voidtreckernet | Voice; Fiddlesticks 24, early-ish morning. (slightly backdated)

Colour me curious, but what are winter festivals or holidays like on your world? Back home, today would be Shiwasu 10, or Tōji -longest night and the start of winter. It's also my birthday, but that's not the important thing; it's not a big number anyway. I don't know what Alola does for Tōji, so I'll tell you what my hometown did.

[The longer she talks, the more homesick she sounds. It likely doesn't help that today's her birthday, but well. Small detail's Eva's willing to overlook.] Masara had the rural traditions of feasting, food making, drinking, games dancing, battles. You know, the normal for a coastal town.

No snowball fights though; we'd have to go to the mountains for that and we never went in the lead up to Tōji because that was bad luck. But, we did have something better: Fire jumping under the stars to bring good luck. You'd start at dusk with it low, little more than a small coal pit so even kids could jump it with supervision, and work up to a boosted jump over a half-drum of flames, though they'd only let the adults do that one.

The day I turned twenty I did so many times mum had to drag me away from it by the ear, but - worth it. So worth it...

[She trails off before ending the transmission.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'd say those are strange things to attribute to the Goddess of Wisdom, but I'd be a hypocrite; my own faith has associations that likely wouldn't make much sense to outsiders.

What kind of celebrations do you have during the Feast?

It was considered an appropriate day for the making and renewal of oaths in towns and among the upper classes. Scholars and musicians often debuted their works then, particularly musicians who preferred string instruments.

Commoners were more interested in feasting, if I remember correctly. And the expected winter pastimes: snowcastles, skating, and the like. There were also rituals of fortune-telling, though I don't think most people took them particularly seriously.

I can't say my faith has any days considered solely for oaths, though I wouldn't be surprised if other faiths do.

Otherwise, it sounds like there'd be a reasonable overlap between what happens on the days, outside any wintery pastimes. I know in the bigger cities like Tokiwa they'd end up with a multitude of festivals that lasted a good half the month. Then again, it is spring.

Why'd you tell fortunes though? Wouldn't though be better done in summer?

Not solely for oaths... though that was significant, where I grew up.

[Lords and bureaucrats, after all, take binding oaths- and Hyrule Castle once played stage to many of both.]

It happens at spring festivals instead, in some regions. But in central Hyrule, Nayru has long been associated with the cult of the Goddess of Time- the goddess who determines fate. And on the day of her festival, many think it is easier to see forward into the future.

That makes sense, and I've heard followers of Serebī and Diaruga think the same, though I personally can't say I understand it when for me, the start of summer is the time to think about the future and what it'll bring.

Still, it must be nice to have a day devoted to that. Do you have any special foods you eat?

If I had to guess, I would say that winter is the time of darkness- not malice, but of necessary rest. Contemplation, and thus of the capacity to look ahead and plan without distraction.

Forgive me- are Serebi and Diaruga gods?

That sounds like summer, honestly. Winter's full of work.

[Mostly becausse of the threat winter pokemon and ice-types bring with them.]

Yes and no; they're two species of extremely powerful pokemon -we call them god-species- and the adults have been recorded to warp time, or seem to at any rate, though serebī are forest-dwelling while diaruga are mountain dwellers and far, far larger.

Summers in farming towns can be backbreaking. Preparing for the harvest takes far more time than one would think, especially in the villages without a witch.

[Certainly more than she would have thought, as a princess well-protected from the realities of her people.

Well. She'd learned, at least a bit.]

Ah. We have beings a little like that, I think. Great ones who guard the people, though they sometimes prefer not to be seen.

[A pause, then she answers a question Eva had asked earlier.]

The food depends on the area. The north tens to prefer small wheat cakes in celebration. The south... rice dumplings. Both regions have a taste for preserved peppers, when they can find them.

I won't deny that, yet what you'd consider backbreaking work, we Arkean's consider a welcome reprieve free of distraction, which I think is more a world difference than anything.

[A short hum before]: I can't really comment on ours much more. I don't worship them, but if they're like the rest, I think we humans like to think the guard us regardless of what reality is.

-See you say that and now I want rice dumplings and the peppers.

Perhaps that is the case.

[A small smile.]

Let's be honest: we are all desperate to get away from meals based on the train's current fixation.

This is very true.

Say, do you want to meet me in the kitchen and show me how to make some rice dumplings?

It would be my pleasure.

Voice; Fiddlesticks 24, early-ish morning. (slightly backdated)

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/l-late

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late :(

oh, like i have room to comment

It's ok. Do we want to head for a wrap for points?

Sure

Wrap?

yes