In the Estian Sea, years are counted since the founding of the Teccan Empire, denoted AUC (ab urbe condita, 'since the founding of the city'). It is currently the year 1433, 249 years after the fall of the empire in the year 1189.
Feast Days
Four times a year there a day of celebration is held, each connected to the deity whose month starts afterwards. These feasts are happy occasions full of revelry, although there are elements of contemplation and introspection too.
Local cultures focus on different feast days. For example, most halflings consider the Winter Solstice to be the most important feast of the year.
There are other feasts throughout the year as well, usually dedicated to that month's deity. In most human cultures, the largest of these minor feasts is the harvest festival held in Heimdall's honor towards the end the summer.
Spring Equinox
The spring equinox is dedicated to Balder the Beautiful. It is a celebration of the world's rebirth after the long Estian winter. During the festival, just as day and night are equal, social rank is disregarded for one day, and nobles and peasants treat each other as equals for a day. One tradition that is common is to assign table seating by drawing lots, making it also a festival of new meetings.
Many places hold communal feasts on the spring equinox, usually with outdoor seating. It is traditional among humans to eat a suckling pig, cooked on a skewer over low heat. The meat is served with stews and breads, and whatever greens can be scrounged up from winter storage.
- Elves use this day to clean their abodes after the winter.
- Halflings see this as the start of the new year, as it is the start of the farming season.
Summer Solstice
The summer solstice, also called Midsummer, occurs when the day is at its longest. It is dedicated to Freya and is the most joyous of the feasts, celebrating the eternal sun. A traditional solstice feast starts at noon, when the sun is at its highest point of the year. Traditionally, the location of the feast is dressed in fresh leaves and food and drink is served at a central table. There is usually music and dancing well into the short summer night.
The food served at a summer solstice feast varies greatly, but it is a day of excess. Lard-fried fresh potatoes, rich sausages, syrupy cakes, and plenty of alcoholic beverages are all mainstays at the table.
- Among all races, weddings are common on the Summer Solstice.
- Human children born on this day are considered blessed by Freya, and seem to become more beautiful than their peers. Later in life, many of the girls become priestesses in Freya's service.
Autumnal Equinox
On the fall equinox, when day and night are of equal length, people gather around the tombs of their ancestors, honoring those who came before. Officially, this day is dedicated to Hel, the goddess of the Afterlife, but prayers for the dead are directed to all manner of gods, depending on individual beliefs.
Despite falling soon after the harvest, food is not a major element of autumnal equinox celebrations. It is instead a day of reflection on the time that has passed. One exception is in dwarvish culture: on this day, dwarves bake a 'cake of the dead', half of which is left uneaten outdoors for any ancestor spirits that happen to wander by.
- Dwarves believe it to be a date of equal danger and opportunity, and usually add a gambling element to their celebrations, perhaps a game of Gnome Fold.
- Humans place lit candles in their windows, in honor of their acnestors.
Winter Solstice
The winter solstice, or Midwinter, is dedicated to Odin and is normally celebrated with close family members. A pyre is lit outdoors and kept alive throughout the longest night of the year. Families gather by the fire and cook food on skewers, drink spiced hot mead, and tell stories late into the night.
Halflings spend the month leading up to Midwinter canning and preserving food for the winter. Midwinter is celebrated with a great feast, marking the last day of fresh food until spring comes. A traditional halfling solstice feast is a celebration of root vegetables and mushrooms flavored with plenty of herbs and spices.
- Humans exchange gifts, usually of nominal value. It is more important that the gift is thoughtful.
- Dwarven children spend the days around Midwinter building elaborate snow structures, which are then used for a large snowball showdown during the few hours of daylight on the solstice day.