Username Password Topic The Festival of the Griffin is an annual celebration, the day of which is supposedly the day the first griffin bonded its first rider. (No one knows the exact date for sure, but the date chosen for the festival is around the 26th of August by our reckoning.) It is a day of bravery and deeds, filled with competitions of might ranging from sword fights, to jousts, to feats of strength, to archery contests. Winners are awarded Golden Griffin Feathers with engravings of the contest they won. And of course being a grand gathering there are parties that will last long through the night with wine, dancing, and general joviality. Part of the tradition of this day is to bring the people closer to the griffins that safeguard them. As such, it started with simple twining of a few griffin feathers in hair for luck, these feathers given as gifts from the riders. Over the years it has become a grand spectacle of costumes and feathered masks as people dress up as closely to match the griffins as they can. Feathered, beaked, masks with tufted ears, crests, and any manner of styles will fill the night, with people dressed with grand wings and fake claws on hands, and some dressed head to toe in feathers, others dressed scandalously with hardly any feathers concealing them at all (masks make people more bold). Contests are held for the most extravagant costume, so many have a lot of fun with it. The festival technically starts with the morning, but the true festivities do not start until the grand Parade. Costumed musicians, jugglers, and tumblers move before scores of griffins walking proud as peacocks with their riders waving from their backs. As well the parade shows off the winners to each contest, each winner carried in a throne handled by four carriers, each throne marked with a symbol to indicate what the person carried won. As the parade moves through, silver pieces is often thrown out to the crowds, and riders will pass feathers shed by their griffin over the past year as good luck charms. (And to note, for kicks and giggles a calendar of celebrations will be made for Mirus, so if you have suggestions, fire away!) Thread for Festivals! Index | New Thread | Reply | Close | Stick | Delete  Festivals! Sileen 8:53pm, August 22, 2009 [Edit] [Delete] The Festival of the Griffin is an annual celebration, the day of which is supposedly the day the first griffin bonded its first rider. (No one knows the exact date for sure, but the date chosen for the festival is around the 26th of August by our reckoning.) It is a day of bravery and deeds, filled with competitions of might ranging from sword fights, to jousts, to feats of strength, to archery contests. Winners are awarded Golden Griffin Feathers with engravings of the contest they won. And of course being a grand gathering there are parties that will last long through the night with wine, dancing, and general joviality. Part of the tradition of this day is to bring the people closer to the griffins that safeguard them. As such, it started with simple twining of a few griffin feathers in hair for luck, these feathers given as gifts from the riders. Over the years it has become a grand spectacle of costumes and feathered masks as people dress up as closely to match the griffins as they can. Feathered, beaked, masks with tufted ears, crests, and any manner of styles will fill the night, with people dressed with grand wings and fake claws on hands, and some dressed head to toe in feathers, others dressed scandalously with hardly any feathers concealing them at all (masks make people more bold). Contests are held for the most extravagant costume, so many have a lot of fun with it. The festival technically starts with the morning, but the true festivities do not start until the grand Parade. Costumed musicians, jugglers, and tumblers move before scores of griffins walking proud as peacocks with their riders waving from their backs. As well the parade shows off the winners to each contest, each winner carried in a throne handled by four carriers, each throne marked with a symbol to indicate what the person carried won. As the parade moves through, silver pieces is often thrown out to the crowds, and riders will pass feathers shed by their griffin over the past year as good luck charms. (And to note, for kicks and giggles a calendar of celebrations will be made for Mirus, so if you have suggestions, fire away!) Index | New Thread | Reply | Close | Stick | Delete