Home > General Discussion

Annual Religious Holidays and Ceremonies

Inspired by Vesa's suggestion, I compiled a list of religious events in the Faerûnian calendar for reference. All information is taken from Faiths & Pantheons.

Anthee

Month 1: Hammer Hammer 1 - Jergal: the Night of Another Year - Moradin (dwarf): the anniversary of the Thunder Blessing’s beginning Hammer 15 - Waukeen: Cold Counting Comfort Hammer 30 - Deep Duerra (dwarf): the Rallying - Kiaransalee (drow): the Graverending - Yurtrus (orc): the Putrescent Death

Annual holiday: Midwinter - Auril - Berronar Truesilver (dwarf) - Callarduran Smoothhands (gnome): the Festival of the Star - Gargauth: the Unveiling - Gorm Gulthyn (dwarf) - Grumbar - Loviatar: the Rite of Pain and Purity - Osiris (Mulhorand) - The Red Knight: the Retreat - Shevarash (elf) - Shiallia - Talos - Urdlen (gnome): the Night of Blood - Vhaeraun (drow): the Masked Lord’s Embrace

Month 2: Alturiak Alturiak 20 - Waukeen: Great Weave

Month 3: Ches Ches 1 – 10 - Nobanion: the Festival of the Pride Ches 3 - Deneir Ches 19: The Spring Equinox - Aerdrie Faenya (elf): the Dance of Swirling Winds - Lathander: Song of the Dawn - Mielikki: the First Feast - Rillifane Rallathil (elf): the Budding - Segojan Earthcaller (gnome) - Uthgar Ches 30 - Waukeen: High Coin

Month 4: Tarsakh Tarsakh 1 – 30 - Anhur (Mulhorand): the Time of Storms Tarsakh 1 - The Red Knight: the Queen’s Gambit Tarsakh 10 - Waukeen: Spheres Tarsakh 15 - Shaundakul: the Windride

Annual holiday: Greengrass - Anhur (Mulhorand): the Sharpening of the Sword - Chauntea - Dugmaren Brightmantle (dwarf) - Eldath: the Greening - Gorm Gulthyn (dwarf) - Haela Brightaxe (dwarf): the Time of Spawning - Ilneval (orc) - Isis (Mulhorand) - Loviatar: the Rite of Pain and Purity - Mielikki - Milil: the Call to the Flowers - Sharindlar (dwarf) - Shiallia - Silvanus - Sune - Talos - Vergadain (dwarf): a coin festival

Month 5: Mirtul Mirtul 1 – 12 - Gond: the Ippensheir Mirtul 1 - Geb (Mulhorand): the Unwrapping Mirtul 5 - Deep Duerra: the Melding Mirtul 12 - Waukeen: Sammardach

Month 6: Kythorn Kythorn 20: The Summer Solstice - Mielikki: the Second Feast - Segojan Earthcaller (gnome) - Thoth (Mulhorand): the Ceremony of Introspection - Uthgar Kythorn 21 – 30 - Nobanion: the Newborn Celebration Kythorn 21 - Waukeen: Brightbuckle

Month 7: Flamerule Flamerule 3 – 5 - Waukeen: Sornyn Flamerule 30 - Hathor (Mulhorand): the Celebration of the Moon - Lurue - Sharess

Annual holiday: Midsummer - Akadi - Beshaba - Callarduran Smoothhands (gnome): the Festival of the Ruby - Flandal Steelskin (gnome): the High Forge - Gorm Gulthyn (dwarf) - Horus-Re (Mulhorand) - Lathander: Song of the Dawn - Loviatar: the Rite of Pain and Purity - Mielikki - Milil: the Grand Revel - Oghma - Shiallia - Silvanus - Sune - Talos - Yurtrus (orc): the Ceremony of Contagion

Quadrennial holiday: Shieldmeet - Angharradh (elf): the Melding of the Three - Beshaba - Helm: the Ceremony of Honor to Helm - Kelemvor - Mielikki - Oghma - Selûne: the Conjuring of the Second Moon - Solonor Thelandira (elf) - Torm Shieldmeet – Eleasis 9 (only on years with Shieldmeet) - Marthammor Duin (dwarf)

Month 8: Eleasis Eleasis 13 - Torm: the Divine Death Eleasis 17 - Waukeen: Huldark

Month 9: Eleint Eleint 7 - Waukeen: Spryndalsar Eleint 11 - Hoar: the Penultimate Thunder Eleint 21: The Autumn Equinox - Aerdrie Faenya (elf): the Dance of Swirling Winds - Lathander: Song of the Dawn - Mielikki: the Third Feast - Rillifane Rallathil (elf): the Transformation - Segojan Earthcaller (gnome) - Uthgar

Annual holiday: Highharvestide - Anhur (Mulhorand): the Remembrance Ritual - Chauntea - Dugmaren Brightmantle (dwarf) - Gorm Gulthyn (dwarf) - Isis (Mulhorand) - Loviatar: the Rite of Pain and Purity - Malar: the Feast of the Stags - Osiris (Mulhorand) - Shiallia - Silvanus - Talona* - Talos

Month 10: Marpenoth Marpenoth 1 - Waukeen: Marthoon Marpenoth 11 - Hoar: the Impending Doom Marpenoth 15 - Mystra: the anniversary of the current Mystra’s ascension - Torm: the True Resurrection Marpenoth 20 - Finder Wyvernspur: the anniversary of Moander’s destruction

Month 11: Uktar Uktar 10 - Waukeen: Tehennteahan Uktar 30 - Gargauth: the Binding

