THE SARDAR MOUNTAIN FAIRS (each one is listed and described separately below)
Each fair is named for the month in which it is held. For example, the Fair of En'Kara, the Fair of Se'Var, etc.
There is 4 of them each year, correlated with the solstices and equinoxes. During the fair, it's considered neutral territory, no blood made be spilled, no one may be enslaved during the fair, although slaves may be bought and sold. The fairs serve as a central trading point for information and merchandise. Each gorean is required to visit the fair atleast once before the age of 25. It's a time of truce, contests, games, bargaining and marketing presided over by the Initiates.
"One is the fairs at the Sardar Mountains which
occur four times a year and are number chronologically."
Outlaw of Gor pg 179
"Four times a year, correlated with the solstices
and equinoxes, there are fairs held in the plains below the mountains,
presided over by committees of Initiates, fairs in which men of many cities
mingle without bloodshed, times of truce, times of contests and games,
of bargaining and marketing."
Outlaws of Gor pg 47
"The fairs do much to unite intellectually
the otherwise so isolated cities of Gor."
Outlaws of Gor pg 47
"It was now the month of the vernal equinox
on Gor, called En’Kara, or The First Kara. The full expression is En’Kara-Lar-Torvis,
which means, rather literally, The First Turning of the Central Fire. Lar-Torvis
is a Gorean expression for the sun. More commonly, though never in
the context of time, the sun is referred to as Tor-tu-Gor, or Light Upon
the Home Stone. The month of the autumnal equinox is called fully Se’Kara-Lar-Torvis,
but usually simply Se’Kara, The Second Kara, or The Second Turning.
As might be expected there are related expressions
for the months of the solstices, En’Var-Lar-Torvis and Se’Var-Lar-Torvis,
or The First Resting and the Second Resting of the Central Fire. These
like the other expressions, usually occur in speech only as En’Var and
Se’Var, or The First Resting and The Second Resting."
Outlaws of Gor pg 178
"The contests I mentioned which take place at the fairs are, as would be expected, peaceable, or I should say, at least do not involve contests of arms. Indeed it is considered a crime against the Priest-Kings to bloody one's weapons at the fairs. The Priest-Kings, I might note, seem to be more tolerant of bloodshed in other localities.
Contests of arms, fought to the death, whereas they may not take place at the fairs are not unknown on Gor, and are popular in some cities. Contests of this sort, most often involving criminals and impoverished soldiers of fortune, offer prizes of amnesty or gold and are customarily sponsored by rich men to win the approval of the populace of their cities. Sometimes these men are merchants who wish thereby to secure goodwill for their products; sometimes they are practitioners of law, who hope to sway the votes of jury men; sometimes they are Ubars or High Initiates who find it in their interests to keep the crowds amused."
Priest Kings of Gor pg 11"The contests at the fairs, however, I am pleased to say, offer nothing more dangerous than wrestling, with no holds to the death permitted. Most of the contests involve such things as racing, feats of strength, and skill with bow and spear. Other contests of interest pit choruses and poets and players of various cities against one another in the several theaters of the fair."
Priest Kings of Gor pgs 11-12
"…the streets of the fair abound with jugglers, puppeteers, musicians and acrobats who, far from the theaters, compete in their ancient fashions for the copper tarn disks of the broiling, turbulent crowds."
Priest Kings of Gor pg 12Although no one may not be enslaved at the fair, slaves may be bought and sold within its precincts, and slavers do a thriving business, exceeded perhaps only by that of Ar`s Street of Brands. The reason for this is not simply that here is a fine market for such wares, since men from various cities pass freely to and fro at the fair, but that each Gorean, whether male or female, is expected to see the Sardar Mountains, in honor of the Preist-Kings,at least once in his life, prior to his twenty fifth year.
Priest Kings of Gor pg 12
EN'KARA
MARCH 21-30
One of four great fairs held in the shadow of
the Sardar range in the first month of the Gorean year, this one is held
in the spring.
"I would stay in one of the public tents tonight.
For five copper tarsks one may rent furs and a place in the tent. It is
expensive, but it is after all, En`Kara and the time of the fair. In such
tents it is not unusual for peasants to lie crowded, side by side, with
captains and merchants. During En`Kara, at the Fair, many of the distinctions
among men and castes are forgotten.
