Voice: greenbean1

[wildsorcery]

Um, hello. My name is Confidence, and I wanted to ask a few questions. If that's okay?

[ He's holding on pretty well, voice not stuttering... much? ]

There's been talk about undeath and serious things, so I figured it could be nice to focus on the seasonal festivities! I've heard it is called Firalia here, but others call it Christmas?

My home country has something similar, but it doesn't take place in winter...

So I... um... I wondered if anyone would like to share how they celebrate at home...? Especially what they eat and things you do with family and friends.

Comments

voice

[whateternityis]

By getting drunk.

In April, because the thing humans are aiming to celebrate very definitely didn't happen in December. It was a good friend's birthday, and half the time it overlaps with the anniversary of his execution. [Crowley is really not the ideal person to ask about Christmas.]

[wildsorcery]

Humans can get confused sometimes, I guess? Why did they move it?

[whateternityis]

Probably because they went and made the execution a major holiday in its own right, and that one was harder to move. Known to've happened during an existing holiday season.

He got better, but they sure like to dwell on the agonising death bit first.

[wildsorcery]

He... got better?

[ You have confused the boy??? ]

That's good, at least. That must have taken a lot of diamonds.

[ ...yeah that's also confusing, nvm. ]

Do you celebrate any winter holidays at all?

text (un: narikaitou)

[asaqueenshould]

You certainly got a... unique perspective on Christmas to start things off. [And Hifumi is 3000 percent intending to follow up on that notion with Aziraphale when she gets a chance.]

For me, Christmas is primarily a religious observance. I believe the shift in dates previously mentioned may have also had something to do with co-opting existing winter holidays as Christianity was first spreading throughout Europe, but for whatever reason December 25th became the go-to date. The midnight church service is my favorite of the year.

In my home country, I'm in the minority, but the secular trappings of Christmas have proven so pervasive that they've wormed their way into popular culture anyway. For most, it's considered a couples' holiday, particularly Christmas Eve.

[And then there's the fact that her best friend apparently spent the last Christmas Eve they were home for summoning Satan to save the world from a malevolent godlike being, but that would just complicate matters further.]

[wildsorcery]

It's all so very different in different worlds, so it's so interesting!

[ He pauses for a moment, taking in what she's saying. ].

It makes sense that it was a religious thing, most holidays are... but with so many gods in my home world there were a lot that were secular, too... to not alienate anyone. Mostly harvest, new year, solstice and equinox things? I guess some things bleed over, too, and people with different gods celebrate a holiday in their own way.

[ Connie takes a sip of his tea, although he hopes that's not loud over the network. ]

I think I like the idea of Christmas. It's good to have a holiday when it is the coldest. Midwinter in my world is a holiday that celebrates alliances more than families and couples.

[asaqueenshould]

I don't think my world is too far removed from your first respondent's; rather, it's a difference in perspective.

The new year is particularly important in my home country, with some religious connotations for most of the populace. The spring and autumnal equinoxes are also public holidays, but usually without the same overtones as the new year.

Something to focus on other than the cold and dreary weather is preferable, it's true.

[wildsorcery]

Some worlds here are so similar it's eerie, yet there always seems to be something that's off...

[ He sounds thoughtful. Maybe the non-glaringly obvious differences were just things that people didn't know about? (That was probably philosophy for another day.) ]

I think most places would have some kind of celebration for the new year, no matter when it is. Unless they don't have years? It's nice to know that the equinoxes are celebrations in other places than mine, though.

Can I ask what the name of your world is?

voice | un: tarrlok

[bloodisthicker]

We don't have a "Christmas" back home, but we do have the Glacier Spirits Festival. The main festivities are held in the Southern Water Tribe, though there are smaller celebrations that happen in the North and in Republic City for people who don't have the time or money to make it to the South. Its purpose is to celebrate the unity of the tribes despite all the geography separating them, along with the connection between the human world and the spirit world. It's said that the winter solstice is when the two worlds are closest, so I suppose it's a general celebration of being able to make connections despite the various barriers separating us.

Or something. I mostly celebrated in Republic City since I've been too busy working to take a vacation like that and someone has to organize celebratory public activities for people who can't leave. There's a pretty even split between the people who like a quiet, spiritual experience and people who just want an excuse to throw a party. I've heard in the South it's definitely become more of a party over time, and there are a few people who aren't exactly happy about that.

I don't know, though, I feel like people should be able to celebrate a holiday however they want as long as they're not engaging in criminal activity or anything like that. If you really think about it, it is about finding common ground despite your differences, after all. Maybe the observant should offer up some cotton candy and popcorn unto the spirits to see if they like it.

[wildsorcery]

Glacier Spirits Festival is such a lovely name! It sounds rather similar to Midwinter from my world, which is celebrating alliances and such...

[ A very popular but extremely capitalistic and cold celebration in his own family while growing up, but fuck them. That was not what it really was about, he found out later. ]

It seems it's a religious and spiritual holiday season for many here. I really like the idea of celebrating friends and family.

[ Pause. ]

...do spirits even eat?

