Calendar And Timekeeping
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Most of the calendars of the world are based around an ancient method of timekeeping devised by the elves of Meithannon. The phases of the world’s largest moon Lahin correspond very closely with the world’s seasonal cycle, and it is a widely accepted truth that the seasons are governed by its progress. Each season is divided into two months in which Lahin is a full moon on the 1st through 4th of each month. The other moons cycle more quickly, Dasrin is on a 12 day cycle, and Spari is on a 26 day cycle and is prone to occasional, cycle disrupting, disappearances. In ancient times it was believed that the year was exactly 320 days in length with 8 months per year, two months per season, each month consisting of 40 days.
In MR 7626 Athalish sages discovered a pronounced imperfection in this method and responded by revising the calendar to match. Each year now has roughly 319 days in total or exactly 319 and 1/11th days. A day is removed at the end of the month every ninth month to keep the calendar in kilter.
Months

Language Spring Summer Fall Winter
English Equivalent April May June July September November December February
Athalish/Elvish Abithom Brenost Collis Durac Eborac Felan Gorost Harcom
Dollite Ramenal Ramtoril Hummon Hurack Fensa Felan Desorin Deslan
Lonic Latonin Mensi Romak Hrothgol Wenvalin Tresi Quion Ves

Days of the week

Language 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
English/Athalish Sunday Moonday Starday Athalday/Wednesday Drasday/Thursday Stoneday Fireday Seaday Skyday Lerenday
Athalish Solta Lunta Stelta Athalta Drasta Gaiata Igneta Maruta Caelta Lerenta
Dollite Angelday Starday Phoenixday Koraday Lahinday Stoneday Fireday Seaday Skyday Tuskday
Lonic (8 day)) Valinon Makolon Nesalon Tedon Enyon Slunon Fesnon Darlmon

Solstices and Equinoxes

The first day of Abithom is the spring equinox and the commonly recognized new year.
The first day of Collis is the summer solstice.
The first day of Eborac is the fall equinox.
The first day of Gorost is the winter solstice.

Festivals and Timekeeping In Karalon

The natives celebrate eight festivals tied to the equinoxes, solstices, and the halfway point between these events.

Samhain or Last Harvest, Blood Harvest, Tresi (Felan): This is the considered to be the Lonic new year.

Yule, the winter solstice, on Quion (Gorost): A festival of hearth and home marked where possible with a feast.

Imbolc on Ves (Harcom): The festival is traditionally associated with the onset of lactation of ewes, soon to give birth to the spring lambs. The holiday is a festival of light, reflecting the lengthening of the day and the hope of spring. It is traditional to light all the lamps of the house for a few minutes on Imbolc, and rituals often involve a great deal of candles.

Ostara the spring equinox Latonin (Abithom): The holiday is a celebration of spring and growth, the renewal of life that appears on the earth after the winter.

Beltane Mensi (Brenost): A festival of midspring marked with bonfires and the hanging of boughs over doors.

Litha the summer equinox Romak (Collis): Many rites of this holiday are connected with water, and fertility. The women frequently float flower garlands on the surface of rivers and tell their fortunes from their movement.

Lammas Hrothgol (Durac): This midsummer festival is usually marked with extensive celebration including dances and contests performed well into the early hours of the morning.

Mabon the autumnal equinox Wenvalin (Eborac): The festival of the first wheat harvest of the year.
For the natives of Karalon, years aren’t kept with the same amount of attention as those in Athalin and elsewhere. The relatively recent destruction of the Gaia Tree in 8121 has been seen as the beginning of the second age by those natives living in Karalon. Thus the Civil War in Mazavi would have begun in the second year of the second age, or 2 SA for shorthand. Although the destruction of the Gaia Tree occurred in the same year, estimates are that Ludimar rose two to three months following this event.

Ludimarite Festivals

Ludimarite festivals are generally dark affairs celebrated openly only in Western Mazavi.
Reaped Days, the eve of the 39th of any leap month (see above), are celebrated as festivals of trickery by the Ludimarites, featuring masks and pranks. They are widely regarded with caution elsewhere. Many dark rites are performed at the stroke of midnight.