Unfortunately meals are not served in the
tents. For the price it seems one should banquet. This lack, however, is
supplied by numerous public kitchens and tables. These are scattered throughout
the district of the fair. Also there are vendors.
I took my place at the end of one of the long
lines, that which I conjectured to be the shortest.
There are some compensations in the public
tents, however. One may have paga and wines there. These are served by
slave girls, whose comforts and uses are also included within the price
of the lodging."
Beasts of Gor pg 50-51
"It is time for the Kaissa matches at the Fair
of En'Kara, at the Sardar," I said. I found it hard to think that this
was not on the mind of Samos. "Centius of Cos," I said, "is defending his
title against Scormius of Ar."
"How can you be concerned with Kaiisa at a
time like this?" he asked.
"The match is important," I pointed out.
Anyone who knew anything of Kaissa knew this.
It was the talk of Gor.
Beasts of Gor pg 34
EN'VAR
June 19-28
Occurs during the summer solstice, one of the
four great fairs held in the shadow of the Sardar during the Gorean year.
"Month names differ, unfortunately, from city
to city, but, among the civilized cities, there are four months, associated
with the equinoxes and solstices, and the great fairs at the Sadar, which
do have common names, the months of En'Kara or En'Kara-Lar-Torvis; En'var
or En'Var-Lar_Torvis; Se’Kara or Se’Kara-Lar-Torvis; and Se’Var or Se’Var-Lar-Torvis.”
Assassin of Gor pg 78-79
SE'KARA
September 22- October 1
the Fair of Se'Kara that coincides with the autumnal
equinox held at the base of the Sadar Mountains.
"Month names differ, unfortunately, from city
to city, but, among the civilized cities, there are four months, associated
with the equinoxes and solstices, and the great fairs at the Sadar, which
do have common names, the months of En'Kara or En'Kara-Lar-Torvis; En'var
or En'Var-Lar_Torvis; Se’Kara or Se’Kara-Lar-Torvis; and Se’Var or Se’Var-Lar-Torvis.”
Assassin of Gor pg 78-79
December 21 - December 30
Occurs during the winter solstice, one of the four great fairs held in the shadow of the Sardar during the Gorean year.
"Month names differ, unfortunately, from city
to city, but, among the civilized cities, there are four months, associated
with the equinoxes and solstices, and the great fairs at the Sadar, which
do have common names, the months of En'Kara or En'Kara-Lar-Torvis; En'var
or En'Var-Lar_Torvis; Se’Kara or Se’Kara-Lar-Torvis; and Se’Var or Se’Var-Lar-Torvis.”
Assassin of Gor pg 78-79
celebrate various holidays and events that aren't necessarily observed all throughout gor, listed below are some
THE OMEN YEAR
(once every 10 years - encompasses 3 seasons)
September 22- April 4
Occurs once every ten years among the Wagon Peoples,
it's actually a season not a year and encompasses 3 seasons. All four tribes
of the Peoples; Tuchuks, Paravaci, Kataii, and Kassars gather for the Omen
takings; to see if there will be an Ubar-San (the One Ubar), who would
lead all of the Wagon Peoples. The three seasons or phases are listed below,
The Passing of Turia, The Wintering and The Return to Turia. The omens
are taken near Turia by the haruspexes, mostly readers of bosk blood and
verr livers. Depending on their determination an 'Ubar San' might
be chosen, the Ubar of all the Peoples. In the time of Tarl Cabot,
the omens had not been favorable for one hundred years.
"The games of the Love War are celebrated every
spring between, so to speak, the city and the plains, whereas the Omen
Year occurs only every tenth year."
Nomads of Gor pg 115
" 'It is the Omen Year,' had said Kamchak of
the Tuchuks."
Nomads of Gor, page 55
"It is in the spring that the omens are taken,
regarding the possible election of the Ubar San, the One Ubar, he who would
be Ubar of all the Wagons, of all the Peoples."
Nomads of Gor, page 55
"The animals sacrificed, incidentally, are
later used for food, so the Omen Taking, far from being a waste
of animals, is actually a time of feasting
and plenty for the Wagon Peoples, who regard the Omen Taking,
provided it results that no Ubar San is to
be chosen, as an occasion for gaiety and festival. As I may have
mentioned, no Ubar San had been chosen for
more than a hundred years."
