don't we go for a walk? Or a ride, if you prefer the carriage."

[abhorrently]

"No, I want to walk."

Taking the offered arm, they will. Fever worries not about time, or where they will go - the journey will be as long as she needs it to be. She tells her of what has passed since the seasons turned, when Mortanne had to go, as Fever knew she would.

Spring, and the joys of seeing it happen for the second time, the earth waking up after its slumber. She speaks of the opera that flayed open their memories and left them before all to see, and the fall of Efrain, with them released back to the island. Long enough to catch their breaths before the undead with their faces - and Fever admits she hunted her own, knowing the damage she could have caused if she hadn't, unceasing until it was finally over. The gift she had accepted, knowing its necessity in the days to come.

Summer, when the early morning fog feels correct to see in the streets and the heat brings plants to their peak. When the fae came to visit, and layered their magic across the town to offer such sights and experiences. She recounts it with joy, and tells of meeting Regent Coprinus, and of how much genuine fun she had. And then, when they were in the grip of Seemingly's malevolence, and how they had to endure until the puppet was destroyed like their master. How it felt to keep Kelaiah from slipping into death, and the wonder that it had happened at all.

Autumn, of harvest and playful winds and nights growing longer to coax eyes heavenward. Fever tells of those both wished for and reviled brought to dance for a night, like figures from a storybook - where vengeance capped the night off and a new resolution was made. And then the Fears, pervading nearly every corner of their space. Dying over and over, and how far Mortanne had felt. Striving and being scared, doing everything to merely keep going, until their reign was toppled.

But they're in a stretch of breathing room now, and she's going to try to mourn her dead. Let herself remember, and let them all sleep easy, as Anzu put it.

"...when I say it all like that, it really has been complicated."

[psalmofseasons]

"A wonderful, terrible year," Mortanne says, as their second lap around the graveyard fence comes to an end and she makes her way to a cemetery bench. The same one where Fever was set free one year prior. They sit, perhaps with the oddly pleasant soreness of a long walk completed. Whether Mortanne herself feels it or simply embodies it is unclear, but she smiles as the two of them collapse onto the stone.

"I am ever so proud of you, I hope you know. Protecting your people, saving your friend. I am glad that bit of my power remained with you. You can use it anytime you like. Just remember not to let go unless you're sure."

[abhorrently]

"I won't. Thank you for it - I have a feeling it's going to be needed more than the once before this is all over."

The exertion of the walk settles into her like snow rests over the ground, a gentle weight. And though she had hoped and prayed and made her best judgement on if Mortanne might be proud for how she was acting, it still means the world to hear it said. It shows in her expression, utterly transparent.

"...there was one thing I wanted to ask you, when I saw you again. It might be silly, but can I ask it anyway?"