PUBLIC CHANNEL | D16, EVENING

[starseedling]

Hey guys! This is Steven!

So I keep hearing people talking about different holidays, and I realized that my Earth doesn't actually share most of them! Which is kind of cool and weird! We have New Years, but we don't have a lot of this other stuff.

I think it's really cool that we can all celebrate something together, though, so... do you think you could tell me about some of the things you do at home for winter holidays? Like, traditions, or food, or games! Anything you can think of!

I know for New Years we always go out and watch fireworks, and try to make as much noise as possible. Does anybody else do that?

Comments

[otoko]

Hmmn-!

If anything, it is quite the reverse, where I, the man Gongenzaka, came from..! New Years is a time to reflect upon the year, and usher in the new! It is a time to spend with your family, in peace.

In fact, there is something of a tradition in the form of the first dream one has within the new year, as a method of determining your fortune in the year to come!

[Dream of Fuji and you're set, basically.]

[starseedling]

I guess New Years is probably something everybody has... The year has to end sometime, right?

What was your dream last time you did that? Did it come true?

[otoko]

Mmmm! It is not quite that literal, actually..!

Most dreams are typically still...dreams, in that they are odd, and make little sense. But what you seek out are certain symbols!

In my case....I, the man Gongenzaka, dreamed of a fox, the moon, and fireflies, most prominently!

[SO ONE OF THOSE THINGS CAME TRUE, APPARENTLY.]

....So it is hard to say if a dream can come 'true', if it is not the more prominent icons of fortune!

[kingsroads]

I go to church. [ said in the same tone as one would say 'I go to the doctor's office.' This is what happens when your brother in law is a pastor and you only went to church to impress a girl. ]

But after that, there's usually food, parties, and get-togethers with relatives.

[starseedling]

What's church?

[Serious question. Strange doesn't sound excited about it.]

[kingsroads]

[ Okay, Strange can't help but be a bit confused for a moment (didn't this kid have a human dad? Surely this can't be all of the gem's influence.) Still, he explains it in a relatively straightforward manner. ]

It's religion. There's a lot of standing up and sitting down and occasionally kneeling or singing while the curate or pastor tells you about how best to live your life in a way that makes God happy.

[whattaprick]

Saovine's when the new year starts, then you've got Midwinter for the solstice and Imbolg for the end of winter.

They say Saovine's the day the dead crawl out of their graves and the banshees call the names of those who'll die the next year. [ Cheerful, right? ] Imbolg's when all the feasting happens.

[starseedling]

O-Oh....

[Steven doesn't sound very jazzed about that.]

Do they... do they actually do that? Um... crawl out of their graves?

[2spooky for Steven.]

[chronosynthesis]

Tyria has Wintersday, which is quite similar to this Solstice. For the most part people spend time with friends and exchange gifts. It also celebrates the new year, but there are no fireworks.

[starseedling]

It wouldn't be much of a holiday if you didn't spend it with friends!

I've never done this much gifting all at once before.

[wild_magic]

Lauren always goes to meet with the other druids for the solstice, but I don't really know what they do. Probably talk about trees or nature or something.

We don't have a lot of holidays in the winter, though. Nothing with presents and stuff, at least. There's usually a festival for Deadwinter Day though. And everyone has different stuff they celebrate, because all the gods have different celebrations and special days and stuff, so it isn't really boring or anything. Just not like this at all.

[starseedling]

What's "Deadwinter Day"? That sounds kind of spooky!

[puddingemote]

On Christmas, a lot of people go on dates or eat Christmas cake. When I was a kid we got to go look at the lights. This year we're exchanging presents.

[Well, "this year" as in whenever he gets to go back to his real life.]

On New Year's we eat food and go on a shrine visit, and play lots of games. And I usually give a New Year's card to Sensei.

[starseedling]

You go on DATES?!

[It's said with such enthusiasm that you can only imagine that Steven is super into that idea.]

[anti_nonsense]

We don't have anything like that.

[Hi, here's a boring answer, brought to you by Aspio, the city of workaholics who never go outside.]

[starseedling]

Really?

[He sounds totally surprised.]

Nothing at all??

[periphrasing]

I'm glad you asked this, so I don't have to bother.

[starseedling]

Gems don't really have holidays, do they?

[he laughs awkwardly because he's pretty sure he knows why they wouldn't.]

[sunflowerfields]

Sometimes, winter can be hard, so in our village we like to spend time together to keep ourselves warm and happy even when it's dark out. Oh, and we go to the forest shrine to pray for good luck for the coming year.

[starseedling]

What's the forest shrine for? Who made it?

[sworntothesword]

What kind of stuff do other people talk about?

[ Connie is still super new! She feels so out of the loop. What kind of fantastic space fae holidays is she missing out on??? ]

[sworntothesword]

Wait, did you say new years was about 'making as much noise as possible?'

[ Is that a Beach City thing or just a Steven thing? ]

[brightspot]

Titch's mom would make elderberry pie and honeypear spiced pudding. They put up a tree that they cut down together, and decorated it, with a star at the top. They went ice-skating on the pond every day when it was frozen.

His memories are the only ones I have of any holidays like that.

[starseedling]

[He's about to ask a mundane question, but that last part confuses him.]

Um... who's Titch? How did you get his memories?

[tacosgay]

Huh. I never really thought about that you guys don't do the whole Candlenights thing. Candlenights is... it's pretty much a pan-denominational thing that kind of absorbed all the traditions everyone had, and made it into one big winter celebration kind of thing. Honestly, we all kind of just do whatever, but call all of it Candlenights. Usually, though, you definitely have some kind of, uh, a bush, or a tree, maybe, and you decorate and give gifts and all that.