Nomads of Gor, page 171
"In the thinking of the Wagon Peoples it is
called the Omen Year, though the Omen Year is actually a
season, rather than a year, which occupies
a part of two of their regular years, for the Wagon Peoples
calculate the year from the Season of Snows
to the Season of Snows; Turians, incidentally, figure the year from summer
solstice to summer solstice; Goreans generally, on the other hand, figure
the year from vernal equinox to vernal equinox, their new year beginning,
like nature's, with the sprin; the Omen Year, or season, lasts several
months, and consists of three phases, called the Passing of Turia, which
takes place in the fall; the Wintering, which takes place north of Turia
and commonly south of Cartius, the equator of course lying to the
north in this hemisphere; and the Return to Turia, in the spring, or as
the Wagon Peoples say, in the Season of Little Grass. It is near
Turia, in the spring, that the Omen Year is completed, when the Omens
are taken, usually over several days by hundreds of haruspexes, mostly
readers of bosk blood and verr livers, to determine if they are favorable
for a choosing of a Ubar San, a One Ubar, a Ubar who would be High
Ubar, a Ubar of all the Wagon Peoples, a Ubar of all the Peoples, one who
could lead them as one people. The omens, I understood, had not been
favorable in more than a hundred years."
Nomads of Gor, pages 11-12
Kamchak and I dismounted and, from outside
the circle, watched the four chief haruspexes of the Wagon Peoples approach
the huge altar in the center of the field. Behind them another four haruspexes,
one from each People, carried a large wooden cage, made of sticks lashed
together, which contained perhaps a dozen white vulos, domesticated pigeons.
This cage they placed on the altar. I then noted that each of the four
chief haruspexes carried, about his shoulder, a white linen sack, somewhat
like a peasant's rep-cloth seed bag.
"This is the first Omen," said Kamchak, "The
Omen to see if the Omens are propitious to take the Omens."
"Oh," I said.
Each of the four haruspexes then, after intoning
an involved entreaty of some sort to the sky, which at the time was shining
beneficiently, suddenly cast a handful of something doubtless grain to
the pigeons in the stick cage.
Even from where I stood I could see the pigeons
pecking at the grain in reassuring frenzy.
The four haruspexes turned then, each one
facing his own minor haruspexes and anyone else who might be about, and
called out, "It is propitious!"
Nomads of Gor pg 171-172
I could now see the other haruspexes of the
peoples pouring with their animals toward the altars. The Omen Taking as
a whole lasts several days and consumes hundreds of animals. A tally is
kept, from day to day. One haruspex, as we left, I heard cry out that he
had found a favorable liver. Another, from an adjoining altar had rushed
to his side. They were engaged in dispute. I gathered that reading the
signs was a subtle business, calling for sophisticated interpretation and
the utmost delicacy and judgment. Even as we made our way back to the kaiila
I could hear two more haruspexes crying out that they had found livers
that were clearly unfavorable. Clerks, with parchment scrolls, were circulating
among the altars, presumably, I would guess, noting the names of haruspexes,
their peoples, and their findings The four chief haruspexes of the peoples
remained at the huge central altar, to which a white bosk was being slowly
led.
Nomads of Gor pg 172-173
" Conrad spoke. 'The Omens have been taken,'
he said.
'They have been read well,' said Hakimba.
'For the first time in more than a hundred
years,' said the Paravaci, 'there is a Ubar San, a One Ubar,
Master of the Wagons!'
Kamchak stood up and threw from his shoulders
the purple of the Turian Ubar and stood in the black leather of a Tuchuk.
As one man the three Ubars raised their arms
to him.
'Kamchak,' they cried, 'Ubar San!' "
Nomads of Gor, page 334
THE PASSING OF TURIA
September 22-26
This is the first phase or portion of the Omen
Year done in the fall when the herds of the Wagon people tend to pass closest
by Turia.
(see Nomads of Gor, pages 11-12 above under
Omen Year for one quote)
"The herds would circle Turia, for this was
the portion of the Omen Year called the Passing of Turia, in which the
Wagon Peoples gather and begin to move towards their winter pastures"
Nomads of Gor pg 55
THE WINTERING
November - March
The second phase or season of the Omen Year.
