#A Study Into Zofian Culture

[tsundere-selfship]

A study into Zofian culture- Section 1:

Holidays.

In the continent of Valentia, holidays were traditions shared among commonbirth and nobles alike. We had some holidays that were celebrated only in Rigel, some only in Zofia, and a few celebrated in both nations.

I remember a few holidays were actually Archanean festivals, that were celebrated in Valentia by those who came from Archanea.

While I’m sure there are a few I’m forgetting, I can list some major holidays here:

A harvest celebration, in mid-Pegastym. A holiday that carried over from Archanea, many cultures had this or something similar. All of Valentia celebrated the reaping of crops, and thanked the gods for their blessings. Markets became very lively at this time, full of musicians and travelers serving special dishes. Outdoor dances were also common in highly populated areas. Because villagers were able to sell their crops from the harvest and make new wealth, livestock sales and auctions were typically held at these markets as well. Like most holidays in Zofia, this was celebrated differently between higher and lower classes. Noble families would make wreaths or garland out of gourds, vines, and leaves. Why this was exclusively a noble thing, I have not a clue.

Characteristic only to Zofia, we had a major holiday lasting several days in Wyrmstym, nearing the end of the calendar year. Rigel had their own holiday in Wyrmstym honoring the War Father. On the first day of this celebration, small communities would gather to set up lanterns and other decorations throughout the village. Zofian nobility often threw parties throughout the week as well. During this holiday, it was seen as very important that you do not wear complicated or brightly colored clothing. Natural tones and basic robes were encouraged, as everyone was supposed to appear equal. Many people in villages would wear burlap around their hair, usually reused from burlap sacks that held food. (These wraps had to be made of burlap, lest they be mistaken for garments associated with brigands or pirate groups). Adorably, some people made similar headwraps for their horses as well. Small statues and carvings made from wood, wax, or clay were made and sold as common gifts during this time, similar to Sigillaria in some way. As my father was a common carpenter when I was growing up, you can imagine how many of these I made. (Ironically, carvings of knights on horses and birds carrying miscellaneous items were my favorite to make. When I lived in the village, I would make one or two excess and gift them to my husband back when we were small children.)

The largest holiday in Zofia was celebrated in early Flostym (start of spring). I truly wish I could remember what it was called, but the name was in Archanean, a language that no longer exists. It possessed small similarities to a modern Valentine’s Day for FEH’s Day of Devotion, except this holiday was meant to honor the Earth Mother. Mila is a love goddess, and many of her teachings were about compassion. Not just in terms of romantic love, but love for family members and comrades as well. Gifts were not expected, unless you were giving a gift to your children. Church sisters would spend days leading up to the holiday making wreaths for your head out of wildflowers, or occasionally other plants. These crowns would be given out to everyone, either by members of Mila’s Faith or by young children in areas that were far from a temple. It was strongly frowned upon to have disputes or ill feelings on this day, and personal grudges were expected to be dropped. Streets were decorated with flowers, and some knights chose to wear these very large flower brooches on their armor. Others were expected to dress well.

When I lived closer to Zofia castle, the festivals held on this day were huge. People would dance with each other in front of the castle, or in village squares, and these dances would go on for hours. I remember passing through the harbor and taverns would be so full that I saw people sitting on the roof, electing to get away from the busyness inside. A very common tradition was for people to pick edible wildflowers and weeds, dry them, and coat them in sugar. These candied wildflowers would be wrapped together in large bundles, and sold in many places. This was typically the only time you could buy them, as the candies were associated only with the holiday, like what candy corn is to Halloween. My husband loved these sweets dearly. They were his favorite.

It was a day to celebrate the goddess and your loved ones. It was celebrated each year, even long after the Earth Mother’s passing. Perhaps that is what evolved into the “Day of Devotion” we see in Askr.

[rigelsprince]

✎

Describe meme

Taste in music/literature :

In canon, Berkut is as cultured as one would expect a prince to be (though probably not as informed as Zofian nobles) and enjoys seeing the orchestra. He’s fond of percussion, which is featured heavily in Rigelian music, and likes marches. Since it’s part of his royal training, Berkut does understand basic music theory and knows how to play the piano, but it’s usually the skill he neglects first when he has too many things to juggle. Despite this, he doesn’t really appreciate pieces centered on piano.

In modern AU, I’ve joked that Berkut would have been a broody teenager who listened to edgy bands like Linkin Park, Avenged Sevenfold, Three Days Grace, etc., but in reality his taste is probably less Mall Goth and more upscale hipster or metalhead. He appreciates music that requires a high degree of skill, or is superior to “pop” music in some way, and definitely buys vinyl.

