Black Castle Territory
The Moon Territory
The Flower Festival. People, Santilanis of all ranks, from all over the kingdom, came to the Flower Garden to engage in merrymaking, the beginning of a full month of holidays. Many different colorful flowers grew there, and a resin oozed from every branch that enjoyed the color of the associated flowers, completely coating the surface of the soil by the last month of spring. Santilanis considered the flow a blessing of the Deities of Presence, who were present everywhere and witnessed everything.
The custodians of the Temple of the Deities of Presence who were in charge of holding the traditional feasts divided the merrymakers into various groups, so the entire population could participate in the ceremonies. Every day, a new group of people would appear to participate in the program; this would continue until all Santilanis had participated.
The first seven days of the festival, when the sap began to ooze, belonged to the king and his family; other festivals were held according to a schedule, and each member of the royal family could take part in those feasts as they wished. Those who participated in the festival in its second week were the boys and girls whose weddings approached. According to tradition, during the Flower Festival, the girls who had achieved menarche painted their faces the color of the flowers, and the boys looking for their future spouses would find their sweethearts amongst them. If they succeeded, they held a week-long festival accompanied by the beating of drums and timpani, and, received a precious gift from the Deities of Presence. After the conclusion of the month-long festival and following the traditional ceremonies, the boys prepared clothes for their chosen girls and took those girls with them, so that in their absence, their elders might prepare for their wedding.
During the last seven days of the festival, people collected the colored soils and poured them into the Crystal Lake, to remind their deceased that they would never be forgotten. After the festival, a week-long thanksgiving ceremony was held, during which people each other visits and hosted each other in the Flower Garden. Each night, everybody thanked the Deities, and praised and worshiped them gods until morning. During those beautiful, peaceful nights, the people, carrying candles with them, whispered their aspirations in the ears of night, and believed their wishes would be fulfilled…