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“Christmassy” holidays in Fantasy

Christmas in urban and contemporary fantasy

In case of contemporary fantasy, worlds obviously have Christmas traditions, albeit more often than not with some slight alterations. The wizarding world of Harry Potter enjoys magical decorations and gifts, replenishing feasts, exploding Christmas crackers, as well as radio programs, songs and toppings quite unusual to a muggle or NoMag celebration. But be it superheroes, vampires, fairies or werewolves walking our Earth, Christmas is Christmas. So what about fantasy worlds not set in our realm and time?

 

Does Christmas even exist in fantasy?

No. But actually yes! If you’re drawn to history or pagan traditions, you might be aware of the connection between Christmas celebrations and pagan customs. The ancient Roman holiday of Saturnalia is often brought up as an example, though the idea of celebrating winter solstice is not exclusive to Romans. No, the need for Midwinter celebrations are quite common throughout pagan traditions, and as such, their existence in fantasy worlds has solid logic to it.

 

 

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But the changing of seasons is also a culturally universal reason to celebrate, as well as the start of a new calendar year. So aside from winter solstice or midwinter, the beginning, end of winter, as well as New Year’s Eve are all quite valid reasons to mark with an event.

 

So how does each world celebrate these events?

 

Elves of the Undying Lands

We know Grandpa Tolkien as the writer who single handedly created an entire genre. Among others, by laying down an explicitly comprehensive “imaginary world”. And oh, did he mean business when it came to details! Thanks to his expansive world building, we have more than one calendar to check for any events that may occur around midwinter.

He does mention that elves of Tol Eressëa – an island to the West of Middle Earth, which may have been Frodo and Bilbo’s destination at the end of the Lord of The Rings storyline – celebrate Turuhalme. The term combines the word for “(fire)wood”, turu, and halme, or “drawing”, as suggested by Christopher Tolkien. The holiday included gathering firewood and logs, games in the snow, as well as festivities of drinking and singing. Though not invented by Tolkien, you can actually find a Quenya phrase developed to wish a “Merry Turuhalme” to family and loved ones!

Ná merye i turuhalmeri!

Men had a different idea about winter solstice then elves as their calendars ended that day, practically making Midwinter a New Years festival throughout realms such as Gondor and Rohan. Hobbits had the most fun though. Midwinter in the Shire was celebrated with a festival known as Yuletide: six whole days of feasting, drinking, singing and making merry.

 

 

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Elves in Witcher

The elven calendar celebrates the longest night of the year, called Midinváerne. Midwinter shrines erected this day honor death and resurrection, rebirth and winter. Winter, death and cold are strongest on Midwinter, marking the beginning of a new cycle, where the Sun gradually gains power. No wonder the day is considered to be infused with magic.

 

 

Thedas and Dragon Age

The Thedosian holiday’s name, Satinalia, already hints on the above mentioned Roman Saturnalia. Though not exactly linked to Winter Solstice, it similarly has cosmological connections and is now attended to the second moon, Satina. Satinalia is also known as “Feastday”, celebrated wildly in a manner of a mascaraed carnival, as well as naming the town fool ruler for one day. Antiva goes a bit overboard, where merriments typically last at least a week, but an obligatory week of fasting after that ensures proper detoxification. In extremely pious areas the large feasts are also accompanied by gift exchanges.

 

 

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Hyrule and Zelda

Though the nomenclature of the Hyrule holiday Skyloftia is not a telltale sign in itself, the details of its customs definitely are. On the 25th Skyloftia commemorates the legendary hero of Skyloft, who began his journey to defeat Demise and discover Hyrule.

Traditionally a tree is placed and decorated in homes, very similar to a certain holiday we know. But while the lights and ornaments might be similar, the top figure in Hyrule is a figure of Link riding a Crimson Loftwing. Link’s figure thus symbolizes the unity between Skyloft and the surface that was brought forth by the Hero.

Locals decorate their homes, have a decent feast in the evening, exchange gifts in the morning or early afternoon, and at night the firelight festivities ensue with singing and reading seasonal tales. So, Happy Skyloftia!

 

 

Tamriel and Elder Scrolls

Mundus or even Nirn probably have many hidden secrets, but for our Christmassy holiday search we remain on Tamriel. Perhaps not exactly in seasonal spirits, we’re poking around the season of the Thief, also known as Evening Star. This is the final month of the year and as such, many cultures celebrate the New Year and say goodbye to the old, with one notable exception.

The name again is a dead giveaway, Wayrest has an annual celebration on the 25th, called Saturalia. While initially held in honor of a now forgotten god of debauchery, it is a time of gift giving, parties and parading. Sounds about right.

