Widows' Day

Widows' Day is a festival of remembrance held throughout Harthera two weeks after the end of the storm tide season. Since storm tidesplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigStorm tides

Storm tides are particularly high tides, often accompanied by storm surges and dangerous flooding, which occur on Helevos every 1.3 solar years when Helevos comes into conjunction with the giant planet Kwato'or. Storm tides are at their peak within a two week period, and at their most severe when accompanied by natural storms. appear every 1.3 years the date of the festival advances throughout the year over time, rather than being a fixed date. According to folk tradition, the festival dates back to the ancient Junda, who would gather together after the storm-tides to commiserate families who had lost loved ones at sea. This is likely apocryphal, since there are no records of Widows' Day being celebrated before the 6th century ME.

Today the festival is observed with community gatherings, families visiting loved ones, and in particular, giving gifts of food and money to those who have been bereaved over the last year. Gatherings are blessed by the Church of Hartrah and there are often special services of prayer and remembrance, though it is not an official holiday. Many coastal villages, particularly fishing villages on the coast of Gadok, have special local ceremonies to commemorate Widows' Day, such as blessing the water, processions and ceremonial immersion of young sailors in the water, an appeasement of the spirits of the sea which dates back to imperial times.