Since Lyju was a part of Tirge until relatively recently, the two lands share most of the same holidays and many of the traditions are the same as well. This is a list of holidays that are celebrated in Lyju. This does not delve into religious holidays because those differ from one deity to another.
The Day of the New Year (January 1)
January 1st marks the beginning of the New Year in Ne�khol. The current year is 529 c.y. The c.y. stands for Common Year. Five hundred and thirty years ago, each of the three Kingdoms had their own calendar. The kings of the three Kingdoms, and the two Dwarven Kingdoms, met in the halls of Bakken Kore and came to agreement that a common calendar needed to be created to encourage trade throughout their various kingdoms. The kings left the meeting and each sent forth a Royal Decree declaring that the next January would mark the beginning of a new age and would be the beginning of a new Calendar. Thus the Telatan year 837 d.d.y., the Prilatian year 484 a.y., the Tirgean year 754 q.r., and the Dwarven year 1843 all gave way to the year 1 c.y.
The holiday is celebrated in different ways throughout the known world. In Lyju, the Day of the New Year is the 2nd day of a 3 day celebration. The first day, which is the last day of the old year, is spent in quiet contemplation of the events of the past year. It is a day of fasting, and no merchants are open for business on this day. Day 2, the first day of the New Year is a day of celebration. Since the previous day is spent without eating, this day is filled with eating, drinking, and dancing. Day 3 is a day for giving gifts and giving well-wishes to others in hopes of a productive year. Parents give gifts to their children, and young lovers give gifts to each other.
Lado�Yane (February 28)
Lado�Yane, or the Singing to Rings, is a Tirge fertility ritual. Young girls (unattached girls over the age of puberty) drop their rings, together with oats and barley (symbols of fertility) into a cauldron of spring water. The rings are tied with a red thread to a bunch of ivy, crane's bill, basil, or some other perennial plant, and the cauldron is left out overnight. Ritual dances are performed around the cauldron and the girls' fortunes are told. The girls get to choose an unattached boy to be their �Lado�Yane� for the evening, and that boy spends the evening dancing and courting the girl who chose him. Many couples in Lyju, Tirge, and Alimur first fell in love as a result of the Lado�Yane celebration.
Lyju Day (April 27)
This is a celebration of the day that Lyju became an independent realm as a result of the actions of the Zirand Council. The day is usually celebrated with picnics during the day and Lyju Militia Parades in the evening. The night is ended by a speech by the Governor of each town (in the Capital of Rheodoc, the Duke gives the speech) while all of the citizens of the towns hold candles. The speech is usually preceded by performances by jesters or bards and then capped off by the speech.
Marshal Atward�s Pear (May 12)
This silly holiday is a day where everyone attaches a pear to their cloths somewhere. Anyone found outside of their home without a pear on their cloths will be the subject of countless friendly kicks and punches by people that they see. This is especially true for the children, who take great joy in kicking the tar out of their friends who happen to forget that it�s �Pear Day�
The holiday started almost 1000 years ago. Legends say that a Tirge military leader, Marshal Atward, told his troops to attach a pear to their uniforms so that they would be able to tell their fellow troops apart from the enemy. Some say that Atward won the battle, and other Scholars claim that the army was slaughtered. Now-a-days no one really cares, they just enjoy the silly games.
Lyju Faire (July 18)
Every year the Duke holds a Faire in Rheodoc. Lyjuans come from all over to join in the festivities. The Faire brings all sorts of merchants from neighboring realms and from all over Lyju. The day features competitions of all sorts, and the highlight of the day is a series of jousts that culminates in the awarding of the Golden Lance, a gold plated lance that is passed from one champion to the next each year. The holder of The Lance is granted the title of Count and given a small plot of land somewhere of the Duke�s choosing. The title is retaintained for life and can elevate the social standing of the jouster�s entire family from commoner to noble.
Wardersday (August 1)
Legends say that thousands of years ago, the town of Leobryn was ravaged by an evil monster on the first day of August. The following year the monster returned and again ravaged the town. Before it could happen a third time, the villagers devised a plan to scare the monster away. Red banners were hung everywhere; the color red has long been believed to protect against evil. Drums and gongs were used to create loud noises to scare the beast away. The plan worked and the celebration lasted several days during which people visited with each other, danced, and ate tasty foods.
Today Wardersday is still celebrated, especially in Leobryn, and it brings people together in a celebration that now only lasts 1 day, but is filled with dancing, visiting, and tasty foods. The towns are decorated with Red banners, and Drums and Gongs are sounded to ward off �evil monsters�.
Harvest�s End (November 4)
The end of the harvest season is marked by this holiday that has become a time for families to get together for a large meal. Harvest�s End celebrations in Lyju typically see several generations of family and extended family getting together, sometimes it includes the exchange of gifts but that is usually only in the noble casts.
Haxey Hood Game (December 22)
This centuries-old tradition in Lyju can be traced back more than six hundred years, when Lady Haxey, whose husband was a powerful Noble in Tirge (in the area of present-day Rheodoc according to scholars), lost her hood to a sudden gust of wind and thirteen local men struggled gallantly to retrieve it. She showed her appreciation by staging an annual reenactment of the event, which is believed by some to be the origin of Footie, a Tirge sport that uses a round raw-hide ball that is kicked around a playing field.
The game known as Throwing the Hood involves a Lord (who acts as umpire and master of ceremonies), thirteen Plough-Boggins (presumably named for the way the original thirteen men turned up the soil in their efforts to capture the hood), a Fool, and as many others as care to participate. After several warm-up rounds with sham hoods, the real contest begins. The participants wrestle over a piece of leather stuffed with straw, coins, and other fillings.