The nomadic herds of the Wagon peoples typically occupy their winter pastures
during this period which takes place north of Turia and south of the Cartius
River.
(see Nomads of Gor, pages 11-12 above under
Omen Year for quote)
"the second portion of the Omen Year is the
Wintering, which takes place far north of Turia, the equator being approached
in this hemisphere, of course from the south"
Nomads of Gor pg 55
The Wintering was not unpleasant, although,
even so far north, the says and nights were often quite chilly; the Wagon
Peoples and their slaves as well, wore boskhide and furs during this time;
both male and female, slave or free, wore furred boots and trousers, coats
and the flopping, ear-flapped caps that tied under the chin; in this time
there were often no way to mark the distinction between the free woman
and the slave girl; save that the hair of the latter must needs be unbound;
in some cases, of course, the Turian collar was visible, if worn on the
outside of the coat, usually under the furred collar; the men, too, free
and slave, were dressed similarly, save the the Kajiri, or he-slaves, wore
shackles, usually with a run of about a foot of chain."
Nomads of Gor pg 59
"The Season of the Little Grass is upon us,"
said Kamchak. "Tomorrow the herds will move towards Turia."
I nodded. The Wintering was done.
There would now be the third phase of the Omen Year, the Return to Turia.
Nomads of Gor pg 82
RETURN TO TURIA
March 31 - April 4
The Third phase or season of the Omen Year done
in the spring also called Season of the Little Grass
(see Nomads of Gor, pages 11-12 above under
Omen Year for quote)
"the third and final portion of the Omen Year
is the Return to Turia, which takes place in the spring, or as the Wagon
Peoples have it, in the Season of the Little Grass. It is in the
spring that the omens are taken, regarding the possible election of the
Ubar San, the One Ubar, he who would be Ubar of all the Wagons, of all
the Peoples."
Nomads of Gor pg 55
"The Season of the Little Grass is upon us,"
said Kamchak. "Tomorrow the herds will move towards Turia."
I nodded. The Wintering was done.
There would now be the third phase of the Omen Year, the Return to Turia.
Nomads of Gor pg 82
THE LOVE WAR
May 15-19
Takes place annually between the Wagon Peoples
and Turians on the Plain of a Thousand Stakes during the Second Passage
Hand in mid-spring, participating in various challenges and ceremonial
combats. The Four Tribes compete to win high born Turian free women, which
will be turned into slaves of the wagons. Free Women each from the Wagon
Peoples and Turia stand bound to a stake. A warrior from each side
stands as her champion. The winning warrior takes the woman from the opposite
side as slave.
The institution of the Love War is an ancient
one among the Turians and the Wagon Peoples, according to the Year Keepers
antedating even the Omen Year. The games of Love War, of course, are celebrated
every spring between, so to speak, the city and the plains, whereas the
Omen Year occurs only every tenth year.
The games of the Love War, in themselves,
do not constitute a gathering of the Wagon Peoples, for normally the herds
and the free women of the peoples do not approach one another at these
times; only certain delegations of warriors, usually about two hundred
from a people, are sent in the spring of the Plains of a Thousand Stakes.
Nomads of Gor pg 115
"The theoretical justification of the games
of the Love War, from the Turian point of view, is that they
provide an excellent arena in which to demonstrate
the fierceness and prowess of Turian warriors, thus
perhaps intimidating or, at the very least,
encouraging the often overbold warriors of the Wagon Peoples
to be wary of Turian steel. The secret justification,
I suspect, however, is that the Turian warrior is fond of meeting the enemy
and acquiring his women, particularly should they be striking little beasts,
like Hereena of the First Wagon, as untamed and savage as they are beautiful;
it is reguarded as a great sport among the Turian warriors to collar such
a wench and force her to exchange riding leather for the bells and silks
of a perfumed slave girl."
Nomads of Gor, page 116
"As I knew, not just any girl, any more than
just any warrior, could participate in the games of the Love
War. Only the most beautiful were eligible,
and only the most beautiful of these could be chosen."
