Holidays and Celebrations

Though the land around them is grim and grey, the citizens of Sanctus are a hardy, vibrant people who have fought against the encroaching gloom of their condition for time out of mind. Every community finds things to celebrate, working together to find hope in a hopeless world. These are some of the most wide-spread holidays in the city, though this is by no means a comprehensive list.

Day of Salvation
Once every year, on the summer solstice, the fog surrounding the city recedes into the distance, giving Sanctus a single clear, sunny day. A festival is held throughout the city as everyone makes the most of the chance to feel the full warmth of the sunlight.

In ancient times this day was simply a celebration of the solstice, and in a time none now living can remember it was a day to be thankful for the time of year when the fog faded. Now, it remains visible, a thin grey line on the horizon.

Day of Fragrant Thorns
The autumn equinox is a time of solemn reflection. In the morning, families gather fogvine, harvesting the fruit and flowers to make drinks and weaving the thorny stems into wreaths for loved ones gone Hollow. The wreaths of entire neighborhoods and communities are then piled together in the evening and set alight, creating bonfires that emit a silvery, sweet-smelling smoke. Families share drinks, songs, and stories of those they have lost until the fire goes out.

Lanternmas
On the winter solstice, when the fog is at its thickest and the night its longest, Sanctus does not grow dark. Instead, the city is filled with light and color as flying paper lanterns are sent into the sky, a shifting constellation visible throughout the day and well into the night. Where the lanterns go, no one knows for sure, though sightings of vast drifts of lanterns flying over distant parts of the Gatelands are abundant.

Day of Youth
The spring equinox is a day to be young, no matter how old one is. How exactly this is interpreted varies widely between social circles, but gift-giving and communal games are common. Such gifts are not expected to be acquired through any great expense, because in youth all things are done with great haste. Anything that one feels the impulse to offer is fitting to be given on this day, be it something already owned or something found in the spur of the moment; important gifts are left for more serious days. Many communities enjoy combining both traditions into competitive gifting: whoever gives the most gifts is the winner.

Celebrations
Though not every day can be a holiday, the people of Sanctus still find things to be grateful for in their everyday life. The following are events that, while not necessarily uncommon, are still considered worthy of celebration.

Free Rain
In a land-locked city where thousands of residents have limited access to water, rain is seen not as a nuisance, like it usually is in urban settings, but as a blessing. In poorer communities, the rainy season is heralded by innumerable buckets, basins, and spare bowls spread out, waiting to catch the rain, often watched carefully by their owners to ensure that no one’s precious containers are stolen. It is traditional to dance in the first rains after long periods of dry weather because superstition holds that this will grant good luck, so the sight of grown adults playing in the rain often confuses newcomers to the city.

New Life
In a land so full of death, it is perhaps unsurprising that successful births are exceedingly rare. When they do occur, it is not uncommon for more than a quarter of the city to be caught up in celebrations that last for days. Impoverished couples that manage to have a child often find their lives vastly improved as everyone in their community bands together to provide them with the resources they require to ensure that their child has the best possible chance of survival, and that charity is often extended even by strangers.