Sindarin Book Bijou

Dwarven Cirth Book Bijou

In addition, the New Years celebrations around Tamriel are also worth a look. With an appropriate means of transport, you could immerse yourself in celebratory events for weeks. The ide of Evening Star is known as North Wind’s Prayer, a day of giving thanks to a good harvest and hoping for a mild winter. A few days pass by and Redguards celebrate Baranth Do in the Alik’r Desert on the 18th. Baranth Do means saying “goodbye to the Beast of Last Year”, with pageants featuring demonic representations of the old year. After that you have 2 days to get to Kairou, Hammerfell, as to attend Chil’a on the 20th. And after a sacred, solemn ceremony of the archpriest and the baroness consecrating the ashes of the old year, you can continue making merry on street parades, balls and tournaments. FYI, this is also the time for the invocation of Molag Bal. In case you’d like to rub elbows with some daedra worshipers.

The last day of the year is celebrated as the holiday of Old Life. While temples welcome visitors supposedly arriving to contemplate on their past, many are known to flock the sacred grounds expecting to receive free resurrections of friends and family members. Don’t be fooled, not even on Tamriel is there such a thing as free dinner.

 

The Forgotten Realms of Faerun

One of the most – if not the most – detailed Realms out there is Faerun. The Forgotten Realms are the favorite world of countless tabletop RPG gamers, players of video games like Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights or Icewind Dale, and lovers of great reads such as R. A. Salvatore’s The Legend of Drizzt series. So with such an immersive world, we are hardly aiming for a complete and thorough list of all traditions and cultures around Midwinter. So let’s just enjoy a glimpse into the colorful array of Forgotten Realms lore around Midwinter/Winter solstice.

 

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Midwinter aka Deadwinter day and Winter Solstice

The festival marking the midpoint of winter has a different tone depending on your social status. High up the hierarchy ladder, nobles and monarchs turn their heads towards alliances, forming new or dusting up old ones. Commoners on the other hand simply call this Deadwinter day after the hardships still to come before spring. Midwinter day is not a fixed holiday, unlike Winter Solstice that occurs on the 20th of Nightal.

 

What events would you attend on Deadwinter Day and Winter Solstice?
  • Sneak into an underground dwarven festival hosted by Berronar Truesilver worshippers
  • Watch a dwarven martial weapons display by followers of Gorm Gulthyn
  • Make merry on the festival held by Grumbar worshippers – the elemental lord of earth
  • Listen to tales of the duergar’s suffering recounted by Laduguer’s priests
  • Go ice-dancing held by worshipers of Auril on Deadwinter Day, then join them to call vicious ice storms on a poor town on Winter Solstice
  • Though if you like storms, you can call for them with followers of Talos on Deadwinter Day, and then join Auril worshippers for ice storms on Winter Solstice
  • Celebrate your renewed ties to the mountains with dwarven worshippers of Marthammor Duin
  • Dance upon broken glass with the followers of Loviatar
  • Watch weapons throne on the ground and covered magically with flowers as an opening ceremony to the Lliira worshippers’ festival
  • Enjoy the gorgeous phosphorescent fungi light reflect like stars off of subterranean waters in the Underdark as part of the deep gnome Festival of the Star

 

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  • Attend gory sacrifices and a horrific ceremony with the worshippers of Gargauth, ex-archdevil demigod of betrayal and political corruption
  • Review the past years campaigns and best battle strategies with followers of the Red Knight
  • Solemnly swear not to smile or laugh until the Spider Queen and other dark drow gods and their followers are destroyed before worshippers of Shevarash
  • Feast, dance and sing with an extremely wide variety of friendly creatures on Shiallia’s festival
  • Resanctify crypts with Priests of Osiris
  • Attend ritual sacrifices to the gnomish god Urdlen
  • Deprive yourself of all your senses with drow worshippers of Vhaeraun
  • Stay up all night finding your lucky star attending the Simril celebrations
  • Hunt a deadly best in the dark with naked priests of Eilistraee
  • Celebrate the Great Clang by rhythmic chanting and singing with gnomes worshipping Gaerdal Ironhand
  • Celebrate and sing with elven followers of Mielikki and Gwaeron Windstrom
  • Arm yourself with your skull/head trophies and hunt a human male until dawn or his death with priests of Malar
  • Bury priceless gems in badger holes with gnomes worshipping Segojan Earthcaller
  • Fast for 24 hours and immerse yourself in icy water with followers of Thoth
  • Or if you’d rather skip the cold waters, fast for a day and a night with worshipers of Uthgar

 

Which fantasy worlds “Christmassy” holiday would you attend?

You certainly have a wide selection to choose from. Elven, dwarven even gnomish events of feasting, singing, gazing at the stars, gift giving as well as some peculiar customs occasionally involving nudity or glowing underground mushrooms.

It seems that even in our fantasy worlds, we crave a bit of reality, and reality includes sentient beings getting together and making merry on certain occasions. And since we are coming close to Christmas here on Earth, let us wish you and your characters a joyful holiday season! Whatever world that may be!

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