Fire Festival
| Date | Darshali 20-22 |
| Type | Festival |
| Region | Sirdabi Caliphate, Nishkol |
The Fire Festival is a holiday originating in Irzal, but it has long been celebrated within the Sirdabi Caliphate as a whole. It spans the winter solstice, and for Irzali in particular has symbolic associations with the eternal battle between good and evil. Fires are lit and kept burning all through these three days, and a bit of flame from these smaller fires is often used to help light the communal bonfire that is constructed on the second day of the festival, and set ablaze with the onset of the longest night.
Overlapping the Festival of the Dead and the Feast of the Flame, the Fire Festival is a cheerful time for most people of the caliphate, regardless of their heritage or religion. Dancing and storytelling are common, both communally around the local bonfire, or among smaller groups of family and friends at home. Fire candy -- flame-shaped sugar candies flavored with cinnamon or naskiri -- is shared around freely, along with heated cups of fiery-orange sumikha, a sweet and tangy drink made with sumac, saffron, and cardamom. Most Azadi spend the first day of the Fire Festival preparing for the Feast of the Flame, the Azadi holiday that takes place on the second day of the festival.
The Irzali celebrate the Fire Festival to its fullest, and for Elestaarians its importance is rivaled only by the summer solstice festivities. Elestaarian fire magi carry out purification rituals during this time, besides often heading up the ceremonial Fire Knot dance, where participants dance in a special symbolic pattern weaving through a set of bonfires. There are also numerous other fire-centered activities -- fire eating, fire juggling, leaping over bonfires, and walking on coals, in addition to more casual dances around the celebration's many smaller fires. The Fire Festival dog races, combining bursts of speed with displays of agility, weaving between lighted torches and leaping over flames, is one of the most popular events in Irzal, and can even combine both dog and master in a sort of relay race. Perhaps unsurprisingly, healers are often in high demand at a traditional Irzali Fire Festival celebration.