An Early Spring Holiday
Vowtide is a celebration of bonds—whether they are of love, friendship, or family. Held in early spring when life begins to stir after the long winter, it is a day devoted to honoring promises, commitments, and the strength of connection. While romantic relationships are certainly a part of the day, Vowtide extends its reach to platonic and familial love as well, making it a day where all forms of loyalty are cherished.
In some places, Bridemere is particularly honored during Vowtide, as she is seen as the patron goddess of devotion. Couples may visit shrines dedicated to her, leaving behind tokens of their promises—a lock of hair, a small piece of embroidered cloth, or a shared drink from a ceremonial cup. But the day is just as important for friends who have kept each other’s secrets, siblings who have supported one another through hardship, and comrades who have stood side by side in battle.
One of the most notable traditions of Vowtide is the String Ceremony, where participants weave ribbons or threads together to symbolize their connection. These knots, once tied, are often kept in safe places, as they are believed to offer protection and strength to the bond that they represent. Friends may tie knots as a sign of their loyalty, while families knot threads to symbolize their unity.
As evening falls, the Promise Fires are lit, and people gather around to share stories of the promises they’ve kept or those they intend to make. It is said that the flames will carry their words to Bridemere herself.
Whether it's the vow of a lover, the oath of a friend, or the pledge of a family, Vowtide is a day of celebration and renewal of the ties that bind people to one another.
A Spring Holiday
Queenslaying Day commemorates the momentous event when the First God was shattered into the Ten, a day symbolizing both liberation and transformation. The festival is steeped in remembrance of the Queen who once imprisoned the First God, and it honors the moment of divine revolt.
The day begins with lively processions where people wear crowns they’ve crafted themselves, made from materials symbolizing the burdens, failures, or pressures that currently weigh upon them. Some crowns are extravagant, adorned with thorns, metal, or flowers to represent the oppressive forces in their lives, while others remain simple yet poignant. As twilight approaches, the crowns are ceremonially removed and burned in a large communal bonfire, symbolizing the breaking of oppressive rule and personal release.
Throughout the day, altars dedicated to the Ten Gods are adorned with flowers, feathers, and offerings of food, as people give thanks and offer prayers to their chosen deities. There is a playful yet solemn atmosphere as children take part in games reenacting the legendary battle against the Queen, playing the roles of the gods, complete with costumes and props. The grand finale of the evening sees the Queen’s symbolic downfall, cheered by the crowd as a puppet representing her is burned along with the crowns.
Rituals throughout the day focus on renewal and transformation, calling upon the gods to grant strength and wisdom, as the First God did when they split into shards. It’s a day of deep reflection but also joyous celebration.
The Feast of Hearth’s Plenty is a celebration of community, gratitude, and abundance, held at the beginning of the harvest season. Though its origins are humble, meant to give thanks for bountiful crops and the protection of home and hearth, it has evolved into a larger event. It’s now a day where people come together to share stories, food, and a sense of unity, expressing gratitude not only for what has been given but also for the relationships and bonds that sustain them through both abundance and scarcity.
Families and friends gather to prepare lavish feasts, with every household contributing their most cherished recipes. Tables are adorned with seasonal fruits, roasted meats, and other local delicacies. Each dish served during the Feast holds its own significance, meant to honor both the bounty of the earth and the hard work of those who tend it. In rural areas, it’s customary to leave a portion of the feast out in the fields overnight, offering thanks to the land and ensuring future harvests will be plentiful.
Before the meal begins, communities often gather to give thanks through storytelling or song, sharing the challenges and triumphs of the past year.
But the Feast is not solely about personal reflection; it also has an element of responsibility. It’s a day to give back to those who have less, ensuring that no one goes without during the harsh seasons to come. In larger cities like Yr'Dor and Ker'Ringlorn, public feasts are held, and it’s not uncommon to see strangers invited into homes or gatherings, reinforcing the spirit of community and generosity.
As the evening winds down, bonfires are often lit, where people cast dried herbs or small offerings into the flames, thanking the gods for the warmth and shelter of their homes. With full bellies and full hearts, the day ends in quiet reflection, a time to rest and temper oneself for the winter ahead.
A Mid-Fall Holiday.
On the eerie and magical eve known as Dreamer’s Night, Hangata honors its connection to dreams and nightmares alike. This celebration straddles two worlds—the waking and the dreaming—and is often associated with both Wander and Hallow.
The night usually begins with the Ritual of Dreams, where families hang lanterns made of translucent material outside their homes, each containing small wishes. These lanterns are said to guide lost spirits through the night, ensuring they find peace before the new year.
