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Eliel · 5490

Offline Eliel

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on: May 18, 2015, 01:05:00 PM
Etla had a rather temperate climate.  Though the temperature stays relatively comfortable year-round, Etla receives a lot of rainfall and strange magical weather patterns. Some summers can become unbearably hot and humid and occasionally the winters are somewhat severe.

The northern portion of the island remains cooler and wetter, while the south runs a bit warmer and dryer. The peaks of the northern mountain range are covered in snow year-round.


« Last Edit: November 10, 2018, 07:22:22 PM by Eliel »

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Offline Eliel

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Reply #1 on: May 18, 2015, 02:35:10 PM
Holidays & Festivals (explained)

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Winter Solstice / Midwinter / Yule - December 20-23 (date varies year to year)
The winter solstice, or Yule, is a time to celebrate the rebirth of the sun. For most, winter is a difficult time and the daylight hours become shorter and shorter. Yule is held on the day with the least amount of sunlight, when the wheel of the year turns over to start anew. From here on, the days will become longer until the Summer Solstice.  A fire festival is held to honor the sun. Aside from a few main bonfires,  fires are typically contained indoors due to cooler weather. It is a time for gathering with close friends and family, of gift giving, and preparing for the new year.  Homes are decorated with evergreen boughs (immortality), holly (good fortune) and mistletoe (seed of the Divine).
+ Governing Element: Water
+ Time of: Cycle of Life
+ Festival Includes: Wild Boar Hunt, Feast, Ball

Candlemas / Imbolc - February 1/2
Another fire festival, Imbolc or Candlemas celebrates the end of winter and the beginning of spring. Bonfires are again lit, this time to help melt away any remaining snow and bless the lands with the light of spring. Candles or torches burn bright within homes to welcome the growing light of the sun and to purify the home from the darkness of winter. This is a celebration of light, love and fertility.
+ Elements: Water > Air
+ Time of: Healing, Blessing
+ Festival Includes: Merchants' Faire

Spring Equinox / Ostara / Eostre - March 20-23 (varies)
Ah, spring time. A time to embrace the warmer weather and sow seeds. As spring reaches its midpoint, night and day stand in perfect balance. It is said that the Sun God and the Great Mother (earth/nature) are wed on this day. It is a time of great fertility, new growth, and newborn animals.
+ Governing Element: Air
+ Time of: Fertility, Growth, Learning
+ Festival Includes: Feast

Beltane / May Day - April 30/May 1
Beltane is the last of the three spring fertility festivals, the others being Imbolc and Ostara, and marks the beginning of summer. Beltane, and its counterpart Samhain, divide the year into its two primary seasons, winter (Dark Part) and summer (Light Part). As Samhain is about honoring Death, Beltane is about honoring Life. Another fire festival, the Bel fire is a sacred fire with healing and purifying powers. The fires further celebrate the return of life, fruitfulness to the earth and the burning away of winter. The ashes of the Beltane fires are smudged on faces and scattered in the fields. This is a holiday of union and handfastings (marriages) are traditional at this time. It is a time of fertility and harvest, the time for reaping the wealth from the seeds that we have sown.
+ Elements: Air > Fire
+ Time of: Cleansing, Teaching/Learning
+ Festival Includes: Elections, Feast, Pixie Migration

Litha / Midsummer / Summer Solstice - June 19-22 (varies)
The summer solstice, also known as Litha or Midsummer, focuses on the power of the sun. This is the longest day of the year, where the sun reaches it's zenith and seems to hang there unmoving in the sky. It is used as a time to honor the space between the earth and the heavens.  Midsummer, honoring the sun, is of course celebrated with fire, but also with water to ensure a drought-free harvest.
+ Governing Element: Fire
+ Time of: Transformation, Knowledge, Creative Expression
+ Festival Includes: Fireworks, Celebration of Music & Arts

Lammas / Lughnasadh - July 31/Aug 1
+ Elements: Fire > Earth
+ Time of: Harvest, Completion
+ Festival Includes: Feast (Harvest Feast)

Autumn Equinox / Mabon (Queen's Day) - Sept 19-22 (varies)
+ Governing Element: Earth
+ Time of: Emotion, Wisdom
+ Festival Includes: Feast, Ball, Queen's Day Celebration (9/21)

Samhain / All Hallows Eve - Oct 31/Nov 1
+ Elements: Earth > Water
+ Time of: Gratitude, Honor
+ Festival Includes: Feast, Parade, NightMare Pixie Migration
« Last Edit: November 10, 2018, 07:18:03 PM by Eliel »

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