Seasons and Festivals In the Southern Realms Of Haarth
On Wednesday, I mentioned how I’m always having to keep my eye on background elements to the Wall of Night story, such as timelines and “the relativity of in-book happenings such as festivals.”
Seasons is another one of course. For example, if Kalan leaves Caer Argent at Midsummer in The Gathering Of the Lost, what time of year will it be when he reaches the Wall of Night? And how will that marry up with Malian’s timeline, since when we leave her at the end of the book, it’s already Summer’s End?
The festivals frequently operate as season markers anyway in the Southern Realms, so I thought I’d run share the way they work with you again today:
- The First of Spring—this takes place approximately eight weeks after the winter solstice, but ahead of the equinox, and celebrates the beginning of spring
- Spring Night—spring equinox. In Ij, this is celebrated as the Festival of Masks.
- Summer’s Eve—held approximately half way between the spring equinox and summer solstice, on the first new moon of summer
- Midsummer—the summer solstice, usually celebrated by a three day festival
- Summer’s End—celebrated approximately eight weeks after the summer solstice; also a harvest festival
- Autumn’s Eve—the autumn equinox
- Autumn’s Night—major festival marking the end of harvest and advent of winter, held on the last old moon of autumn; also a feast of the dead. May be called Winter’s Eve in some communities.
- Midwinter—the winter solstice
As implied above, in The Gathering of the Lost, the arc of the story is marked by the passage of these seasonal celebrations, from spring through to summer’s end.