Bonesbreaking: is a midsummer event between the 7th and 37th of Collis where masterless undead throughout the jungle (or countryside) such as zombies and skeletons are corralled and either claimed or destroyed.

Mouthsreaping is a harvest festival celebrated in early Felan on dates that vary by district. This festival celebrates the successful harvest while recognizing the inevitability of death through the display of squashes carved like skulls.

Skulldawn: Harcom 36, commemorates the rise of Ludimar, often through the mass execution of those convicted of capital crimes. The remains of these convicts are then animated and form a large procession through the streets of the major cities. The timing of this festival may owe more to a desire to stamp out the Valalique Celebration of the Mercylight than the actual ascension of Ludimar, the exact date for which is unknown.

Yeardeath: Rather than celebrating the dawn of a new year, the Ludimarites celebrate the death of the old one on the 40th of Harcon. Festivities often include the rites of lichhood, or even dracolichhood, performed publicly. Smaller cities without new liches often imitate such ceremonies. Once every nine years, the month of Harcon is a leap month, and Yearsdeath coincides with a Reaped Day. These are known as Reaped Years, and it is generally considered very prestigious to ascend to lichhood on one of these days.

Festivals and Timekeeping in Athalin

Yearbirth Abithom 1, is a minor celebration in Athalin, usually taken as a day away from regular labour to balance books and make plans for the comming year.

Lethinter is a religious holiday of Mechalus, ordained for the settling of debts and the maintenance of the hearth. It is held on the 20th of Brenost. Most individuals give small gifts to friends, family, and acquaintances as symbolic repayment of all the minor forgotten debts incurred by friendship and commerce.

Athal Canal Festival The completion of the Athalish Canal is celebrated nationwide in a festival that takes up the first week of Durac (1-7). This festival is exceedingly nationalistic, even by Athalish standards. Although known by few outside the elven aristocracy, this festival originated in independence festivals held when Athalin broke away from Meithannon.

The Abiding is an awe-inspiring festival held on the 28th of Durak. It renews the nation’s commitment to the absolute rule of law as ordained by Mechalus. The clergy of the Mechalus summon as many Inevitables as possible, particularly Zelekhuts, and send them amongst the populace to track down any traitors or criminals. These festivals are considered very spectacular for many of the common folk who would be ordinarily be awestruck at the sight of a mere centaur. In recent years, Maruts have been amongst those summoned in order to search out liches and similar undead, which are growing in number due to the Ludimarite menace. Despite these efforts, many Ludimarites manage to evade detection during the Abiding and remain a threat to the Athalish people.

Southheart Eborac 4, is the harvest festival celebrated throughout Athalin, particularly in the agricultural lands of the Southern Plains

The Coronation of Empress Dorenesi is celebrated annually on Gorost 34, marked with parades and a nationwide holiday.

Athalin uses Meithannon Reckoning for timekeeping. The Empire was founded in 7313 MR.

Festivals in Meridian

Yearbirth occurs on the first of Ramenal (Abithom 1), and is the most significant secular festival of the Dollite calendar.

The Eve of Saint Kora is celebrated on the 31st of Ramtoril (Brenst). This significant religious event, which marks the initial defeat of the dragon Tusk by the hands of the mortal Kora and honors the subsequent founding of the nation of Donlin, is the most significant spiritual festival of the year around Meridian.

Harvestide Wenvalin (Eansein) 17, celebrates the harvest being brought in throughout the nation.

Rambratusk Held at the stroke of midnight on Desorin (Gorost) 23. This archaic event dates back to the battle of the Citadel of the Sun where the elven empire of Meithannon was shattered according to the Atolin chronicles. Most humans in Meridian wear white or blue this night as a ward against evil. The battle of the Citadel of the Sun actually occurred on Quion 24 at around noon, but the elven beliefs regarding destiny hold that a battle is won or lost the night before it is fought; thus, midnight is considered the historical time of both the loss of the battle and the fall of the elven empire as a whole.

