Interlude Holidays in Eydís — Màxkwike Moon

  During the winter in Eydís, the entire realm joins together in celebrating the festive holiday known as Màxkwike Moon (mah - hkwee - kay). This holiday is incredibly important to Eydísian culture, as it serves as one of the two major holidays governed by the goddess Seras.

  Màxkwike Moon is celebrated during the Eydísian Winter Solstice, and since we're currently enjoying this season in our own realm, this is the perfect opportunity to learn about the holiday!

  So, what is Màxkwike Moon?

  The name of this holiday can be loosely transted to “The Moon of Bear’s Abundance”, in reference to the time of year when bears have gathered enough food and begin hibernation. It's a metaphor for, as a human, having enough resources to survive life's adversities, including the winter itself.

  This concept is the basis of the Màxkwike Moon holiday. Together as a society, each year Eydísians celebrate their blessings of abundance from Seras and share them with each other. Giving and sharing is the spirit of the season!

  “The Seras family treated the holiday like some big, fancy event that only people of status could attend. So it was…pretty shocking the first time that I saw it celebrated in a big city. Everyone looked really happy together, and even as a Lucifee I was shown a little kindness. Memories like that give me hope for this pce…”

  ~ Damon

  Wintertime Traditions

  Màxkwike Moon is a time of joy and thankfulness, meant to be spent with one’s friends and family. It is a time to show love and appreciation to the world and also to each other! As such, it is a holiday that is celebrated by Eydísians in a spectrum of ways.

  In households and businesses, decorations of antler, deer pelts, felt, and bear cws make the season festive. Gifts are wrapped in felt cloth or leather scraps and presented to loved-ones, and people gather together for hearty, delicious feasts.

  Traditionally, gifts given for Màxkwike Moon were practical items, such as food, tools, and clothing. Many times they were even items that were passed down through the family or regifted in an improved manner. Even the usage of felt and leather wrapping was done in the name of sharing an abundance of supplies that could be reused!

  However, over time the gift-giving tradition expanded to include the concept of more frivolous gifts. After all, what's a better way to share joy and abundance with loved ones than by giving them something desired that will make them abundantly happy?

  The usage of deer antler in decorations started because deer are the most plentiful meat source in Eydís during the winter. Bear decorations came about shortly afterwards, for primarily thematic purposes and in more recent times pomegranate decorations have become quite popur. These fruits are also plentiful in winter, and they have the reputation of being called “the fruit of life”, which is likely why pomegranates have become integrated into modern tradition.

  While the pomegranates would be harvested from anywhere they would grow, the pelts and horns and cws taken from Deer and Bears are often done so by special hunters who come from a certain vilge in the wilderness. They come to the cities of Eydís a month before the holidays to offer their services, as they are not only the most capable to hunt the deer with the best antlers and the bears with the best pelts, but also because they know the proper prayers and rituals that must be recited during such hunts. These practices are meant to offer thanks to Seras for their bounty, as well as guide the animals’ souls to H?mos so they may rest in peace.

  You’ll come to know these hunters and their vilge in due time. But for now, let’s get to the real magic of Màxkwike Moon!

  Frigid Festivals Full of Fun!

  Màxkwike Moon isn't only celebrated across households in Eydís, the cities and vilges get in on the fun too!

  Every city and town in the realm throws an annual festival to celebrate the beloved holiday. Although the bigger cities’ festivities are usually funded by the Powers (the Eydísian government) or the Church of Seras, and therefore have a lot more resources than the smaller, self-funded towns and vilges, every festival does its absolute best to ensure everyone is having fun.

  The Màxkwike Moon Festivals feature all manner of entertainment — games, prizes, vendors, and even petting zoos or animal rides. People will often participate in culinary or crafting competitions, featuring seasonal themes such as “Best Stew”, “Most Cozy Sweater”, “Cinnamon-Chocote Creations”, and “Innovative Gift Wrapping “. Contestants of these competitions will even share their creations with the rest of the festival!

