Quintarianism/Rituals and Festivals

Quarter-Gifting Festival

The first day of each season is a holiday dedicated to the God whose season it is. This occasion is marked by a festival called the "quarter-gifting," and the holiday itself is known simply by the name of the ascending God—for instance, the first day of Spring is called the Daughter's Day.

Avatars of the Gods

At each such festival, two people from the town are chosen as avatars of the God of the outgoing season, and the God of the incoming season. These people should be chosen because of their affinity for the God in question; for instance, at the Daughter's Day, the avatar of the Father should be an old grandfather, while the avatar of the Daughter should be a maiden; similarly, on the Mother's Day, the avatar of the Daughter should be a woman new-wed, and the avatar of the Mother should be a pregnant woman, close to giving birth. These two are the celebrants of each such festival, and it should be ensured that they will understand and respect the gravity of their position (for instance, only rarely should a very young girl or boy be chosen as the avatar of the Daughter or Son).

Procession

The festival begins with a grand procession through the town, starting with a circuit of the town's perimeter, and ending at the temple at its heart. It is frequently considered lucky to touch the garments of the ascending God's avatar; for instance, touching the robes of the avatar of the Daughter on the Daughter's Day is believed to bring luck in finding a husband in the upcoming season.

New Flame

All fires in the town are extinguished, save the sacred fire in the temple; at last, it, too, is doused by the avatar of the outgoing God. He is then driven from the temple and the town, symbolically, with waved sticks and other methods consistent with the season; the Father's avatar is traditionally driven out on the Daughter's Day with balls of wool representing snowballs. If the crowd can use real snow, it is generally considered an unlucky sign (especially for the avatar of the Father).

Once this is done, the ascending God's avatar strikes the new flame, lighting the prepared hearth in the temple. If this takes several tries, it is considered a poor sign for the upcoming season.

Quarter-gifting

With the fire lit, the quarter-gifting proper begins. The reigning God's avatar sits on a special chair or throne, and accepts the gifts of the townsfolk in the name of the God for the running of the temple in the upcoming season. In exchange, they are blessed and given a taper with the new flame on it for the relighting of their own fires. Even the poorest usually come, bringing gifts in kind (sometimes of animals or crafts), or, in the case of the poorest, something as simple as a hymn. It would be unthinkable to turn away even the least of men from the quarter-gifting without their blessing and fire.

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