The Festivals And Celebrations Of Gallifrey:
Written by Anna Brelin
A lot of festivals and celebrations take place at various times of the year on the planet Gallifrey. This includes various customs and traditions which take place during these festivities.
Spring (The Spring Blessings):
The Spring Blessings: Represent family, togetherness, The bond/marriage and the home.
Festivals:
1. Otherstide/Othersmass (Spring Blessings Festival)
1.1 - Gifts are often given to the children during this festival, which lasts up to 3 days.
1.2 - During this festival, almost everyone stays at home with their family.
1.3 - For 2 days and 3 nights, everyone in the family will feast, sing, dance and do arts and crafts in the courtyard behind their house.
1.4 - They will make Gallifreyan dream-catchers symbolizing the Spring Blessings, which include the Gallifreyan symbols representing those blessings upon the dream catchers.
1.5 - Spring Blessing Catchers, small, palm-sized dream catchers are made during this festival and are hung above the doorways to the back courtyards of each Family House. These are meant to catch blessings of new life, peace and togetherness for the family that lives within the Family House that the Blessing Catcher is hung upon.
Celebrations:
1. The Sleeping Time (aka. The Resting) - This celebration lasts for 5 days. During the Sleeping Time, nobody works and everyone stays at home with their family. Usually occurs 5 days before the start of Otherstide. During this time, they participate in making homemade art and crafts.
2. Festival Of The Wooing Moons - Lasts for a whole week. This celebrates the marriage between Gallifreyan couples. It is also during this time that unmarried partners as well as boyfriends and girlfriends sneak over to their partner's house and try to steal them away from their house. A lot of wooing, courtship and sex takes place during this festival. This festival is based on a story about a mortal Gallifreyan who stole a daughter of the God of The Stars. The daughter was the goddess of the moons.
Side Note: The Doctor paricipated in this once when he stole the lord-president's daughter from her father's presidential palace.
Summer (The Summer Prayers):
The Summer Prayers: Represent joy, desire, new life/birth and beauty.
Festivals:
1. Flayrustide (Summer Prayer Festival)
1.1 - During this festival, Gallifreyans will participate in various sports and games, testing their mental and physical abilities.
1.2 - This festival lasts of an entire month (mid-summer).
1.3 - The Rim Horizon Races marks the end of Flayrustide. These races occur in the last 3 days of the festival. Various high-speed flying vehicles, like hover cars (day 1), plasma cycles (day 2) and ion speeders (day 3) take part in these races.
1.4 - Each team in The Rim Horizon Races is represented by a flag, which will come in various colors depending on what Chapter of Gallifrey the members of the team come from, which all come from one Chapter.
1.5 - The patterns on the team flags vary between the teams, which will include various Gallifreyan symbols, circles, arrow shapes, dots and stripes.
1.6 - They will make Gallifreyan dream-catchers symbolizing the Summer Prayers, which include the Gallifreyan symbols representing those prayers upon the dream catchers.
1.7 - Both Gallifreyan males and females will send gifts to a potential mate, such as a vase of the potential mate's favorite flowers or something that includes that potential mate's favorite things, along with a love poam. This is only done by Gallifreyan males and females who are serious about becoming the other's mate.
1.8 - Summer Blessing Catchers, small, palm-sized dream catchers are made during this festival and are hung above the doorways to the back courtyards of each Family House. These are meant to catch blessings of love, good company and joy for the family that lives within the Family House that the Blessing Catcher is hung upon.
Celebrations:
1. The Lantern Light Festival (Pre-Flayrustide) - Starts on the first day of constant night and ends on the first day of Flayrustide. Hand lit lanterns with candles in them or lanterns with fireflies in them adorn the edges of the streets, hung on Sheppard's hooks outside in front of each Family House.
2. The Gifts to The Spirits (Lantern Light Festival) - Also known as The Feast of The Dead, lit incense and offerings of food and drink are left at the front doorstep of each Family House for the spirits to feast upon. The spirits find there way to each doorstep by the lantern lit in front of the Family House.
