Lore24 Roundup 8
- Aelyrya Payne
- Mar 1, 2024
- 8 min read
Updated: Mar 2, 2024
February 19th - 25th (Days 50-56)
Welcome to Lore24 Roundup 8!
This Roundup is dominated by Autumnal themes and festivals, before taking a step into the cold cold winter! All original posts can be found on my Mastodon.
Remember, all Lore24 posts are initial thoughts - they are not finalised at this stage!
Breakdown of Lore24 Roundup
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50. The Month of Newharvest
Newharvest is the ninth month of the year in the northern hemisphere, and the third in the southern. It is the second month of the Autumn season, and is named for the start of the harvest season. Newharvest features the public festivals of Harvestrise and the Festival of High Autumn.
Newharvest is, as the name implies, the beginning of the harvest season, with many travelling and seasonal workers returning to favoured places of employment to work the fields. Agricultural areas are teeming with activity throughout the month, while cities and towns will often dispatch additional watchmen to the countryside in order to ensure that banditry and theft of harvest doesn't become a problem. Newharvest is also the month that schools, colleges and universities welcome new and returning students through their doors. Some of the richer places will hold elaborate welcoming ceremonies, complete with speeches, music and a banquet, while others prefer to keep things simple with a welcoming assembly and blessing. The end of Newharvest also marks the end of hunting season.
Newharvest is associated with the Seasonal Aspect of the Harvest. Workings that seeks abundance and protection are most potent during this month. The deity associated with Newharvest is Wilder, the God of Autumn, Rebirth, Agriculture and the Harvest.
You may note that I don't have a celebration of the "First Harvest" within these pages - the celebration of the first grain harvest, which usually happens at the beginning on month 8. This isn't an oversight, I just haven't decided how it would be celebrated yet. Grains are viewed slightly differently to other crops within A'arde; they are the lifeblood of so many. So I thought it would be best to have something very special for that, and I just haven't figured it out yet! It's on my To Do list though! The second and third harvests are viewed as one, long harvest, rather than two separate ones in A'arde - there'd be a lot more festivals if I separated them!
51. The Festival of Harvestrise
Harvestrise is a celebration of the beginning of the harvest, giving thanks for the abundant growth and the hard work of the agricultural workers. It is also a time to pray for protection, in order to keep the harvest from spoiling prematurely.
Traditionally, the first cut of the harvest was dedicates to Gods of Nature and Harvest, being tied with pink and orange ribbons and placed on an Altar. Further gifts would be added as harvest continued. In cities, where harvesting is less common, bundles of dried herbs such as yarrow, rosemary, sage, mugwort and rosehop were tied in place of actual harvest, while altars were traditionally decorated with pinecones, thistles, marigolds and seeds. Apple picking is a popular family tradition during Harvestrise, as is the use of Reflective Journals. Decorations often include cornucopia (real or crafted), pine cones bundled with herbs, and drapes and ribbons in shades of yellow, orange and bronze. Fresh bread and hearty root vegetable stews are traditionally served during Harvestrise meals, and it is common for people to perform cleansing and purification rituals to clear out stagnant or negative energies. Small bonfires may also be lit, scented with autumnal herbs, and used as meditation aids.
I used the celebration of Mabon as inspiration for Harvestrise, I wanted to use traditional autumnal colours and symbols throughout, while also offering some thoughts for those who did not live out in the countryside, where harvests were less likely to be seen or taken part in.
52. The Festival of High Autumn
High Autumn celebrates the midpoint of the autumn season, giving thanks for the abundance of harvests to date and offering prayers for the harvests yet to come. It is a celebration of light and fertility, as well as of community and friendship. The Festival of High Autumn is typically a family affair, but larger towns and cities will set up community events to celebrate.
One of the highlights of High Autumn is the release of paper lanterns and candleboats into the sky and on rivers or lakes. These lanterns and boats (often made of woven leaves, herbs and flowers) are said to lift prayers and thanks, dispersing them about the land so that all may benefit. Beer, cider and mead are the traditional beverage of choice for the festival, and many brewers will create special blends for this festival in particular. Taverns will often offer specials on these brews, and popular ones will return year after year. High Autumn feasts usually include pumpkin, apples, boar and turkey, and they tend to be full family affair. It is also common to share excess food with lonely neighbours, and engage in acts of charity.
This festival combines aspects of Mabon, Festivals of Light and Oktoberfest! I thought that the release of lanterns was a beautiful visual, and because Oktoberfest usually begins in September, it seemed that High Autumn would be a reasonable point to place such a celebration!
53. The Month of Ryelay
Ryelay is the tenth month of the year in the northern hemisphere, and the fourth in the southern. The third and final month of the Autumn season, it is named after a rather morbid symbol. Rye itself is a symbol of abundance, fertility and prosperity; the 'laying of the rye' was a symbol of the end of these things, and is thus a metaphor for the coming of darkness and death, or Winter, in this case. Ryelay features the public festival of the Dead, also known as Deadhallows.
