Okay, so it's time to finish my campaign world calendar -- I originally toyed with making a six day week, but honestly, it's easier for certain measurements of time to be immediately understood, where a 7 day period is a week, a fortnight is 20 days, a month is 30 days, and so on.
So, a calendar is another way to emphasize features of the campaign world -- it once was a shining kingdom, and is now a broken wasteland. A lunar calendar that no longer makes sense because the moon doesn't wax and wane any more. Celebrations of the churches of Law that few people follow, or have become agnostic observances. Demihuman feast days or holidays that have been co-opted by the greater human population.
To make a fantasy world feel alive, it's important to have special holidays, celebrating specific occurrences, the turn of the seasons, and other location-specific observances -- imagine arriving at the City-State of Anzagort during the Feast of Lanterns. I did borrow a bit to capture the feel of certain real holidays -- if you squint and turn your head sidways Hearthtide could feel a bit like Christmas and the Feast of the Fallen might feel a bit like Halloween...
This is a starting point for my campaign, and I'm sure I will add holidays and celebrations to this for specific towns and cultures as the players continue to explore the broken world of Aquerria -- any suggestions? Drop me a note at archadethered@gmail.com.
The lost kingdom of Aquerria divided the year into four seasons, each consisting of a 13 sets of seven day weeks, with ancient writings stating the lunar cycle was every 5 weeks (but now Garu-Tet is always full and staring, and the blood-red chaos moon appears random and fleeting through the tears in the sky), and a special sacred day at the end of each year called End Day, which does not belong to the ending year nor the start of the new one.
The week itself is a cycle of the seven days, named after the labours that should occur on those days:
Landsday – the day of tending to farms and fields
Deedsday – a day of contracts, exchange of services, and labour
Hearthsday – a day of domestic work, tending to the home
Redesday – a day of counsel and remembering
Hymnday – a day of prayer and worship
Cantday – a day of song, feasting, and fellowship
Crownday – a day of oaths, courts, and justice
The seasonal feast days throughout the year are:
Fielding Feast – the beginning of spring, and the planting of fields, held on the first Landsday of the year. Ploughs are decorated with bells or ribbons, and villagers often come together to help each other, celebrating with a communal dinner.
King’s Feast – the beginning of summer, a day of tournaments, contests, and proclamations, held on the 14th Landsday of the year (often referred to as the first Landsday of Summer). Oaths that are not meant to be ongoing are often agreed upon to after King’s Feast unless renewed.
Harkening Feast – the beginning of autumn, a day to remembering ancestors, history and traditions, and also the exchange of gifts or the resolving of obligations, held on the 27th Landsday of the year (called the first Landsday of Autumn). Temple bells are rung at dusk, and clerics of Garu-Tet sing chanting songs that speak of the great Silver Kingdom long gone.
Barrowing Feast / Endday Feast – the beginning of winter, held on the 40th Landsday of the year (called the first Landsday of Winter), when graves are visited and tended to, and cups are raised to honour the dead.
During Barrowing Day, the dwarves of Haven sing the songs of their lost kingdom of Threegate and that night light candles to honour their ancestors.
End Day – this is a day outside the ordinary ordering of the world. No labour is done this day and it is considered very ill luck to enter into a contract or promise on End Day. Often those who worship the Lords of Law fast upon this day.
The calendar is described in rotations, one could formally say “I’ll meet you on the Second Hearthsday after King’s Feast at Anzagort’s North Gate”, or “Remember the 20th Cantday we are attending church”, or even more colloquially, “I shall wed on the first Barrowing Hymnday”, or “Our contract shall end the last Redesday of Autumn”.
The years themselves are numbered, but no one remembers what they count from – the current year according to the Scribes of Garu-Tet is 5921.
In addition to the four Great Feasts, the Aquerrian year contains numerous lesser holidays, holy days, fairs and ancient observances. Some are celebrated throughout the realm, while others survive only in particular towns, noble houses or villages. Many predate the fall of Aquerria, and their original meanings have been forgotten.
Blade Day – The second Crown day of spring, a day for swords to be sharpened, and tribute paid to overlords, barons, and nobles in exchange for protection.
Coinfall Feast – A day of charity, where it is considered good luck to give to the needy, or for urban farmers to bury a single silver piece in their fields for good fortune. This is typically the third Redesday of spring.
The Green Feast – held on the 8th Cantday of Spring, likely adopted from some elven observance, this spring festival involves singing and dancing, adorning trees with ribbons, and the sharing of wine.
Under Hill Feast – on the 2nd Hearthdsay of Summer, the halfling communities gather for celebrating family and good food together.
The Green Ride – An old Aquerrian customary day for hunting, held on the fourth Deedsday of Summer. For the poor or rural folk, they often will have someone dress up as ‘the stag’ with branches for horns, and have the children chase them through the woods, and any that catch them can have the honey sweets they carry in their pouch.
Vigil Fast – held on the 7th Hymnday of Summer, this would be the day that young nobles would fast and contemplate knighthood before receiving their swords and cloaks the next morning. It is said that the Knights of the Sable Stag take new acolytes to join their order on this day, and many who worship Marklyn the Arbiter fast and contemplate their dedication to Law.
Bramble Man Day – on the 1st Deedsday of Autumn, the village of Fengate takes any criminals that have been rounded up for the year, binds them in the wooden structure with vines, and burns them alive in a sacrifice. The meaning behind this ritual is lost to most, but a few of the village elders know it is a sacrifice to the Slow God. During the Bramble Man Day, much feasting and dancing are had, well away from the tormented screams of the dying.
The Night of the Open Door – the 3rd Hymnday of Autumn, this sacred day to Eshpater is observed by the faithful and non-faithful alike. Those that wish to show charity nail a sandal above their door, and on this day any stranger that knocks can expect hospitality and a warm meal. Those who cannot afford to share food or do not have a spare bed will often put out a small basket of dried fruit or day old loaves of bread instead.
Market Fair Day – The 9th Hearthsday of Autumn, all the coastal towns of the Old Kingdom hold fairs where goods are brought to market to be sold, and a great many merchants, minstrels, and soothsayers gather in brightly coloured tents to sell their wares and entertain the people of the markets.
The Feast of the Fallen – The 12th Hymnday of Autumn, the names of those who have died over the last year are read out and their memorable deeds done in life extolled. Families place candles and food upon graves, and children go door to door and if they can name someone in that household’s family who has passed, it is tradition to give them fruit, a hand carved toy, or a colourful ribbon.
The Feast of Lanterns – Primarily held in the City-State of Anzagort on the fifth Cantday of Winter, a festival of lights is held that night, with as many lanterns and candles being put in windows, and parades of people wind through the streets singing. It is said that those that are lost can find their way if they hear the singing.
Hearthtide - A celebration held on the 11th Hearthsday of Winter, a day of families gathering for a feast to stave off the cold winter, and exchange promises. Some promises might be accompanied by a gift. This is when marriages are celebrated, gifts are freely given to benevolent and kind lords, and children return the charity their parents have shown them over the years.
The Blood Night – The 12th Crownday of Winter, a night of silence, no bells are run that day and no music is played that night. Families gather around their hearths while clerics of Ull pray for the safety of others. Many believe the boundary between the mortal world and that of Urrekmyr are thin that night, and it is considered bad luck to be outside or look at the Great Wound in the sky.
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