Annual Festivals

The Changing of the Year

Celebrations of which one is most often a witness to is the changing of a year. Chronologically, although year numbers or names vary from area to area and from city to city, there is pretty much consensus on the layout of the year as far as where it begins, ends and how it is divided. There are essentially two major calendars on Gor: that which is used in Ar and most of the North including Torvaldsland and that which is called the !Turian! calendar, which would be more li"ely used in the southernmost cities of Gor. The fact is that while we find passages mentioning areas which use what we will call the Ar calendar #$ort %ar and Torvaldsland are mentioned& we are not specifically told of any city using the Turian calendar other than Turia.

The Changing of the Year

Celebrations of which one is most often a witness to is the changing of a year. Chronologically, although year numbers or names vary from area to area and from city to city, there is pretty much consensus on the layout of the year as far as where it begins, ends and how it is divided. There are essentially two major calendars on Gor: that which is used in Ar and most of the North including Torvaldsland and that which is called the !Turian! calendar, which would be more li"ely used in the southernmost cities of Gor. The fact is that while we find passages mentioning areas which use what we will call the Ar calendar #$ort %ar and Torvaldsland are mentioned& we are not specifically told of any city using the Turian calendar other than Turia.

The New Year

'hen this period is ended, on the day of the vernal e(uino), #or the summer solstice in the south&, they begin celebrating the New *ear and will do so for ten days with as much splendor as can be afforded. Aside from the e)pected festivities, cities will have fairs, games, tournaments and carnival+type events, their flavor and color depending on culture and location. ,n $ort %ar, for e)ample, the New *ear celebrations and festivals include a !$rocession to the -ea,! which ta"es place on the first of .n/%ara, the Gorean New *ear.

Sardar Fairs
The Gorean e(uivalent of the 'orld/s 0air on .arth, these are four huge trade fairs which are held (uarterly in the shadow of the -ardar 1ountain range. ,t is said that each Gorean must, before the age of 23, journey to the -ardar 1ountains to honor the $riest+%ings. 0or most of the Goreans who honor this tradition, one of the four annual fairs held at the foot of the -ardar will be the time chosen to fulfill this e)pectation. They typically last ten full days #plus at least that long for set up and brea" down& and are scheduled to coincide with the solstices and e(uino)es: The The The The 0air 0air 0air 0air of of of of .n/%ara #1arch 24st+1arch 56th& .n78ar #9une 4:th+9une 2;th& -e7%ara #-eptember 22nd+<ctober 4st& -e78ar #=ecember 24st+=ecember 56th&

The >eturn to Turia

The last day of the -econd ?and of .n/%ara #1arch 56th& is traditionally the day which mar"s the beginning of The -eason of @ittle Grass for the 'agon $eoples. -hortly thereafter, they begin the long tre" from their winter pastures bac" to Turia.

The Planting Feast of Sa-Tarna

This comple) feast is celebrated by most Gorean cities early during the growing season, and believed by many to ensure a plentiful harvest for the year ahead. Numerous rituals are performed during the three days of the feast #April 4Ath+4;th& by members of the Caste of ,nitiates and members of each of the five high castes perform their own part of the ceremony during that three+day period. 1ost of these rituals consist of sacrifices or prayers to the $riest+ %ings conducted in the presence of the city ?ome -tone. <n the final eve of the feast, the ?ome

-tone is placed beneath the s"y, typically atop the tallest cylinder in the city, and sprin"led with sa+tarna grain and "a+la+na wine by a dignitary of the city, often the Administrator, Bbar, or a member of the ruling family.

Games of Love War

The 'agon $eoples compete against the warriors of Turia on the $lain of -ta"es during the -econd $assage ?and #1ay 43th+4:th& in mid+spring, participating in various challenges and ceremonial+combats in order to e)change free women for slaves.

The Omen Year (De ade Festival!

.very ten years, the 'agon $eoples halt their annual tre" past Turia and various omens are divined by their haruspe)es regarding the future of the tribes and the safety of the bos". ,t is also divined as to whether it is favorable to choose a <ne Bbar, or Bbar+-an. This ceremony typically occurs in late spring, sometime during the month of Camerius. The <men *ear actually lasts the time of a season. =uring this time, the tribes of the southern plains who are habitually at war with each other, live in what appears to be semi+harmony. The contests of s"ills and wagers are ta"en with much enthusiasm and competitive spirit. =uring this time, it is good form and acceptable sport to ta"e from the other tribes as much as one can, under the peaceful air of truce, of course.

T"rian New Year

The peoples of Turia and certain other southern regions officially celebrate their own new year on the day of the summer solstice #9une 24st&. A ten+day period of revelry follows, similar to the New *ear celebrations in northern cities.

#a$"ralia
!The 0estival of -laves! is held in most Gorean cities #e)cept $ort %ar, where it is not celebrated at all& on the last day of the Twelfth $assage ?and #1arch 43th&. ,n Ar, it is celebrated on the last day of the fifth month #August 42th&, the day which precedes the @ove 0east. Bpon this day, slaves may ta"e liberties which are otherwise not permitted them during the year, including the drin"ing of wine and li(uor, the freedom to roam at will #provided of course they do not attempt to escape from their owners permanently&, the freedom to choose their own se)ual partners and to couch with slaves of the opposite se) whom they find attractive, temporary suspension of all wor" and duties, and even the opportunity to play #minor& tric"s and practical jo"es upon free persons. After the twentieth ahn, however, they are e)pected to be bac" in their respective "ennels and slave (uarters to resume the services re(uired by their imbonded status. -laves who !go renegade! during %ajuralia are typically punished severely if recaptured and are often e)ecuted for such an offense.