Nomads of Gor, page 117
(a description of the Plains of a Thousand
Stakes)
I do not know if there are by count, a thousand
stakes or not on the Plains of a Thousand Stakes, but I would support that
there are that many or more. The stakes, flat-topped, each about
six and half feet and about seven or eight inches in diameter, stand in
two long lines facing one another in pairs. The two lines are separated
by about fifty feet and each stake in line is separated from the stake
on it's left and right by about ten yards. The two lines of stakes
extend for more then four passangs across the prairie. One of these
lines is closest to the city and the other to the prairies beyond.
The stakes had recently been, I observed, brightly painted each differently,
in a delightful array of colors; further, each was trimmed and decorated
variously, depending on the whim of the workman, sometimes simply, sometimes
fancifully, sometimes ornately. The entire aspect was one of color,
good cheer, lightheartedness and gaiety. There was something of the
sense of carnival in the air. I was forced to remind myself that
between these two lines of stakes men would soon fight and die.
Nomads of Gor pg 112
NEW YEAR OF SE'VAR
December 21
The day of the Winter Solstice (December 21st)
is celebrated by the Wagon Peoples as the first day of the new year, and
marks the beginning of The Season of Snows. In addition, the women
of the Wagon Peoples keep a calendar of their own, based upon the phases
of the largest of the three Gorean moons. It consists of fifteen
separate divisions, each named after one of the fifteen diiferent kinds
of bosk, for instance: "The Moon of the Brown Bosk", "The Moon of the Spotted
Bosk", etc.
? in Nomands
VERNAL EQUINOX (NEW
YEAR) and THE WAITING HAND
During the Waiting Hand (the week before the
New Year begins), many Goreans observe the passing of
the old year by eating little, no singing or
rejoicing, and painting their door white and attaching the branches of
the Brak Bush to discourage the entry of bad luck into the house in the
coming year. Then, on the vernal equinox, there is much rejoicing and celebrating.
"On the first day of the Waiting Hand, the
last five days of the old year, the portals of Ar, including that of
even the House of Cernus, had been painted
white, and in many of the low caste homes, sealed with
pitch, not to be opened until the first day
of En'Kara. Almost all doors, including that of the House of
Cernus, had nailed to them some branches of
the Brak Bush, the leaves of which, when chewed, have a
purgative effect. It is thought that the pitch
and the branches of the Brak Bush discourage entry of bad
luck into the houses of the citizens. During
the days of the Waiting Hand the streets are almost deserted,
and in the houses there is much fasting, and
little conversation, and no song."
Assassin of Gor, page 211
Each month, containing five five-day weeks
is separated by a five-day period, called the Passage Hand, from every
other month, there being one exception to this, which is that the last
month of the year is separated from the first month of the year, which
begins with the Vernal Equinox, not only by a Passage Hand, but by another
five day period called the Waiting Hand, during which doorways arepainted
while, little food is eaten, little is drunk and there is to be no singing
or public rejoicing in the city; during this time Goreans go out as little
as possible; the Initiates, interesting enough, do not make much out of
the Waiting Hand in their ceremonies and preachments, which leads one to
believe it is not intended to be of any sort of religious significance;
it is perhaps, in its way, a period of mourning for the old year, Goreans
living much of thier lives in the open, on bridges and in the streets,
are much closer to nature's year then most humans of Earth; but on the
Vernal Equinox, which marks the first day of the new year in most Gorean
cities, there is great rejoicing; the doorways are painted green, and there
is song on the bridges, games, contests, visiting of friends and much feasting,
which lasts for the first ten days of the first month, thereby doubling
the period taken in the Waiting Hand."
Assassin of Gor, page 78
KAJURALIA
in Ar- August 12
most other cities - March 15
Kajuralia (the Holiday of Slaves, the Festival
of Slaves) occurs once a year in most northern Gorean
cities. It is a day when the slaves play
pranks on the Masters and Mistresses or when the slaves have a
FreeMan or FreeWoman serve them. Some cities
observe it on the last day of the twelfth Passage Hand,
others on the last day of the fifth month.
"The Kajuralia, or Holiday of Slaves, or Festival
of Slaves, occurs in most of the northern, civilized cities
of known Gor once a year. The only exception
to this that I know of is Port Kar, in the delta of the Vosk.
The date of the Kajuralia, however, differs.
Many cities celebrate it on the last day of the Twelfth Passage
Hand, the day before the beginning of the
Waiting Hand; in Ar, however, and certain other cities, it is
celebrated on the last day of the fifth month,
which is the day preceding the Love Feast."
