Holidays are always fun! Well, mostly!
Spring Planting - The last week of Cipa is usually when it starts warming up enough that plants can endure the elements as they grow. There's a huge festival held in farming communities for this time of year! It's not always about planting, though the first several days are the farmers and hired hands planting their fields. The last day is a day of celebration. There is no working, no tilling, no planting. It's simply finishing off the last of the winter fare and getting ready for the fresh spring fruits and veggies! Sometimes the festival is celebrated in the cities too, they like to eat as well! There are dances held, love is in the air. Though the celebrations in the city are more about spring and less about planting!
The summer months can be hot and uncomfortable. There are no real holidays during this time, though a lot of people who worship the Sun God will have parties and offerings for him. It's a great thing, the Sun and he needs the attention too!
Not all plants grow well during the spring and summer. Fall planting is usually near the end of Fala, the summer transition month. The temperatures are cooler and the world is preparing for fall. The leaves are changing and pumpkins are needed for pies. These are planted around this time, though this one starts with the festival of beer! All the grains grown aren't used for food. There has been brewing going on and aging from previous years. These are celebrated around this time (Think of Oktoberfest for this!)
The halflings have birthdays. They give gifts for that, but they love gifts. In Fala, they have a holiday just for this! Halfling Gift Giving! They prefer to give rather than receive and it's a great honor to have a gift re-gifted. The halfling loved it so much they want someone else to enjoy it. There is, of course, all kinds of good food and good drink. Anyone is welcomed to give gifts, they don't need to be a halfling!
Masa is the first month of winter. This is the time where people "mourn" the passing of life and the coming of a deep sleep for the world. They hold farewell parties and families tend to get together to celebrate those they have with them and who will be there to keep them warm. This corrosponds closely to Earth's Christmas. Treese are decorated to capture the brillint colors of fall and to give color to an otherwise monochrome time of year.
The time between the end of the old year and beginning of the new one is the Spring Renewal. Everything starts growing. The ground is thawing and most of the snow fall has ceased. People come together to celebrate the fact they made it through another winter. Shops are closed and most work is ceased. This is a time of great happiness and even some of the most grumpy people will smile on these days. Wine pours freely, food is abundant when winter hunts have been fruitful and the whole of the world is waking from it's slumber!
There are local holidays, harvest festivals for different times of the year and the like. These are only the holidays celebrated most everywhere.