Ryelay is predominantly concerned with the storage and distribution of food as harvest ends and winter draws near. Animals are brought back from summer pastures, fields are cleared and prepared for winter, and repairs are made to dwellings before the cold arrives. Ryelay is also the month when winter clothes shopping tends to begin in earnest, with new fashions and styles being displayed by tailors and seamstresses everywhere. Many places also observe traditional parades that celebrate Watchmen, Guardsmen and Armed Forces as they prepare to fend off the beasts of winter.
Ryelay is associated with the Seasonal Aspect of Death; necromantic energies are said to be most potent around this time, and rituals to commune with the dead are more effective. The deity associated with Ryelay is Sychar, the God of Death and the Dead.
While rye being a symbol of abundance and prosperity is true in our world, "laying of the rye" as a metaphor for endings and death is something I made up myself - I cannot find reference to it anywhere in my materials. I'm not entirely sure what made me consider that line of thinking, but it certainly works for the pieces I am writing! October also features a lot of Armed Forces Days worldwide, so I thought it would be nice to include that as something of a highlight.
54. The Autumn Equinox
The third cornerstone of the year, the Autumn Equinox marks the return to days and nights of equal length. Also known as the Waning Equinox, referencing the reducing daylight, the Autumn Equinox is seen as a time of thanksgiving, balance, equality and harmony. It is a time of reflection; recognising successes and letting go of the things that did not serve well up to this point.
As equinoxes are not public festivals, the Autumn Equinox is a Minor Feast most commonly celebrated by Druids, Rangers and Witches. Once again, cleansing rituals are performed in living and working environments, usually using smudge sticks made of sage, and reflective meditations take up a large portion of the day. Families, Circles and Covens will then often take part in apple picking or other foraging activity, before gathering around a bonfire for a feast. Tables are decorated with candles, fresh flowers, pinecones and acorns, and people will often wear headdresses of woven twigs, leaves, herbs and flowers; womens' often looking like crowns while mens' resemble antlers. Outfits are usually coloured with reds, oranges, yellows, browns, copper and dark green, while food often includes corn, beans squash, apples, pumpkins, root vegetables, cider and wine. Pomegranates, if available, are also popular.
Taking inspiration from Mabon yet again, I also included some traditional Thanksgiving pieces within this Equinox. The inclusion of the headdresses is more of a nod to some Druidic aesthetics as a whole, rather than highlighting anything specific, and in times gone by it would have been a nod to the Green Lord, who has long been absent from the World.
55. Deadhallows; the Festival of the Dead
The Festival of the Dead, also known as Deadhallows, marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the cold winter months. Deadhallows also coincides with Sychar's Holy Festival, the Feast of Remembrance, making this an extremely busy day for worshippers of the Death God! This is the time of year when the veils between the Realms of the Living and Dead are thinnest, making it easier for spirits to walk the Material Realm freely.
People celebrate Deadhallows by remembering and honouring their ancestors and deceased loved ones. Altars are set up in homes and decorated with portraits, trinkets and keepsakes of departed ones, as well as with candles, dried leaves, dried flowers and pinecones. Prayers are made in front of these altars before families carve lanterns out of pumpkins and turnips. Deadhallows feasts most often include roasted meats, root vegetables, pumpkin pie, pears, apples and dark wines. During the evening, revellers will dress in clothing resembling various spirits and will gather around bonfires to dance.
On this night, it is said to be possible to witness the last remaining remnant of the Wild Hunt, the Shade Host, travel across A'arde. On this night, Arawn is said to gather his hunters to chase down fugitive souls on behalf of the Gods of Death.
Did you know, that the act of dressing up in costumes is meant to confuse Spirits who might otherwise attempt to whisk off living people for nefarious purposes? It's similar to the reason why we have Bridesmaids at weddings - bridesmaids used to dress in similar dresses to the bride in order to confuse Spirits and would-be kidnappers!
56. The Month of Frostrise
Frostrise is the eleventh month of the year in the northern hemisphere and the fifth in the southern. It is the first month of the season of Winter and is named for the dropping temperatures and increasing frosts. Frostrise features the public festival of Winterrise.
Frostrise is generally a quiet month, meant for reflection and the tending of friendships. It is also seen as a month for writers; traditionally, poetry and writing awards are issued in this month, and many stationary suppliers stock additional styles of writing books, pens and inks. It is also common for folk to write longer, more detailed letters to distant friends and relatives at this time of year, as post is often disrupted during winter months and communication can be less frequent. It is not uncommon for people to take up writing as a hobby during Frostrise, as other outdoor pursuits fall in popularity and writing is seen as the least expensive form of expression.
Frostrise is associated with the Seasonal Aspect of Contemplation. It is said that trances and meditations can be more intense at this time of year, and spells that bring forth memories or information are more potent. The deity associated with Frostrise is Eira, the Goddess of Ice and Snow.
As we enter the chilly months, things become a lot more somber so I knew I wanted to include something a little different. I decided to feature a little nod to one of my favourite challenges, NaNoWriMo! I've managed to "win" NaNoWriMo for two years straight, so I thought it would be nice to make a reference to something similar in A'arde!
As we continue onward, in the next seven days we will be moving on from the A'arden Calendar to our next theme, Non-Magical Beasts! Head on over to Mastodon to keep up with these entries as they happen!
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