The village of Donsuta was on one of the islands in the most distant reaches of the Fire Nation Archipelago. The significant islands disregarded Donsuta because it was so unmemorable. Little did anyone know this small town was home to the most crucial individual on the planet. However, at the moment, the boy in question was still eight years away from embracing his destiny.
Instead, like the rest of the citizens of his town, he was preparing for the week of the winter solstice. While the summer solstice was the holiest day in the Fire Nation, the winter belonged to the Water Tribe. However, that didn't mean the Winter Solstice didn't hold extraordinary significance for the Fire Nation. For them, they spent the week of the solstice celebrating and honoring their departed loved ones.
Hiro was in his modest home working hard to polish a golden phoenix candelabra. This object was called the "Flame of Rebirth" since the phoenix was forever immortal and reborn from the ashes. Hiro could smell the tantalizing aroma of his mother preparing a feast they would share with the deceased. Everyone made one enormous feast, which they split in half. One was shared among the living, and half was shared with the dead.
While his mother was cooking, he knew his father and younger sister were cleaning up the family shrine. Afterward, they'd head to the market to buy the special incense sticks to ward off dangerous spirits. As usual, the celebration considerably confused his best friend, Tao. He was making the red candles required for the Flame of Rebirth. "Please explain to me again, Hiro, why you need a bird candlestick for this week?" he asked.
Hiro glanced up at his friend. "It's not a candlestick, Tao! It's the Flame of Rebirth! Look," he pointed to the six upturned wingtips and the last one on the beak. "We light one candle every night of the solstice week and recited prayers.
The Flame of Rebirth is to welcome our late loved ones into our homes. We wanted our family members to know they were welcomed home for a week so they could be reunited with their loved ones and catch up on what they've been missing. Again, my father and sister are cleaning up the family shrine. To honor them and ensure they know they're loved and we still remember them!" Hiro explained yet again to his best friend.
Tao reddened a little, knowing his best friend was slightly exasperated with him. "Sorry, Hiro, I didn't mean to be insensitive," the Earth Kingdom boy apologized.
"I'm sorry for snapping, Tao. I'm just exhausted. How are the candles coming?" the orange-eyed boy questioned.
"Well, I still think candle-making is a girl's thing. However, I'm almost done. I've given my mother thanks for teaching me how to do this. I hope I got all the correct scents, and this is the proper shade of red," he said as he gestured towards his work.
Hiro glanced at the candles. The color red is firmly rooted in the physical world. The burning of red candles puts one in touch with the power of the flesh. Red represents temporal pleasures. It symbolizes passion, love, scorn, and courage to stand up to enemies. Red stimulates energy, vitality, fertility, and personal power.
"They look perfect. We still have to wait roughly four hours before we can use them. Regardless, you did a satisfactory job, Tao. Now tell me how I did with my job?" Hiro asked as he held up the gleaming candelabra.
"I think it's perfect! It's shining so brightly that it nearly blinds me! So what else can we do to prepare for your guy's Day of the Dead?" he asked.
Hiro responded that they could start making some offerings for the family shrine. Everyone made memorable gifts for those who passed on, so they got to work on that. Hiro painted a family portrait, while Tao utilized clay to mold it into tiny dragon figurines.
To Hiro, the week of the dead went exceptionally well. However, he thought he kept seeing various spirits from different nations during the week. They looked like what his mother described human spirits to look like. However, he didn't dare tell anyone about it. He wasn't sure why; other than that, some instinct told him not to inform anyone about these visiting spirits.
Especially when he didn't know why he had witnessed the spirits of the other three nations spying on him, he had desired to see his friend Ayame, the spirit feline who had once protected him from bullies.
However, he didn't see her until the last night, when she was curled up in the shrine. By the end of the week, everyone in the village felt it had been one of the best Days of the Dead they'd ever held.