Category:Holidays

January 1: Day of the Phoenix -- The celebration of Kalen Phoenikos's resurrection.

January 1-15: Kindlemass -- The joyous celebration of the return of light and hope into the world with the resurrection of Kalen.

February 3: Loomistide -- The feast day of the Kalentic saint Loomis.

February 14-28: Bahaari, the spice festival. A great market in which exotic goods from the south -- south Idiri, Jalanjhur, and elsewhere -- make their way to the Bazaar of the Nine Winds. On the last day, it is customary to throw something that one has bought into the sea -- or to cast in a cake shaped like some of the typical goods instead.

March 21-31: Solitary -- The chief holy weeks of Azadi.

April 1: Feast of Reunion/New Year's Day.

First week in April: Festival of Ships -- The festival observing the start of sailing season in the Adelantean.

May 6-8: Maysali -- A festival celebrating the abundance of spring.

June 22: St. Bartholomew's Day.

July 1-15: Camel Festival -- A great livestock fair in which animals are brought to show and sell, and camels and horses are raced to great fanfare. The Prophet al-Azad's second wife Riima is associated with this festival.

July 15: Feast of Camels -- The culmination of the Camel Festival, in which the feeding of guests and the poor is a key aspect.

August 17: St. Chantal's Day.

September 21: Nthandya

September 21: St. Nathan's Day -- The feast day of the Kalentic saint Nathanos.

September 30: St. Demetrios' Day -- The feast day of the Kalentic saint Demetrios.

Late September: Kingfisher Festival

November 19: Day of Remembrance -- A solemn observation of the anniversary of the eruption of Mt. Elemnis and the onset of the Great Dark.

December 14-20: The Festival of the Dead This is the chief festival in the Sirdabi Caliphate for the remembrance of the dead, including departed family and friends as well as ancestors. It takes place just before the start of the Dead Days that lie in between the winter solstice and the first day of Alkhila, a time when the boundaries between the mortal realm and the Slumberland are believed to be especially weak, and spirits may slip easily between the two. In addition to honoring and celebrating the departed, then, the Festival of the Dead is also meant to appease them in advance of these days when their souls are at their most restless.

Although there are some moments of solemnity during this time, overall it is a merry week, filled with glad reunions of family and friends who come together to remember loved ones and honor ancestors -- for after all, it is during the Festival of the Dead that an entire family or clan may be truly reunited, living and departed alike. Many people will bring an armful of palm fronds to the local burying ground to distribute around the graves, or will create thatched palm frond awnings to drape before doorways or tent flaps. It is also common to carve small trinkets from palm wood or coconut husk to give to the dead, either by placing them on a grave, or casting them on a fire during the subsequent Fire Festival. Besides giving gifts to them, the deceased are remembered in other ways as well, such as through the recitation of family genealogies, the telling of heroic or amusing tales featuring the deeds of an ancestor or dead loved one, or composing and performing poetry or songs in their honor.

The Festival of the Dead segues into the Fire Festival from Darshali 20-22 and ends with the Feast of the Flame on Darshali 21.

December 19: Holly Eve

December 20: St. Hollyberry's Day

December 20-22: The Fire Festival The Fire Festival is of Irzali origin, but 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 advent 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 on the second day.

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, when participants dance in a special pattern weaving through a set of small 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 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 combine dog and master in a sort of relay. Perhaps unsurprisingly, healers are often in high demand at a traditional Irzali Fire Festival celebration.

December 21: Feast of the Flame The Feast of the Flame is one of the great feasts of the Azadi calendar, commemorating the start of the Sparkling Rebellion in which the Prophet al-Azad and his people aided the Irzali in overthrowing the hated Shahanshah Divyaz and his corrupt administration. This is a time to remember heroic deeds of the past, whether of physical or moral courage, which dovetails neatly with the celebrations of the Festival of the Dead.

A great bonfire is built on this day, and collectively set alight by an entire village, neighborhood, or clan, each member of which contributes a spark or flame -- thereby symbolizing that together, many small sparks can ignite an immense blaze. Typically a whole camel, sheep, or ox is slaughtered to provide a celebratory meal for the entire community. It has also become traditional to eat the roasted meat with firebelly sauce, a sweet-and-spicy condiment made from tamarind paste, naskiri, pomegranate juice, and black pepper. In Irzal itself, and among those of Irzali heritage, it is more common to cook a communal pot of sweet-and-sour fensenjaan, a type of stew usually reserved for festive occasions.

The Feast of the Flame also corresponds with the penultimate day of the Irzali Fire Festival.

December 21: Pyreday

December 22: Day of Ashes

December 22-31: Dead Days The Dead Days are made up of the seven days after the winter solstice, when the boundary between the mortal and spirit realms is thought to be particularly thin and permeable. It is considered an unsettled time when any strange thing might happen, particularly during the long nights. It is a prime time for retiring indoors early, and telling ghost stories and other eerie tales. Many do not dare go out at night during this time without a pair of spoons to bang together to frighten spirits away. In many towns and villages this practice has evolved into a tradition of mummery, where unmarried youths dress up in mask and costume and go around beating spoons and drums and demanding offerings for the spooks of the night.

December 23-31: Vigils