In firm opposition to Havoc, the god of chaos and unpredictability, Norma is the goddess of stability, comfort and familiarity. Normafest is a feast festival of gratitude, held at harvest time, two months and two days before Havocfest. It is celebrated on Norma’s Day, the second day of the week, and in modern times people are usually given the day before and the day after off of work (even at Castle Skärva!). Normafest marks the official end of summer, the warm and stable season associated with the goddess, and the beginning of fall, the season of change and entropy associated with Havoc.
Due to its association with the harvest, Normafest has been celebrated very routinely and widely throughout Idenau’s history from ancient times by all species with an awareness of the gods. The exception is the demons, who typically did not celebrate godly festivals other than Havocfest during the many generations they spent isolated in the caves – and particularly not that of Norma, partly because traditional farming was never a part of their culture, and partly because she is Havoc’s divine opposite. However, most demons do celebrate Normafest now, either having adopted it into their own households or with friends.
Norma is associated with things like family and nostalgia, and her holiday is the most important day for family reunions. It is considered important, when possible, for people to travel to where they grew up and celebrate with the relatives they still have in the area. But the location is not as important as who the day is spent with; even with the drama that relatives often bring, to spend Normafest without family is considered very sad.
Normafest is also the biggest food day of the year in Idenau, with people contributing their favorite traditional dishes to the biggest feast their family can muster. While there is usually a centerpiece of some kind of meat, there is no standard menu for Normafest and the food varies from family to family. However, most households do make certain reliable dishes and desserts that they can look forward to every year, in keeping with the spirit of Norma.
Castle Skärva has traditionally held a massive Normafest feast, feeding not only the lordly family but also any servants/minions who are unable to travel or have no place to go.
In Idenau, does the week start on Monday or Sunday? I’ve though for a while that Norma would be the Tuesday Goddess, mostly because Havoc embodied Thursday.
So, what sort of food is eaten on Normafest?
What about Laxfest?
Did they even use the same names for weekdays? Or even use a 7 day “week”? I may have missed that before.
They have seven days, one for each god (Norma’s Day, Havoc’s Day, etc.) and the last is All Gods’ Day.
Why does the All Gods Day seem so familiar?
The week starts with the workweek, so the equivalent of our Monday. You’re right!
Well, like I said, it really varies from family to family. Different regions and different households have their own traditions.
Laxfest doesn’t really correlate to one of our big holidays like some of the others do. It’s a lot of fun… I’m sure we’ll talk about it at some point in the future
…I think I’d much rather celebrate Normafest at Castle Skaerva than Thanksgiving at my family’s. I’m sure I wouldn’t get poked and prodded about my the smallest things in life at the castle.
This Normafest seems so… Normal.
You say that Normafest marks the official end of summer, so what are the seasons like in Idenau? Are they like our Northern Hemisphere or something else (because it is kinda the middle of fall now…)? That being said, what is the year like?
I somehow dogged a bullet and don’t have to work on Thanksgiving, so I can actually be with my family today. Yay! I don’t have to be sad.
The seasons are pretty clearly divided, roughly three months each. The holidays don’t correspond to our world’s exactly in time. Normafest is before Havocfest… actually Havocfest would take place around now with Normafest being more like the equivalent of late September. Every two months there’s a different divine holiday; some of them mark the transition between seasons but others don’t.
Awesome! I’m happy for you. Your work sounds like it treats you pretty rough :/
Happy Normafest! Thank you for making interesting world building holiday articles for us to read! 8D