”Thank you for coming out,” Jigano said, once it seemed like most of those who were planning to had arrived. He climbed up on a rock to be more easily heard, projecting his voice over the quiet rhythm of the tide as it washed gently on the sand. He held an unlit lantern in one hand, hanging loosely at his side for the moment. ”I’m glad to see some faces I recognize – and many I don’t. For those who were wondering what this is all about, I’m Jigano, and yes, I am from the Hollowed Grounds.” He looked over those who had spread out, his wry smile in full force.
”On the night of the true Festival of Lights, there will be many who hold to the traditions of their families, hanging old lanterns among the new. Grounders, Fae, Halovians, and Torchliners alike will gather to remember those lost in the past year, many in the same places where they’ve hung their lanterns for generations. But however and wherever we celebrate, we do so together in spirit. Tonight is a chance for us to do so in person, to share traditions across regional lines and learn what similarities we have despite the time and distance that have separated us.”
Magical fire caught the wick of his lantern and he held it in front of him but didn’t let it go yet. ”In the Hollowed Grounds the Festival can be a time of glad remembrance, solemn reflection, anxious hope, and fearful trepidation. Only one is chosen by Ludo; some yearn for it, to be able to say goodbye to loved ones taken too soon. Some dread it, to see those who are missing in their lives confirmed gone from this world. And for some, the shades of those who have died are to be feared rather than embraced.” He knew Rory and Sam fell into the latter two categories, Karlia’s fate and Wordsworth Senior’s perpetual disappointment enough to keep them from making lanterns, or perhaps coming at all.
Feeling the pull of the breeze he raised the lantern and let go, letting it drift up towards the stars and slowly out over the ocean, its reflection scattering across the waves below as he breathed a farewell to his pale-haired protégé. ”Tonight there are no expectations. No rewards, nothing to hope for or fear. It is meant to be a gathering of friends and strangers, family and newcomers alike. I would like to celebrate those who lived well, who brought us joy, who changed us for the better, even if they are no longer with us. A festival of glad memories and souls gone to joyful rest with Mort, however they passed. A chance to thank Ludo for guiding them safely to Mort’s land, without anticipation of divine favors at the end of the night. I encourage you to eat and drink, to share stories and songs of those who have passed on with old friends and new, to spread the light of their memories as the lanterns light the sky.”
He gestured to the ready-made lanterns, just awaiting a spark to their candles. ”Floating lanterns are a tradition my mother taught me, one I hope to find shared across worlds. She told me to say a prayer for a loved one as we light the candles, and the lanterns will carry them to their souls in the afterlife as they soar and eventually burns to ash, moving between this world and the next. For those who have neither the skill nor patience to make your own, there are plenty already made for you, just awaiting a spark and your prayer.” He grinned and gestured next to the pile of supplies. ”For those that would like to try your hand at it yourselves, I’ll be giving a lesson in a few minutes, and I look forward to your questions. Now please, let the party begin.”
”On the night of the true Festival of Lights, there will be many who hold to the traditions of their families, hanging old lanterns among the new. Grounders, Fae, Halovians, and Torchliners alike will gather to remember those lost in the past year, many in the same places where they’ve hung their lanterns for generations. But however and wherever we celebrate, we do so together in spirit. Tonight is a chance for us to do so in person, to share traditions across regional lines and learn what similarities we have despite the time and distance that have separated us.”
Magical fire caught the wick of his lantern and he held it in front of him but didn’t let it go yet. ”In the Hollowed Grounds the Festival can be a time of glad remembrance, solemn reflection, anxious hope, and fearful trepidation. Only one is chosen by Ludo; some yearn for it, to be able to say goodbye to loved ones taken too soon. Some dread it, to see those who are missing in their lives confirmed gone from this world. And for some, the shades of those who have died are to be feared rather than embraced.” He knew Rory and Sam fell into the latter two categories, Karlia’s fate and Wordsworth Senior’s perpetual disappointment enough to keep them from making lanterns, or perhaps coming at all.
Feeling the pull of the breeze he raised the lantern and let go, letting it drift up towards the stars and slowly out over the ocean, its reflection scattering across the waves below as he breathed a farewell to his pale-haired protégé. ”Tonight there are no expectations. No rewards, nothing to hope for or fear. It is meant to be a gathering of friends and strangers, family and newcomers alike. I would like to celebrate those who lived well, who brought us joy, who changed us for the better, even if they are no longer with us. A festival of glad memories and souls gone to joyful rest with Mort, however they passed. A chance to thank Ludo for guiding them safely to Mort’s land, without anticipation of divine favors at the end of the night. I encourage you to eat and drink, to share stories and songs of those who have passed on with old friends and new, to spread the light of their memories as the lanterns light the sky.”
He gestured to the ready-made lanterns, just awaiting a spark to their candles. ”Floating lanterns are a tradition my mother taught me, one I hope to find shared across worlds. She told me to say a prayer for a loved one as we light the candles, and the lanterns will carry them to their souls in the afterlife as they soar and eventually burns to ash, moving between this world and the next. For those who have neither the skill nor patience to make your own, there are plenty already made for you, just awaiting a spark and your prayer.” He grinned and gestured next to the pile of supplies. ”For those that would like to try your hand at it yourselves, I’ll be giving a lesson in a few minutes, and I look forward to your questions. Now please, let the party begin.”