Donfall Hrothgol (Durak) 14, marks the destruction of Donlin and is celebrated with somber ceremonies throughout the churches of the nation. This begins a three-day period culminating in:
Wyrminglast Hrothgol (Durak) 17 the Celebration of Tusk’s final defeat at the hands of Anastal.

Mercylight Deslan (Harkom) 37, is the approximated birthdate of Saint Kora. This is marked by considerable celebration and is much more of a jovial holiday then the highly formal and somber celebration of the Eve of Saint Kora. It is believed that to be born on the same day as Kora destines one for greatness.

Years in Meridian are marked in relation to Kora’s defeat of Tusk.
BK is before Kora, and DR is Donlin Reckoning (after Kora)
MR dates can be determined by adding 7,714 years to any Donlin Reckoning date or subtracting a BK date from 7,714.

Westerner Festivals of Karalon

Westerners in continental Karalon have similar observances to those in Meridian and Athalin
Westerners use Meithannon Reckoning for timekeeping.

Echer Festivals

Similar to Athalin, the settlers of Echer celebrate Lethinter and Southheart. In response to the Ludimarite threat and the departure of Athalish military, many humans in the region have begun observing festivals to Angelique as in Meridian, particularly Mercylight, which stands as a counterpart to Skulldawn celebrated by the Ludimarites.

Lethinter Brenst 20th similar to festivities in Athalin

Southheart, Eansien 4, is the harvest festival carried over from Athalin.

The settlers of Echer use Meithannon Reckoning for timekeeping. For reference, the first Athalish colonies in this region were established in 8133 MR.

Festivals In Auldelia

Festivals in Auldelia are similar to those observed in the rest of Karalon, Most particular among these are:
Yearbirth Abithom 1

Lethinter Brenost 20th.

Cabladon Collis 15. According to tradition Cabladon is the day of the cataclysm that destroyed the ancient Auldelan empire.

Southheart, Eborac 4, is the harvest festival carried over from Athalin.

Beastmarch Felan 3. This lively holiday is a celebration of the role animals play in the lives of people. Fairs are held across Auldelia, popular especially among families with small children. Participants bring their best animals - both livestock and pets are welcome - and enter them in varieties of contests, hoping to win prizes in categories such as biggest animal, most well-bred, best trained, most unusual, and even ugliest. Children celebrate in their own way - wealthier children may wear animal costumes, but nearly all children carry around toy animals they make from fur scraps saved up throughout the year and stuffed with wool, straw, feathers, or whatever else might be handy. This aspect of Beastmarch is particularly popular with clever young wizards, who show off their magical talents by animating childrens' toy animals, both delighting and terrifying youngsters as well as adults. Towns tend to compete for the most lavish celebration, for the most enthusiastically celebrated Beastmarch usually attracts the well-loved traveling circus known as Beardance to join in the festivities.

Mercylight Harkom 37

Annual Calendar
Abithom
1 Spring Equinox, Ostara K Yearbirth DEAU 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
Brenost
1 //Beltane K 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Lethinter AEU
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
Collis
1 Summer Solstice Litha K 2 3 4 5 6 7 Bonesbreaking begins L 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 CabladonU 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31 32 33 34 35 36 37 Bonesbreaking concludes L 38 39 40
Durac
1 Lammas K 2Athalish Canal Festival begins 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Athalish Canal Festival ends 10
11 12 13 14 Donfall D 15 16 17 Wyrminglast D 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 The Abiding A 29 30
31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
Eborac
1 Fall Equinox Mabon K 2 3 4 Southheart AEU 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Harvesttide D 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
Felan
1 Samhain K 2 3Beastmarch U 4 5 Mouthsreaping L 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
Gorost
1 Winter Solstice, Yule K 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 Rambratusk D 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
Harcom
1 Imbolc K 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31 32 33 34 Coronation of Empress Dorenesi A 35 36 Skull Dawn L 37 Mercylight DEU 38 39 40 Yeardeath L
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