[bloodisthicker]

It's interesting that winter seems to be the season for that, isn't it? I guess it's the season that's the hardest to survive, so you end up banding together to make it through.

But anyway, it depends on the spirit. There are plenty that enjoy food offerings, or so I'm told.

[wildsorcery]

That makes sense. Plus it is almost the new year, I guess? So people want to make sure alliances last next year as well.

[ You know, if you were involved in those things. ]

Huh. I guess that makes sense? I'm sure there are spirits in my world that would be happy to get a treat. Are there a lot of them in your world?

voice | un: stcethleannfan

[baitless]

My world does not have that particular celebration, but it does seem as though many worlds do have holidays this month... or the equivalent, I suppose. I know for many years we would celebrate the founding of Garreg Mach Monastery, which was generally accompanied by a ball for the students attending the Academy. Of course... that has fallen by the wayside over the years, given that there has been a war going on. I'm not sure if I appreciated the ball at the time, but now, I miss those days.

There is also Saint Cichol's Day, which is merely a day of quiet religious observance. There is generally a choir recital on those days, which is pleasant enough. My birthday falls upon the same day, though, so I have a bit of a special place in my heart for the holiday.

[wildsorcery]

War... um, war tends to put holidays aside. I'm very sorry, balls and celebrating a monastery sounds really nice. Hopefully it will return when the war is over?

[ He doesn't really know how that works, but he tries. ]

You're born on a holiday? That must be a really wonderful experience! Especially if there's choirs to listen to and a day of calm.

[baitless]

I do believe it will eventually, though it will take time and effort. Things are... somewhat unstable at the moment, and there are pressing things to attend to.

It is definitely pleasant. I do generally have duties to attend to on that day, though I don't dislike my work so long as nothing particularly stressful comes up.

[wildsorcery]

I can't say I understand anything about war and what it means to deal with one, but I hope it will turn out okay in the end. It must be really difficult.

[ Connie's from a very stable country, the worst they have are skirmishes with the woodland people. It's the political dance that will kill you. ]

Can I ask what it is you do, or is that too personal?

un: undyingsoul

[necroyalty]

I believe I made a post about it a while ago, but simply put: the Feast of Misrule is a riot. People spend the next three days before the new year getting blind drunk before fighting each other as spectacle and playing practical jokes.

The New Year is a much calmer affair, left for rest, visits with friends and family, and exchanging small gifts.

[wildsorcery]

A lot of these seem to be about getting drunk. I never really understood why that is funny, but I guess my tolerance is also really bad...

[ He's a cheap date. ]

There's so many ways to celebrate winter holidays, it seems. I don't... I don't have family to celebrate with, but I want to get some presents for my friends.

[necroyalty]

I can't exactly get drunk anymore, considering the biological processes needed.

[Being a lich has its drawbacks. ]

I think you have the right idea. Most holidays for me were on the bittersweet side until I'd started going to school away from home, as a girl. The family I had before I managed to choose my own wasn't the happiest.

voice;

[piercedyourheart]

Hi, Connie! [ it's her horn bro from many moons ago! ] Questions are absolutely okay!

Christmas Eve is bigger than Christmas at home. It's a romantic holiday so couples go on dates, exchange presents, that kinda thing. And if you aren't with someone, it's normal to just hang out with friends who mean a lot to you.

[wildsorcery]

Oh, hello! How are your horns?

[ He has to check, after all. ]

Christmas sounds like a very broad holiday with different ways of celebrating it. I like the friends part.

[piercedyourheart]

Still big and dumb, but I'm managing.

[ she's complaining, but there's a hint of a smile in her voice. ]

The friends part is pretty nice. All the little stuff about Christmas varies from country to country, but being with people you care about is universal. Is that what your holiday in April is like, too?

voice

[sympathyforadevil]

Long Shadows... ain't exactly a happy holiday. Mostly it's the three days around the Solstice and they're considered sort of the domain of The Shadow, who's this... god of darkness and black magic and shit. So culturally it's sort of the deep breath before the plunge, when you just need to hunker down and make sure you've got enough to make it through the winter.

Seekers always had a party going, though. Something about how people don't need to be reminded of how bad shit can get, but giving people something to rally around, let 'em know it's gonna be okay if they just stick together instead of just hiding... that helps. It helps a lot.

So we always had the temple open on Long Shadows. Candles all over the place, big bonfire out back, everybody playing music, everybody bringing food... You'd probably love it, Connie.

[wildsorcery]

It sounds like these holidays in other worlds are either joyous parties or more solemn reflections. Long Shadows sounds a little scary, but the idea of having the temple open and candles brightening shadows seems really lovely.

I can understand that it helps people, to se faith and happiness in winter. The cold and the snow is all so daunting, no matter how pretty I always thought the snow looked on the roofs from my window. It was really different to be waist-high in it and not feeling your toes any more.

[sympathyforadevil]

We didn't actually get very much snow, so I wouldn't know. Way too far south for it. We got a lot of rain in the winter, though.

Lotta mud puddles for a kid to splash in and push your friends into because you're a devious little shit when you're eleven, not so much in the way of snowdrifts.