- When: Second Daeday of Edenjae through to Parday
This celebration occurs during the first month of winter, a prelude to mid-winter festivities and one to combat the growing nights with a holiday about lights, music, poetry and stories, in honor of Daede, the Bard. It lasts four days, beginning on the second Daday of the month of Edenjae and lasting until sunset on the following Parday.
The celebrations’ long-standing traditions include speeches on Daday made by the devout in the churches dedicated to the Bard and opened with the lighting of lanterns. This is one of the few festivals that still hold speeches because these are made as poems, stories, and musical compositions. Some performances, repeated year after year, have become a regular staple of the day, while others reflect on the past year, and some are for comedy. Many of the most famous performances during this celebration become favorites for entertainers throughout the year and solidify into myths and legends long after their subjects and creators have passed away. The first day ends, in larger towns and cities, with smaller performances across the area in local taverns and fireworks.
The second and third days continue with these performances, adding in local dances, more alcohol, and competitions for poetry, stories, and songs. Larger cities set up stalls for vendors in indoor areas and others build their own on the streets. These will boast of everything from handicrafts to food.
The fourth day, when the lanterns are set to burn out by the end of the day, winners are announced for the competitions and dancing becomes the center focus of the day. The Lantern Celebration, one that is famous also among courting lovers, takes on special importance for who you dance with during this day and particular dances that are called throughout Parday. The day closes with some last performances – traditional at least one about the Creation Myth and another about the Bard’s First Glance – and then waiting as the lanterns die down. In smaller towns, this is a more somber affair while cities tend to only mark this passage and continue the festivities. All lights are not expected to be extinguished, unlike Midwinter, just the Lanterns, and so taverns tend to maintain a good trade on this night too. While Daede is the main god worshipped, others make some appearance too. Eihem is given his dues during this time in his close circles and Ecchart is honored in duels on the second day that take place in his name, despite them often being more performance than actual duels. And Esella is given rights during the third day, with all hunting banned and performances in her honor as the Many Goddess, the Bard’s opposing force.