3. Feast Of The Wooing Moons - Lasts for 3 days during mid-Flayrustide. Has similar traditions and customs to The Festival Of The Wooing Moon, which occurs in the Spring time. Gallifreyans are given a second chance to steal their mate from their house.
Fall (Harvest Drum Blessings):
Harvest Drum Blessings: Represent happiness, prosperity, the bounty/The Harvest
Festivals:
1. Fallstide (Harvest Drum Festival)
1.1 - Various singing, dancing and feasting occurs during this festival.
1.2 - This festival will last for a month and a half.
1.3 - Two celebrations occur during this festival, The Feast of Memories and The Harvest Drum Parade.
1.4 - Gallifreyans will sing and dance while dressed up in masks and colorful costums during this festival.
1.5 - Some Gallifreyans will go to the various religious temples to leave offerings of food, drink and lit incense to the gods and goddesses of Shra Lunethra as well as the spirits, also engaging in prayers and hymns to them.
1.6 - They will make Gallifreyan dream-catchers symbolizing the Harvest Drum Blessings, which include the Gallifreyan symbols representing those blessings upon the dream catchers.
1.7 - Fall Blessing Catchers, small, palm-sized dream catchers are made during this festival and are hung above the doorways to the back courtyards of each Family House. These are meant to catch blessings of luck, good health and prosperty for the family that lives within the Family House that the Blessing Catcher is hung upon.
Celebrations:
1. The Harvest Drum Parade (Fallstide) - A parade of flags, musical instruments, magic tricks, masks and costums. Occurs midway through Fallstide.
2. The Feast of Memories (Fallstide) - Occurs in the Main Square of The Capital City (Citadel). Street vendors present various food and drink to visitors to the feast. On a makeshift wall of hooks partially surrounding the heart of the Main Square, visitors will hang long strips of cloth paper attached to metal rings with a memory written in Gallifreyan on it. These memories can be old or new. It occurs in celebration of things that were gained and things that were lost as well as to share stories and memories with others.
The Feast of Memories will last for 2 days and 3 nights during Fallstide.
Winter (The Winter Hymns):
The Winter Hymns: Represent peace, love, the spirit and harmony.
Festivals:
1. Kistrustide (Winter Hymn Festival)
1.1 - Various feasting, singing, dancing and playing of musical instruments will occur during this festival.
1.2 - Arts and crafts are also done during this festival, which include Gallifreyan dream catchers representing the Winter Hymns, including the Gallifreyan symbols representing them upon the dream catchers.
1.3 - Near the end of Kistrustide, some Gallifreyan children will plant the seed of either a fruiting tree or fruiting bush, helping to kick start the Harvest for next year. Elder Milkberry Trees are a favorite.
1.4 - Some Gallifreyans will go to the various religious temples to leave offerings of food, drink and lit incense to the gods and goddesses of Shra Lunethra as well as the spirits, also engaging in prayers and hymns to them.
1.5 - Winter Blessing Catchers, small, palm-sized dream catchers are made during this festival and are hung above the doorways to the back courtyards of each Family House. These are meant to catch blessings of warmth, happiness and harmony for the family that lives within the Family House that the Blessing Catcher is hung upon.
Celebrations:
1. The Percession of Flags (Kistrustide) - A very special event that occurs midway through Kistrustide. Members of alien races all over Gallifrey's galactic region of space will represent their planet and race by showing off their system's flag and native planet's flag, which include native symbols, patterns and writings of their home planet. At one time this was the only time that aliens were allowed on Gallifrey. But after The Invasion of Time (4th Doctor era) aliens were once again allowed on Gallifrey at anytime they wished.
2. Gift Light (mid-Kistrustide) - Lasts for 5 days. Bares similarities to the Lantern Light Festival. Gallifreyans will exchange lit lanterns as gifts of love and peace with each other and give each other scarfs. They then display these lanterns outside their houses on sheppard's hooks.
3. Feast Of Winter (mid-Kistrustide, during Gift Light) - Lasts for a whole week. Celebrates the winter hymns.
4. Festival Of Memories (Late-Kistrustide) - Lasts for 5 days. Similar to The Feast Of Memories. Gallifreyans share photos and books full of memories with each other. Singing, dancing, dressing up and feasting occur during this time.
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