Children dress as figures from old tales, embodying both heroes and monsters, and parade through the streets with masks resembling creatures of myth, their own dreams, or even distorted versions of themselves. Some communities believe these costumes hide them from malevolent spirits who wander closest to the mortal realm on this night. Feeding these children sweet treats supposedly brings good luck to the gifter.
The night after is a time to honor forgotten memories, where those who've passed away or faded from the world are remembered again in stories told over low-burning fires. This tradition, known as the Night of the Forgotten, is both solemn and beautiful, an acknowledgement of the fleeting nature of life and the power of dreams to carry forward lost fragments of the past.
Many believe that if they sleep after midnight, they will be given a dream of someone Forgotten, assigned their Mourning for the next year.
A Midwinter Holiday.
Winterveil is a sacred time of warmth amidst the cold, celebrated at the heart of the darkest season. As Hangata’s skies fill with the soft glow of distant stars and falling snow, people gather to honor the magic that exists in the spaces between—the veil that separates the physical world from the dreamscape. It is said that the Gods walk closest to mortals during Winterveil, their influence a subtle, protective warmth in the cold.
Homes are adorned with wreaths made of evergreen, candles burn with gentle flames of blue and white, and rich tapestries of cloth or paper are hung, each depicting stories of the Gods. Families and friends exchange gifts—tokens representing their wishes for the recipient in the coming year. These gifts are often handmade, from knit scarves to baked goods shaped in symbolic patterns, but in richer cities, may also be purchased.
At night, a Ceremony of Reflection is held, where communities gather to share stories of the past year, recounting trials, triumphs, and moments of kindness that have held them together. This collective reflection is meant to bond the community as they face the long winter ahead.
Winterveil marks the longest night of the year, a period when the world seems to stand still under the thick veil of winter’s frost. While it is a holiday is full of warmth and comfort, it also carries an undercurrent of respect for the harshness of the world, and for those lost to the chill of previous winters.
An End of Winter Holiday.
Yearsend is the culmination of Hangata’s annual cycle, where the barriers between past and future seem to dissolve, leaving a fleeting moment of possibility. Rather than being a time of boisterous celebrations, Yearsend is steeped in rituals of closure, self-reflection, and new beginnings. The exception is in Ikseo, where the stars themselves are often outshone by the sheer amount of Fireworks that Kingsblood insists on setting off...
As dusk falls on the final day of the year, people light lanterns, each inscribed with the memories they wish to leave behind. These lanterns are released into the rivers or open skies, carried away by the wind or water, symbolizing the end of one’s struggles and the start of a new journey. Communities gather in silence as the lanterns drift away, watching the glow fade as the past year is symbolically cleansed.
At midnight, when the year officially shifts, a solemn silence is observed throughout Hangata, known as the Quiet Moment, where no words are spoken. In this quiet, people listen for the first signs of the new year—the whisper of wind, the crackle of a fire, or the distant sound of waves. These first sounds are believed to be omens, carrying with them the weight of what is to come.
Once the silence is broken, communities partake in the First Word, where individuals speak a single, carefully chosen word aloud to guide their fate in the coming year. Whether it is a declaration of hope, a promise of resilience, or a wish for peace, the First Word supposedly holds immense power in shaping one’s destiny for the next cycle.
Yearsend is also a time of personal reflection, where people write letters to themselves, making promises and plans for the future. These letters are often burned or sealed away, not to be opened until the following Yearsend, allowing people to see how far they’ve come!
A Midsummer Holiday
Echo’s Eve is a day dedicated to the ripples of actions—both great and small—that shape the world, reflecting the deep belief that every choice, every word, and every action leaves behind a resonance. Whether the echoes of those actions are positive, negative, or somewhere in between, this day offers the people of Hangata a chance to confront and honor them.
On Echo's Eve, tokens of both achievement and regret are created, often in the form of small symbolic objects like carved wood, painted stones, or personal items altered in some way. These tokens represent moments from the past year that still resonate in the person's life—good or bad. Traditionally, they are hung from trees, which are sometimes planted specifically for this ritual in town centers or on the outskirts of villages. These trees, known as Echo Trees, serve as a living embodiment of how the past, like the branches, grows further away with time, but remains ever-present in the structure of one's life.
Communities gather around their Echo Trees as the sun begins to set. In a solemn yet cathartic ritual, individuals approach the tree one by one to hang their tokens. Some people may share the stories behind their tokens, recounting the actions that brought them to this point. For others, the act is a silent meditation, a way to confront personal echoes without words.
The trees become adorned with a mixture of regrets and achievements—dried flowers for promises unkept, ribbons for victories won, or simple twigs to represent missed chances. These decorations will remain on the trees, weathering the elements, and growing upwards and far away with the passage of time.