Annual holiday: The Feast of the Moon - Arvoreen (halfling): the Ceremony of Remembrance - Gorm Gulthyn (dwarf) - Haela Brightaxe (dwarf): the Commemoration of the Fallen - Kelemvor - Loviatar: the Rite of Pain and Purity - Lurue - Luthic (orc): the Coming of the Winter Cave - Nephthys (Mulhorand): the Feast of the Silver Coin - Savras: the Vision - Sehanine Moonbow (elf): the Mystic Rites of the Luminous Cloud - Shar: the Rising of the Dark - Shiallia - The Red Knight - Talos - Tempus

Month 12: Nightal Nightal 20: The Winter Solstice - Mielikki: the Fourth Feast - Segojan Earthcaller (gnome) - Thoth (Mulhorand): the Ceremony of Introspection - Uthgar Nightal 25 - Waukeen: Orbar Nightal 30 - Geb (Mulhorand): the Day of Drawing Down

* * *

NOTES:

Each month has 30 days and the five annual festivals are in between months, together accounting for the 365 days of a year. Shieldmeet takes place after Midsummer and before the 1st of Eleasis, once every four years. The traditional Faerûnian meanings of the seasonal festivals, and Shieldmeet, are as follows:

The FRCS Midwinter: Nobles and monarchs greet the halfway point of winter with a feast day they call the High Festival of Winter. Traditionally it's the best day to make or renew alliances. The common folk enjoy the celebration a bit less - among them it's called Deadwinter Day, noted mainly as the halfway point of winter, with hard times still to come.

Greengrass: The official beginning of spring is a day of peace and rejoicing. Even if snow still covers the ground, clerics, nobles and wealthy folk make a point of bringing out flowers grown in special rooms within temples and castles. They distribute the flowers among the people, who wear them or cast them upon the ground as bright offerings to the deities who summon the summer.

Midsummer: Midsummer night is a time of feasting and music and love. Acquintances turn into dalliances, courtships turn into betrothals, and the deities themselves take a part by ensuring good weather for feasting and frolicking in the woods. Bad weather on this special night is taken as an omen of extremely ill fortune to come.

Highharvestide: This holiday of feasting to celebrate the autumn harvest also marks a time of journeys. Emissaries, pilgrims, adventurers, and everyone else eager to make speed traditionally leave on their journeys the following day - before the worst of the mud clogs tracks and the rain freezes into snow.

The Feast of the Moon: The Feast of the Moon celebrates ancestors and the honored dead. Stories of ancestors' exploits mix with the legends of deities until it's hard to tell one from the other.

Shieldmeet: Once every four years, Shieldmeet is added to the Faerûnian calendar as a "leap day" immediately following Midsummer night. Shieldmeet is a day of open council between the people and their rulers. It is a day for making or renewing pacts and for proving oneself in tournaments. Those not seeking advancement treat the elite's tournaments, duels, and trials of magical prowess as welcome additions to the holiday's theatrical and musical entertainments.

If only the name of the deity is mentioned, the holiday does not have a special name for its followers. (Although it will always have a special meaning for the faith, detailed in Faiths and Pantheons.) The racial or ethnic pantheon of a deity, if the deity in question is not from the Faerûnian pantheon, is mentioned in parentheses.

Almost all faiths have holy days: if your deity doesn’t show on the chart, it is only because this chart only accounts for fixed annual holidays, not monthly holidays (held on the same day of every month, or held every month at a date decided by the clergy, temple, or individual cleric) or holidays without a fixed date: for more information, see Faiths and Pantheons or the deity information provided here.

Note also that the chart only shows the date of the holiday: more than a few holidays are tied particularly to the daytime, nighttime, morning or evening of said date.

Lliirans celebrate every holiday not tied to the worship of a malign being.

Sharessans celebrate practically every major event (including seasonal and annual holidays), collectively known as the Endless Revel of Life: Midsummer’s Eve is marked on the above chart only because of its special significance.

By far the most holidays of elven deities are tied to lunar cycles instead of annual dates.

*Talonites hold festivals every 12 days, but on the festival falling closest to Highharvestide (not necessarily on Highharvestide), initiates of the faith are formally inducted into the clergy.

Unless someone beats me to it, I'll probably also compile sometime soon a deity reference for holidays since so many holidays and ceremonies have no fixed date.

(Edit: Added explanations for the seasonal festivals.)

I should note also that I deliberately left out the descriptions of these holidays and ceremonies, partly because it would've been so much work (and is already available elsewhere) but mainly because it shouldn't necessarily be common knowledge in the first place. I'm sure the players who play clerics will look into their faith's holidays if they plan on arranging something IG on the appropriate date... no reason to spoil it for everyone! :)

You <explitive>!

I wanted to do it! ><

Oh well heh, thanks for saving me the work ;).

When I get around to it i'll toss in all the gaps you missed and the non fixed holidays as well.

nice. I had made a small start, but yeah. SO many unfixed holidays or crazies like the Tyrrans who have a holy ceremony on the 1st 13th and 22nd of EVERY month.

nice job anthee

Tell me when you're finished compiling your list and I'll post it to the announcement forums for easy viewing.

I've got to pre-emptively say now, though, that these Holidays won't be enforced as compulsery features of a cleric or other faith character for numerous reasons (say, you didn't know it was a holiday or you missed it or there was a timezone issue and you received divine spell failure as a result of failing to celebrate your deity's ascension). However, you are encouraged to organise and hold your own celebrations on holy days of relevance. If you're successful you will receive heavy RP rewards in numerous forms.

I love it, you guys rock