[Holiday]The Festival of Seasons

[Cinna]

The Festival of Seasons This festival occurs once a year on the last day of summer. It is devoted to the passage of time and its god, Tanroa, as well as the gods of the seasons that time brings with it: Tavasi, Sivah, Bala, and Morwen. The main event of the Festival is a dance that is preformed for every Spirian that wishes to see it.  The Dance: A crowd gathers in the amphitheater. Roarg the Jamouran, keeper of the Shrine of Tanroa and master of ceremonies, dressed in a colorful, eye catching costume, steps into the center of the amphitheater where a large drum is set. He speaks, his voice loud and full, carrying so that even the back of the audience can hear him clearly, saying "My friends... We gather here to celebrate these seasons four, the passage of time, life and death, and all things that control this world in which we live. In a few moments, we will begin a dance and offer tribute to Tanroa, the godess of all time that has been, that is now, and that will be. Sivah, god of Summer. Bala, godess of Autumn. Morwen, godess of Winter. Tavasi, god of Spring... Hear the drumbeats not only with your ears, but with your hearts and minds as well. Feel it move through your bodies and celebrate that as long as the gods still live... the passage of time and the wheel of seasons will continue to turn." He moves to the drum and begins to beat it. Mixed in with the booming sound, one can hear the jingling of tin bells as four dancers, humans, Kelvics in human form, and sometimes Dhani in human form, dance into the center of the amphitheater, stomping their bell-clad feet with the beat of the drum. One is dressed in the lush, vibrant green and pink of spring and dances like the rustling of leaves on the branches, the bending of trees in the wind, and the waving of grass on a plain. One is dressed in the bright, hot yellows and gold of summer, and dances with the intensity of the shining sun and the wild throes of a raging fire. One is dressed in the cool, dull oranges and reds of autumn, and dances like the fluttering of falling leaves and the powerful gusts of the fall winds. The final dancer is dressed in the cold blue and white of winter, and dances like gently falling snow, moving into violent blizzards, and finally melting to make way for spring once again.  The dancers make their way around the giant circle that is the amphitheater twice in a passionate dance, each individual dancer moving in the style of the season they represent, but all four together creating a harmonic and entrancing display. The beat of the drum grows increasingly hypnotic, as some of the crowd begins to sway and move with the dancers' wild, feral ballet. After the second circulations the four dancers begin to hop on one foot and the drum beats louder. Everyone - the four dancers, the entire audience, and even Roarg - let out a long, loud yell of joy and power, one that could be heard throughout the entire city, as more dancers rush in, they too dressed in the colors of the seasons.  Now the dancers, all lined up in a giant circle around the drum, begin the dance again, faster, louder, with more ferocity than ever before. They make another two circulations around the amphitheater until three of the loudest beats in the drum signify that they all stop. Silence, sudden and absolute, falls over the entire amphitheater. Everyone stands still and holds their breath in anticipation of what comes next. The drum beats twice more in quick succession and every last dancer drops to one knee. In the somber silence that follows, Roarg begins to speak again, this time speaking for all who have passed on to the next life.  "...My hours grow short and I realize what it means. As death draws ever closer, I know that I am not afraid and I shall welcome him as a dear close friend. Time has been good to me and I realize that every bell I have experienced, every season I have lived, and every friend - nay, every brother - that I have made have been blessings. Know that, even when I am gone, I shall still live on in here." He places a hand over his heart. "Be thankful, my friends for what time you are given on this world. It is well... my brothers carry on." The dancers all rise in unison , take off their bells, and form two lines behind the Roarg, who leads them out of the amphitheater in the silence of the night.  ———————————————————— After the dance, the crowd exits the amphitheater, following the dancers and Roarg. Lovers of the seasons split of to follow the dancers to the Shrine of the Four. Followers of time follow Roarg to the Shrine of Tanroa. At each of the shrines, everyone in attendance prays and meditates as a blanket of silence spreads over the entirety of the city. Citizens are allowed to stay as long or as briefly as they want, but for Roarg, the shrine is always his last stop. Citizens return to the amphitheater where a festival has been set up. Now begins the fun part of the night. Stands set up all around give out foods, drinks, toys, and trinkets devoted to Tanroa, Tavasi, Sivah, Bala, or Morwen. In some places, games and sports are played between citizens. A few dancers are gathered around a small area that has been devoted to dancing. Citizens can dance with each other or with the dancers. If a dancer asks a citizen to dance with them, they are hard pressed to say yes, for if any citizen refuses to dance with them, they owe the dancer one favor, and there are no restrictions on what that favor might be.  At nightfall, the stands are closed and the workers join the dancing. People may come and go from the festival as they wish and the rest of the festival lasts for the rest of the night. There is one condition for leaving and entering the festival; every time someone leaves or enters, they must say a prayer to each of the five gods the festival is meant for. At the very end of the festival, all noise goes silent, and anyone who is left, which is usually more than three quarters of the people that arrived to see the dance, drop to one knee at the sound of a wooden flute somewhere in the darkness. The flute plays an eerie, sobering tune that instantly sends everyone who hears it into a meditative state of mind, whether they expected it or not. As the last note of the flute dies down, everyone stands and, leave to go wherever they call home in complete silence; a mark of deep thought and respect to the gods and what they have given. *credit to Shadowfang