  Meanwhile, vendors enjoy selling gifts, snacks, and treats. Sometimes festival novelties or collectibles are even featured in rge cities, and plush deer or bears are especially popur items during the celebrations.

  However, most Eydísians would agree that the best part of the festival would be the opening ceremony game of Lowenjakt.

  “Oh man, I absolutely LOVE the festival! Every year I enter in whatever contest I can and try my very best! I've never won at Lowenjakt — always seem to get too distracted talking to the spirits of the antler. Heheh… Actually, I've never won any of them. But! My grandma once gave me an award and a big hug for a fancy candle that I made for her! I think that means a lot more than some dumb contest prize.”

  ~ Deney

  What is Lowenjakt?

  Lowenjakt, or “The Winter Hunt,” is a game of capture-tag that resembles hunting. It consists of 1 pyer, called The Bear, attempting to find 9 other pyers who are each holding antlers, called The Stags. The whole game takes pce a short way into one of Eydís’ many forests, and sts for about 1 hour, that way every pyer gets a chance at being The Bear.

  At the end of the game, whoever gets the most Antler during their turn is then crowned the Bear King and given a crown made from the antlers they had retrieved. They're the honorary guest of the entire festival!

  As this honorary guest, the Bear King gets certain privileges and gifts — usually first pick at the Great Feast, and the bear pelt cloak that's worn for the game.

  Children will often py this game during other parts of the year too, though it typically uses sticks instead of antlers, and has no time limit because children enjoy simply running about.

  Different cities in Eydís will also use substitutes for Antlers if they aren’t particurly avaible. Veilein is a popur example of this, as they will instead carve bones to look like antlers to be used for Lowenjakt; there’s even an annual contest for the best carved bones!

  “I used to carve bones for a living before I exiled myself from Veilein. It made good money, especially during the holidays; I even won some contests for it. Once I finally up and left for necromancy, I kept getting people passing by my cave and offering food or Astrid for my bones. I’d even come back to my cave after foraging to the sound of 'It’s the Boneshaver! It’s the Boneshaver!' before a mess of children made out my home like bandits, the fruits of my hobby in tow. I learned that putting a basket in front of my cave with a sign belled 'Boneshaver Offerings' got me some interesting things whenever those children would return.

  ~ Marrow

  Food with Friends and Family

  Aside from Lowenjakt, the main event of Màxkwike Moon is The Great Feast, where celebrants gather and share their wealth of food with one another. While there is a plethora of foods commonly found at these Potlucks, we’ll be going over the most important ones!

  Stew is the staple dish of Màxkwike Moon. In its earliest celebrations, stew was used as a hearty meal to feed as many people as possible during the harsh Eydísian winters. This tradition is still in effect after many years, as there is always more stew than a city can eat in one night come the holiday. The rest is often collected and given to the families in need most, or to the Church to distribute for the cold weeks to come.Cinnamon-Chocote is the favoured dessert of Màxkwike Moon, especially by children. One will even find children dumping their stews into their parents’ bowls in order to save room for it. Because chocote provides healthy fats and energy, and cinnamon promotes good health and provides warmth, this traditional treat has been around as long as the tradition of stew!

  When in need of a warm drink, blocks of cinnamon-chocote are melted into a pot of gently heated milk, stirring constantly so that the milk never boils — create the perfect hot chocote! Cinnamon-Chocote is always featured at The Great Feast, and it is even seen as a gift of love and affection when given to, or made for, someone outside of the holidays.

  Spiced Drinks such as Eggnog and Rum were also made for The Great Potluck, the tter serving as a more mature warmth for adults when hot chocote simply isn't cutting it. As another mature custom, Pomegranate Wine is a beloved treat for the adults, and often served in small gsses during the festivals so that as many people as possible can taste it.

  Since the pomegranate represents life prevailing amongst winter, it became served as a more symbolic inclusion in the ter years of Màxkwike Moon as a way to honor Seras’ love during such dark and cold times.