When it comes to literature, he really doesn’t have a lot of time to read, but when he does, it’s usually political philosophy, treatises on strategy, historical texts, etc. They’re all incredibly dense publications, so he doesn’t necessarily enjoy reading them. But they’re part of his studies. He won’t waste his time on books that he doesn’t think will teach him something, and he’s completely unaware of the moral and psychological lessons present in fiction. I do like the idea of Berkut tolerating poetry only if Rinea reads it to him though, but that’s up to @royalbluerigelian .

[rigelsprince]

( bold all that apply. italicize learning or former. )

[ WEALTH ] $ Financial : wealthy / moderate / poor / in poverty ✚ Medical : fit / moderate / sickly / disabled / disadvantaged / non applicable ✪ Class or Caste : upper / middle / working / street trash / slave / unsure ✔ Education : qualified / unqualified / studying / other ✖ Criminal Record : yes, for major crimes / yes, for minor crimes / no / has committed crimes, but has not been caught yet

[ FAMILY ] ◒ Children : has a child or children / has no children / wants children* ◑ Relationship with Family : close with sibling(s) / not close with sibling(s) / has no siblings / sibling(s) is deceased / all close family members are deceased ◔ Affiliation : orphaned / adopted** / disowned / raised by birth parents / not applicable

* he’s really not too sure whether he wants children or not; the desire is off and on ** not “officially” adopted, but raised by his uncle in place of his father

[ TRAITS + TENDENCIES ] ♦ extroverted / introverted / in between ♦ disorganized / organized / in between ♦ close-minded / open-minded / in between ♦ calm / anxious / in between ♦ disagreeable / agreeable / in between* ♦ cautious / reckless / in between ♦ patient / impatient / in between ♦ outspoken / reserved / in between ♦ leader / follower / in between ♦ empathetic / unempathetic / in between ♦ optimistic / pessimistic / in between ♦ traditional / modern / in between** ♦ hard-working / lazy / in between ♦ cultured / uncultured / in between ♦ loyal / disloyal / unknown ♦ faithful / unfaithful / unknown

* how agreeable he is with someone largely depends on who that person is, if they’re Zofian, etc. ** he mostly follows the Rigelian status quo, but he does maintain some more modern ideas and behaviors (committing himself to someone like Rinea, for example, was pretty unexpected for a Rigelian prince)

[ BELIEFS ] ★ Faith : monotheist / polytheist / atheist / agnostic / it’s complicated ☆ Belief in Ghosts or Spirits : yes / no / don’t know / don’t care ✮ Belief in an Afterlife : yes / no / don’t know / don’t care ✯ Belief in Reincarnation : yes / no / don’t know / don’t care ✧ Religious : orthodox / liberal / in between / not religious ❀ Philosophical : yes / no

[ SEXUALITY & ROMANTIC INCLINATION ] ❤ Sexuality : heterosexual / homosexual / bisexual / asexual / pansexual / demisexual ❥ Sex : sex repulsed / sex neutral / sex favorable / naive and clueless*  ♥ Romance: romance repulsed / romance neutral / romance favorable / naive and clueless* ❣ Sexually : adventurous / experienced / naive / inexperienced / curious / inhibited ⚧ Potential Sexual Partners : male / female / agender / other / none / all ⚧ Potential Romantic Partners : male** / female / agender / other / none / all

* given Rigel’s inhibited culture, he hasn’t had much experience with sex or romance, so attempts tend to be clumsy ** he has had crushes on men before, but they’ve been subtly discouraged for the sake of producing heirs

[ ABILITIES ] ☠ Combat Skills : excellent / good / moderate / poor / none   ≡ Literacy Skills : excellent / good / moderate / poor / none ✍ Artistic Skills : excellent / good / moderate / poor / none ✂ Technical Skills : excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

[ HABITS ]

☕ Drinking Alcohol : never / sometimes / frequently / to excess ☁ Smoking : trying to quit / never / sometimes / frequently / to excess ✿ Other Narcotics : never / sometimes / frequently / to excess ✌ Medicinal Drugs : never / sometimes / frequently / to excess ☻ Indulgent Food : never / sometimes / frequently / to excess $ Splurge Spending : never / sometimes / frequently* / to excess ♣ Gambling : never / sometimes / frequently / to excess

* the amount he’ll spend on Rinea has no limit