Assassin of Gor, page 229
LOVE FEAST
in Ar - August 13-17
The five days of the fifth passage hand. It is
a time of feasts and races and games. It is also a very big
time in the sale of slaves from the Curulean
in Ar.
"On the other hand, the single greatest period
for the sale of slaves is the five days of the Fifth Passage
Hand, coming late in the summer, called jointly,
the Love Feast."
Assassin of Gor pg 193
"The Love Feast, incidentally, as I may have
mentioned, occupies the full first five days of the Fifth Passage Hand,
occurring in late summer. It is also a time of great feasting, of races
and games.
Assassin of Gor pg 281
The evening of the fourth day of the Love Feast
is usually taken as its climax from the point of view of slave sales. The
fifth day, special races and games are celebrated, regarded by many Goreans
as a fitting consummation of the holidays. These games are among the most
heavily attended and important of the year."
Assassin of Gor, page 281
TORVALDSLAND
THE THING
An annual celebration held in Torvaldsland, during
which all of the shieldmen of the various Great Jarls
travel to the Hall of their particular leader,
submit their weaponry for inspection, and formally repledge
their oaths of loyalty. The Thing usually occupies
a span of from three to five days, and occurs sometime
during the middle of the ninth Gorean month (mid-November),
varying according to such factors as
weather and the current political situation.
First Hand November 16-20
? in Maurauders
unsure where to put these yet
THE PLANTING
FEAST OF SA-TARNA
April 16-18
The planting feast of Sa-Tarna (The Life-Daughter)
is a complex feast celebrated by most Gorean cities early during the growing
season to insure a good harvest. Numerous rituals are performed by members
of the caste of Initiates and members of each of the five high castes perform
their own part of the ceremony.
"The Home Stone of a city is the center of
various rituals. The next would be the Planting Feast of
Sa-Tarna, The Life-Daughter, celebrated early
in the season to insure a good harvest. This is a complex
feast, celebrated by most Gorean cities, and
the observances are numerous and intricate. The details of the
rituals are arranged and mostly executed by
the Initiates of a given city. Certain portions of the ceremonies,
however, are often allotted to the members of the High Caste.
In Ar, for example, early in the day, a member
of the Builders will got to the roof on which the Home Stone is kept and
place the primitive symbol of his trade, a metal angle square, before the
Stone, praying to the Priest-Kings for the prosperity of his caste in the
coming year; later in the day a Warrior will, similarly, place his arms
before the Stone, to be followed by other representatives of each caste.
Most significantly, while these members of the High Caste perform their
portions of the ritual, the Guards of the Home Stone temporarily withdraw
to the interior of the cylinder, leaving the celebrant, it is said, alone
with the Priest-Kings.
Lastly, as the culmination of Ar's Planting
Feast, and of the greatest importance to the plan of the Council of Ko-ro-bo,
a member of the Ubar's family goes to the roof at night, under the three
full moons with which the feast is correlated, and casts grain upon the
stone and drops of a red, winelike drink made from the fruit of the Ka-la-na
tree. The member of the Ubar's family then prays to the Priest-Kings
for an abundant harvest and returns to the interior of the cylinder, at
which point the Guards of the Home Stone return to resume their vigil."
Tarnsman of Gor, page 68
SOUTHERN CITIES CARNIVAL
March 11-15
Held in many southern cities, notably Port Kar,
during the five days of the Twelfth Passage
Hand (March 11th-15th). During
this celebration it is often customary to garb oneself in outlandish
costumes or masks and attend various masquerade fetes and feasts.
TURIAN NEW
YEAR
June 21 - July 1
FESTIVAL OF THE 25th
OF SE`KARA
October 11
An annual Festival held in Port Kar to celebrate
their great naval victory over the combined fleets of Cos and Tyros
?in Raiders of Gor
THE PROCESSION
TO THE SEA
March 31
Happens annually in Port Kar.
"The next matter for consideration was the
negotiation of a dispute between the sail-makers and the rope-makers in
the arsenal with respect to priority in the annual Procession to the Sea,
which takes place on the first of En'Kara, the Gorean New Year."
Raiders of Gor, page 134
