Annual Holidays - Greengrass

[Copper Dragon]

Greengrass

Often the spring equinox is more the concern of wisewomen, mysterious druids and spiritual leaders; the bustling, open revelries of spring only feature about a month later, around the day dubbed Greengrass. Greengrass is a widely known festival that welcomes the first continental day of spring. It occurs annually on a special day between Tarsakh 30 and Mirtul 1. Traditionally, the wealthier people bring out flowers to give to the less wealthy, who either wear them or spread them on the ground to encourage the deities to usher in the summer.

Many of the Faerunian pantheon's gods are celebrated one way or another on Greengrass, this joyful and flower-filled day.

Mankind's Festivities
The solemn, ever astute deities of the Triad don't hold special celebrations for Greengrass; while Impilturans might be able to tell you that Tyr's most noble church holds a ceremony every tenday for a particular aspect of Tyrran dogma, none of those falls on this day.
Other, less prominent religions in Impiltur do hold rites however. The common Impilturan will know a few, potentially even practice some, but it is often up to priests to educate their fellow faithful on the events:

Worshipers of Chauntea celebrate this day. As the Earthmother is revered in many rural communities, Greengrass is known by many peasantries of Faerun and welcomed with a hedonistic fertility festival, involving the free flow of mead, food, sharing of flower-crowns and dancing.

Those who particularly venerate the lesser-known Goddess of Fountains and Tranquility, Eldath, celebrate the Greening. They gather for a festival.

Worshipers of Lliira the Joybringer open a holy festival with the Swords Cast Down ritual in which weapons are thrown on the ground with chanting and covered with fresh flowers.

It is not common knowledge - indeed, it is kept secret - that followers of Loviatar celebrate the Rite of Pain and Purity today, by dancing in a circle upon broken glass or other sharp objects.

Worshipers of Mielikki, Our Lady of the Forest, observe planting rites and the Wild Ride. Some say virgin maidens joining the faith gather deep in the woods, where herds of unicorns assemble and allow them to ride bareback through the forest.

Followers of Milil the Lord of Song sing the Call to the Flowers. Their choirs supposedly bring tears of joy even to the heartless.

The hedonistic faithful of Sharess celebrate the Endless Revel of Life again on this day. They say one has not lived life until attending such a feast.

Worshipers of Shiallia celebrate birth on this day, inviting friendly attendants to join in feasting, dancing, and singing.

Worshipers of Silvanus the Forest Father consider Greengrass holy and often give sacrifice by breaking and burying an object constructed of wood.

Worshipers of the Lady of Love, Sune gather people from their communities to celebrate the Chase: an uplifting game outdoors.

Talos' faithful are ominously said to bring down their god's might on this day, in a ceremony dubbed Calling Down the Thunder. When one hears distant broiling of storms, the fury of Talos is said to have been invoked.


Dwarven Traditions
The Stout Folk have been hardened like the stones they so prize, and deep in their fortresses there's rarely celebrations dedicated to the seasons. It is mainly the gods whose followers venture out under the Endless Cavern Above that perform rituals for Greengrass.

Worshipers of the Gleam in the Eye, Dugmaren Brightmantle spend the morning in thoughtful meditation and the rest of the day at a scholarly symposium. They call this day the Convocation.

Guardians of Gorm Gulthyn gather for ritual salutes, martial weapons displays, chanted prayers, and the offering of weapons used in a defensive action.

Worshipers of the Flashing Fury, Haela Brightaxe observe the Time of the Spawning, knowing well that with the mountain thaw come goblinoid scum breeding. They sharpen their blades and prepare for the next outpouring of orcs and other creatures that threaten dwarfkind.

Followers of Marthammor Duin call this day the Wind and celebrate new discoveries.

Worshipers of the Mirtful Dancer, Sharindlar gather around a natural underground pool to dance and perform secret rituals to the Lady of Life.

Worshipers of the Merchant King, Vergadain hold a Coin Festival, preceded by a sale of wares in order to maximize their wealth.

Hin Celebrations
For a true halfling there is always cause for good eating, and Greengrass holds no special meaning or exception. Often halflings partake in the festivities of the humans or gnomes they share land with.

Elven Traditions
Elusive, few and rare as the Fair Folk are in Impiltur, little of their customs would be known by the common people. A wandering elf would likely remember though that Greengrass is a very human revel.

Gnomish Traditions
To a joyful gnome, any reunion, discovery, farewell or anniversary is a good enough reason for celebration.

Other Customs
The dwarves and dwellers of mountains know well that Greengrass isn't only a day of peace and frolics. It is said that the orcs have war-mongering chanters who observe this day by gathering hordes of orcs to rampage across civilized lands.
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OOC: The server follows the real life calendar, in which case Greengrass ought to occur on 30th April or 1st May. In 2016 that's a Saturday and Sunday! Perfect for something fun across the various timezones! This is an attempt to inspire other players for that evening and nudge them to post here if they have ideas. I hope fellow players will find these annual holiday posts useful, and if you are curious, you can check out the Offline RP posts for the Feast of the Moon and Midwinter also on these forums.