Lore Spotlight: Seasons & Celebrations

Happy first of March! In War and Aether, the first day of their month “Vare” (pronounced either Vair or Varray depending on the people) is a very significant day for the people on Zale. As today signifies the first of Spring, the celebration of life, their universal birthday, and the New Year for them! Take a deep dive with our latest Lore Spotlight on how War and Aether’s seasons work and the celebrations that come with the first day of Spring!

War and Aether canonically takes place on the planet Zale, a far off planet in regions unknown. Zale is identical to Earth in most ways, however one point that separates the two is their seasons. On Zale, there are 360 days in a single year, that year split up into 9 Months; included in that year are the standard four seasons of Spring, Summer, Autumn (Fall), and Winter. However, these seasons last for differing times. The Spring and Autumn season only lasts 60 days out of the year, whereas the Summer and Winter seasons last 120 days each. While this makes for bountiful long summers of harvest, goods, and the welfare of the people—it also makes for terrible, grueling, deadly winters.

Tracking a person’s age through the number of winters survived is a time-honored tradition, but on Zale it is taken to another level entirely. Given how long and deadly winters are—and how hard the bittercold can strike—it is considered a great feat of a person, people, and a society to survive the winter. As a result, the beginning of the new year is slated for the first day of Spring, on the first day of the year, on the First of Vare. And with the new year comes new beginnings for those who have survived another harsh winter.

Therefore, the beginning of Spring acts as both the new year, a universal birthday for all peoples, and the celebration of life. While some people know the exact days of their birth, fewer celebrate that occasion. But most people celebrate their age and life with the beginning of the new year. Whether they’ve survived one, a dozen, or sixty winters, everyone who makes it out of the winter alive is considered more mature than they were before. And so, at the turn of Spring everyone celebrates the biggest event of the year, the Rebirth Festival.

The Rebirth Festival, the New Year, or the Spring Celebrations—across different people it may go by many names—celebrates the first day of Spring, those who survived through the Winter, the beginning of a New Year, and a universal birthday of all people. All these celebrations make the First of Vare the biggest holiday of the year. Whether it’s a humble family saving their coin or best cuts of meat for a special dinner at the turn of a new year, or the capitals of nations holding entire festivals that go on for an entire week of partying, everyone celebrates the coming of the new year, and there is no bigger celebration.

Thanks for checking out today’s Lore Spotlight regarding seasons and celebrations! Check back again to see more Lore Spotlights and content regarding all things War and Aether! We hope you enjoy your Friday and have a great weekend!