Feb14

Medifest

by Courtney on February 14, 2016 at 2:45 pm

Hello all! We’re long overdue for another worldbuilding post, don’t you think?

As you may know, each of the six gods has a day of the week, as well as a major holiday, spaced evenly apart each 2 months throughout the year. Today we’ll be covering one of the more contentious celebrations: Medifest.

Medi is the goddess of balance and is said to keep the antithetical powers of the other gods in check, such as those of Norma, the goddess of order and stability, and Havoc, the god of chaos and change. She is the patron goddess of those who seek justice and equality and is associated with the legal profession (her sign on a building signifies a courthouse, much as the sign of Norma, for comfort and safety, signifies an inn). She is also used to invoke a number of other associations – for instance, the schoolchildren the minions recently ran into were from Medi Academy, which prides itself on a well-rounded education as well as the diversity of its students.

gods1 Medi is the third one, representing the middle day of the workweek. The two parallel bars represent equality, just like another familiar sign: =

Medi is also closely associated with relationships, as any healthy partnership requires a compromise of the needs and desires of those who comprise it. Thus Medifest is the holiday formed around celebrating the bonds between people. While Medi has long been considered a guide, and is the common receptor of prayers, for any interpersonal relationship, including those between friends and family, over the years she – and her holiday – have become most intimately linked with romance.

Medifest occurs four months into the year, in the spring (so, not precisely parallel with a certain holiday we may be familiar with in our world). Perhaps no other holiday is as beloved by some and despised by others. While there has been a revival in recent year of trying to link the holiday with any loving relationship (with some people jokingly calling it Buddyfest to encourage the focus on friends), its association as a special day for romantic couples is hard to break. Medifest is seen as a day when couples give each other gifts, spend time together, and even renew vows. Those who seek, but lack, a significant other often feel bitter and left out. Luckily for the goddess, most of them blame society or their own luck or lack of appeal; even so, theologians report that among young people, Medi is the deity they are most likely to feel abandoned by. However, this is likely as related to any social inequality rallied against by the young and hopeful as it is romantic misfortune.

The time of year for Medifest was chosen because it is the point when the weather has reached a balance between the cold of winter and the heat of summer. Old superstition claims that if the weather is unusually warm on Medifest, lovers are in for an especially passionate year; while if it is uncommonly cold, so too will their relationship be.

Be sure to check out some Medifest cards from years past here!