  Sparkling Pomegranate Wine, while almost the same as regur pomegranate wine, includes a key exotic difference: Crushed Pearls.Crushed Pearls are a rarity and thus, a delicacy. They can only be imported from Eydís’ only port town, Behind The Sea, where they are collected (ethically, mind you), crushed, and pced in small bottles. These bottles are then sold with pomegranate wine, where the powder is added into the drink to dissolve and give it a fizzy texture.

  The second and third pce winners of Màxkwike Moon’s events are given a bottle of pomegranate wine as a reward. However, the winners of these events — including the Bear King — are given the same bottle plus a bottle of crushed pearls. While a very expensive and rare prize, the winners are expected to share the pearls and wine with, at the very least, their loved ones. Those who would hoard these gifts to themselves during a holiday of abundance and gratitude are often heavily shunned by their societies.

  Snowcones are the newest addition to Màxkwike Moon, as they are often used as a way to mock winter’s killing cold by consuming it during the season. They are often just the result of snow scooped onto a cone, wooden or bone, and topped with a berry syrup or thinned honey.

  Behind The Sea: a different kind of Festival

  As previously stated, different cities celebrate Màxkwike Moon differently, but the one that celebrates it the most differently is a cozy little port town on the coast of Eydís known as Behind The Sea. Here, there is more water than forests, and less of a wintery aspect to its culture. Because of this, Màxkwike Moon is celebrated a little differently here. Instead of The Great Feast or Lowenjakt, they have fishing contests, boat races, and kite-making competitions…

  Speaking of kites, Behind The Sea hosts a city-long Port Parade, adorned with colorful kites, decorated carriages, and whimsical boats (on wheels, of course)!

  Here, whitefish and salmon are much more plentiful than bear and venison, and although sparkling pomegranate wine is much more common, it's still held in high regard. Because of these things, some people will travel to Behind The Sea and celebrate Màxkwike Moon there just to enjoy the unfamiliar festivities — and of course, to have more sparkling pomegranate wine!

  “I’ve never seen anything as pretty as the Port Parade! I used to watch it every year with Mama and Papa. I think the year Damon joined us was one of our st memories as a family — Papa let us try some of the sparkling wine together with him and Mama~”

  ~ Zoey

  Ta-da! Those are the time-honored traditions of Eydísian winter and Màxkwike Moon. We hope you enjoyed this little interlude, and we hope your winter holiday is spent with love and fun!

  ~Kohaku Rin & Nine of Clouds

  Index: The Many Foods of Màxkwike Moon

  We only covered a few of the various foods celebrated during this holiday, but there are many more! We’ve provided a semi-detailed list for you to see how many you also have during your holidays. Let us know how many Màxkwike Moon foods and drinks you also partake in!

  Main Course:

  Venison — usually grilled or braised

  Bear — cooked any way, the rd is often used in other dishes as well

  Whitefish — typically grilled or pan-fried

  Salmon — marinated and either grilled or seared

  Stew — usually with venison or bear and hearty vegetablesSide Dishes:

  Roast Vegetables — usually root vegetables, especially mashed potatoes

  Mushrooms — sometimes also a dried snack

  Hearty Gravy — brown, cream, or meat gravies

  Hearty Casseroles — baked typically containing vegetables and cheesesSnacks and Treats:

  Candied/Sugared/Dried Fruit — berries, pears, persimmons, and clementines

  Charcuterie — cheeses, dried meats, and nuts

  Snowcones — shaved ice fvored with fruit syrups and thinned honey

  Cinnamon-Chocote — either as candies or pastries

  Gingerbread and Fruit Breads

  Pomegranate — in various different dishes and pastries

  Bear Paws — cashew clusters wrapped in caramel and covered in cinnamon-chocote, shaped like a bear paw, using whole cashews on top to resemble cwsDrinks:

  Hot Cocoa — made with cinnamon-chocote

  Spiced Rum

  Spiced Eggnog

  Sparkling Pomegranate Wine — mixed with crushed pearls