Holidays

[Dalmeth]

The sports thread inspired me to mention something that's been on my mind for a while.

Has anyone noticed the strange lack of Zalanthan holidays?  I know everyone likes to say Zalanthas is harsh and no one runs around with a smile on their face, but humans have been in worse off situations than Zalanthas, and they still had holidays.

Tuluk doesn't even celebrate the day they kicked out the Allanaki forces!  It just seems kind of silly to not have any holidays in a primitive society like Zalanthas.

[John]

IMO there's virtual festivals and virtual holidays in the two City States.

The trick is to think up some things to get rid of the virtual aspect. I'd say:
* Beginning of a new Age (everyone)
* Day that the Ironsword seige was lifted (Allanak)
* Day that the Allanakies were finally removed from Tuluk (Tuluk)
* Day of Remembrance for when Red Storm was destroyed (Red Storm)
* Day that Tuluk was finally taekn (defunct Allanak holiday)
* Day that <insert city-state here> was completed (doesn't need a real date). (Allanak and Tuluk)
* New years day (everyone)
* Day the Mantis were repelled from Luir's Outpost (Luir's Outpost)

Now someone think up some snazzy names for them

[EDIT]:
* Day that the dwarves were freed from the Allanaki obsidian mines by Ironsword (all dwarves, but especially Allanaki ones. Something the Allanaki Templarate tries to stamp down with mixed results).

[Marauder Moe]

I don't think most commoners keep track of the numerical date all the time, let alone historical dates.  Holidays are whenever some templars/nobles decide they want a city-wide party.

[SpyGuy]

I don't think most commoners keep track of the numerical date all the time, let alone historical dates.  Holidays are whenever some templars/nobles decide they want a city-wide party.

Pretty much what Moe said.  The nobility/templarate throw the parties, though John posted the many and great reasons to have festivals.

I've seen IC festivals and there is often an IC party open to the public thrown once in awhile.  To a degree these are the best you're going to get in an environment like Arm where it's an online game.

[Dalmeth]

I don't think most commoners keep track of the numerical date all the time, let alone historical dates.  Holidays are whenever some templars/nobles decide they want a city-wide party.

Holidays are a popular concept.  A commoner has a general idea of what general season it is, and one the functions of holidays is to plant a date in the common memory.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, I don't really think that the fear mindset in Nak is very contributive for celebration in general.

I mean, suppose you live in Nak, in utter fear of your leaders, with the only consolation being that "out there" is worse, and you've no real means to get anywhere better - but maybe one day... and then you learn that the only other citystate within reach has been taken over too.  It should sap your hope a little.

Also note that getting large numbers of people into a single space is not always a good thing for the administration or the people... It's a great place for a rebellion or just a mass sacrifice to the dragon. oops.

I would agree that the templars and nobles (yo, Fale! Whatup?) would be the predominant drivers of celebration.

Don't get me wrong - I see what you're saying - and I am taking a very draconian view here (ha!).

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

I like the idea of holidays. It's not hard to bring these to the public's attention via well-done mobprogs and scripts, without requiring a PC to organize its birth. A NPC page who travels to each tavern during a special day is one method. Having scripts that change a room's main description for a day or week or month is another method.

[Kelen]

Holidays there might be a lack of...but I think the templaret and the nobility manage to do a pretty good job of holding celebrations, in both city states.

Like, Arena matches....and Arena matches...and...

[LauraMars]

Like, Arena matches....and Arena matches...and...

...Bardic competitions?  Hey, there's an idea.  Northern poetry competition where the loser is never seen or heard from again.

[Gimfalisette]

Like, Arena matches....and Arena matches...and...

...Bardic competitions?  Hey, there's an idea.  Northern poetry competition where the loser is never seen or heard from again.

Fight to the death with words! The winner will be the one with the +1 Tongue of Slashing.

I actually think it would be nice to have a "calendar" of holidays for each city. In societies where people are connected to the land for survival (farming and hunting), holidays are celebrations of getting through one more year. Even today in the agricultural industry, there are events held to celebrate harvest (especially) and other parts of the crop cycle. Although, maybe Zalanthas doesn't have any kind of seasonal rotation at all? So seasonal festivals wouldn't make sense. There is still harvesting, though--you can't make wine or flour without harvest.

Historical holidays on a regular basis would be nice too. Such as "Celebrating the memory of when we kicked that other city's ass," done maybe every five IC years. Celebrations of great battles. But as someone mentioned, Allanak might not be the right place for that, since patriotism isn't a huge thing there.

[Vesperas]

I really would like to see more annual festivals in the main city-states celebrating something.  This could be a seasonal festival (Hooray!  Now there will be slightly LESS sandstorms!), or a celebratory event (like something with Tuluk repelling Allanak).. it doesn't have to be a day-long event on an exact day, but rather a week(s)-long festival that just happens to come at the end of a particular month or something.

Commoners do know what day it is, atleast, and the month/season, given how common scheduling is.

[flurry]

Speaking of holidays, I know some clans have certain days off included in their schedules.

It might be kind of interesting if there were traditional days off (roughly equivalent to our weekends) within a city or culture.  

Which gives me a related idea -- I wonder if it would be terribly complicated to have shops closed on a particular day of the week, or a bar having half-priced ale on every Waleuk, or something like that.

TTIW   (you'll figure it out )

[Cuusardo]

I think that Tuluk would be more inclined to have festivals and holidays than Allanak would.  Festivals lead to large groups of celebrating, which seems more likely in Allanak to turn to rioting and violence.  (Think like the way overexcited and drunken sports fans riot and turn destructive.)

[Barzalene]

I don't know that you need a nuemerical date. Third Nekrete of Low Sun... or what have you. Except for the new age festivals, and someone somewhere will keep track and then tell all the rabble.