Love Feast
This is a five+day celebration within Ar, held during the 0ifth $assage ?and #August 45th+4Cth&. ,t is a time wherein many slaves are soldD The fourth day of the @ove 0east #August 4Ath& is typically considered the clima) of the festival in regard to the sale of slaves. The fifth day #August 4Cth& is normally reserved for great contests and spectacles in the -tadium of Elades, grand races in the -tadium of Tarns, great "aissa championships and general celebratory feasting.

The Passing of T"ria

The herds of the 'agon peoples traditionally pass closest to the city of Turia on or around the -econd ?and of -e7%ara #-eptember 22nd+2Ath&.

Festival of the %&th of Se'#ara

An annual 0estival held in $ort %ar to celebrate their great naval victory over the combined fleets of Cos and Tyros #<ctober 44th&.

Feast of Fools
This is a festival celebrated in some Gorean cities on the last day of the Third ?and of the eighth Gorean month #<ctober 54st&. ,t is similar in many respects to the southern festival "nown as Carnival, e)cept it lasts only for the period of one night. ,t is also "nown as the !0estival of the Cities of =ust,! in homage to the spirits of the deceased who died during the last year.

The Thing
An annual celebration held in Torvaldsland, during which all of the shieldmen of the various great 9arls travel to the hall of their particular leader, submit their weaponry for inspection, and formally repledge their oaths of loyalty. The Thing usually occupies a span of from three to five days and occurs sometime during the middle of the ninth Gorean month #mid+November&, varying according to such factors as weather and the current political situation. The Thing+0air is held by the high 9arl of a given territory for all his men to attend, and serves as well as a gathering of Northerners from areas beyond the 9arl/s territory. The one and only occurrence of a Thing+0air the reader happens upon is found in the pages of 1arauders of Gor and appears to be set in late spring #if one uses the clues given about the growth of fall sa+tarna and the access to water for visiting ships&. ,t is not said whether or not this festival is related to a specific annual event or seasonal time, though some of the games and events held at the fair would not be possible in winter time with the waters froFen. 0urthermore, as we are told the ships are put away for the winter months and ta"en out of the sheds in the spring, attendance to the fair by as many as is read about would not be li"ely. 'hat we do "now is that the Thing+0air is an event that all free men 1B-T attend unless they are alone, needing to stay on their land to tend to it. They "now that during this fair they will present their weapons for inspection to one of their 9arl/s officers that there e)ists a set of rules and laws which pertain to what may or may not happen within the perimeter of the fair and that this law e)tends over the entire duration of the Thing and seems to supersede other e)isting laws for that time. The general feel of the Thing+0air may well remind the reader of the fairs at the -ardar, in that the 0air is considered to be a peaceful event. Though the men of Torvalsdland would never consider it acceptable to move about unarmed, use of weapons and bloodshed for other than contests and settlements under what the reader learns is called the !law of the Thing! are forbidden and will have to wait until after the event.

The Wintering
The nomadic herds of the 'agon $eoples typically occupy their winter pastures during the period from the middle of the ninth Gorean month #late November& through the -econd ?and of .n/%ara #late 1arch&.

New Year (Wagon Peo(les!

The day of the winter solstice #=ecember 24st& is celebrated by the 'agon $eoples as the first day of the new year, and mar"s the beginning of The -eason of -nows. ,n addition, the women of the 'agon $eoples "eep a calendar of their own, based upon the phases of the largest of the three Gorean moons. ,t consists of fifteen separate divisions, each named after one of the fifteen different "inds of bos", for instance: !The 1oon of the Erown Eos",! !The 1oon of the -potted Eos",! etc.

Carnival
Carnival is held in many southern cities, notably $ort %ar, during the five days of the Twelfth $assage ?and #1arch 44th+43th&. =uring this celebration, it is often customary to garb oneself in outlandish costumes or mas"s and attend various mas(uerade fetes and feasts. Celebrated in most Gorean cities on the last wee" of the year, the 42th passage hand, Carnival is reminiscent of .arth 1ardi+Gras events.

=uring this wee" of theater, performers and entertainers, a number of opportunities arise to use the cover of a mas" and disguise. ,t allows e)ploration and participation in certain games of the nature which allows a certain level of freedom, which is otherwise loo"ed at as improper, especially for women. <ne such game is the game of favors, a race in which free women must hand out ten scarves that are, in turn, traded for "isses.

The )en ers

0or rence growers, the first of -e/%ara, the date of the autumnal e(uino), is a time of festival. Ey that time, most of the year/s rence will have been cut, and great stoc"s of rence paper, gathered in rolls li"e cord wood, and covered with woven rence mats, will have been prepared.

The Fest-Season of Odin

Celebrated in the fall around the vernal e(uino) in the Torvaldsland, this is the North/s new year. >eligious runes are repainted by rune+priests.

*arvest Fests
As the name would indicate, these are festivals, celebrations and various rituals which are performed late in the growing season, at the time of harvest. ,n a world where the peasant is said to be !the o) on which the ?ome -tone rests,! one would be li"ely to find many rituals based on the growing and harvesting of various crops. 'hat will also be common in many of the tribal cultures are the ritual feasts that follow the harvest of meat, the hunt. 1any of these festivals will carry the local culture in terms of their timing and the events that will occur during that time. The harvest festivals of rencers, the >ed -avages festivals and the ?arvest 0est in Torvaldsland would all be (uite different from each other.