Holidays.page

Holidays, Festivals and Games

Fair of En'Kara: one of the great four fairs held in the shadows of the Sardar Range the first of the Gorean year.

Kajuralia(festival of slaves): this holiday is celebrated in most civilized cities with the exception of Port Kar. Many cities celebrate on the last day of the 12th Passage Hand but in Ar and some other cities on the last day of the 5th month the day before the Love Feast; on this day practical jokes from slaves are tolerated.

Love Feast: common name for the fifth Passage Hand occuring in late summer which time is the greatest for the sale of slaves, especially slave girls.

Love War: The Wagon Peoples compete against the Warriors of Turia on the Plains of Stakes during the second Passage Hand (May 15-19)in mid-spring, participating in various challenges and ceremonial combat. For Turians, the contest is to win ownership of a slave of the Wagon Peoples. The four tribes compete to win high-born Turian FW, which will be turned into slaves of the Wagon Peoples.

Sadar Mountain Fairs: huge fairs held four times a year at the foot of the Sadar Mountains; they coincide with the equinoxes and solstices and are numbered chronologically. During the fair, (though slaves captured elsewhere may be sold)the area is nuetral territory, no one will be enslaved at the fair and no blood spilled. The fair serves as a trading point for information and merchandise; every Gorean is required to visit the fair at least by the age of 25.

Sadar Mountain Fairs, En'Var: occurs during the summer solstices, one of the four great fairs held in the shadows of the Sardar during the Gorean year.

Sadar Mountain Fairs, Se'Kara: occurs in the fall in the shadows of the Sardar during the Gorean year.

Sadar Mountain Fairs, Se'Var: occurs duiring the winter solstices, one of the four great fairs held in the shadows of the Sardar during the Gorean year.

Tola, Feast of: the Priest-Kings festival celebrating the anniversary of the Nupital Flight of the Mother.

Tolam, Feast of: the Priest-Kings festival celebrating the anniversary of the Deposition of the First Egg.

Tolama, Feast of: the Priest-Kings festival celebrating the anniversary of the Hatching of the First Egg.

Bat and ball: a game similar to Earth's "keep -away" consisting of two Man teams. It is played with wooden bats and wooden balls, not a game for the weary and weak.

Battles of Oxen: a gladiator type competition popular in Tharna, Men are yoked with horns fitted to them, they battle each other in an arena, one trying to maim or gore the other.

Bola: a weapon developed by the Tribes, it consists of three long straps of leather (5 feet) each terminating in a weighted leather sack. Whirled to a great speed above the head, it is released high or low depending on its intent, rapidly injuring or entangling its prey. Also employed as a game , where slave girls are ordered to run while the Masters attempt to ensnare them with the bola.

Bones: a game played with pieces carved from bones that are shaped to resemble an animal; a bone is dropped from the player's hand and the bone which remains upright is the winner.

Cat's-Cradle Game: a string game popular in Gorean North.

Contests of Arms: a gladiator-like contest where Men fought to death.

Dice: many dice games exist on Gor, ranging from those played with a single die to five dice. Various symbols are usually painted on their surface. Some are sold in sealed boxes bearing their cities imprint.

Game of Favors: a game played by FW at the carnival where each woman is given 10 scarves and must run about asking Men to accept her favor, the goal is to be the first to get rid of the scarves and run back.

Kaissa(the game): a board game much favored on Gor, the board is marked with 100 squares colored alternatly with yellow and red, there are 20 pieces per side, which represent Ubar and Ubara, Initiates, Riders of the High Thalarion, Tarnsmen, Scribes, Builders, Spearmen, or spear slaves and the Home Stone. It is played much like chess which the object being to capture the opponet's Home Stone.

Meat-Catch: a carnival-like game where slaves lined up on their knees, hands bound behind their backs who are tossed bits of meat to catch one at the time, the girls catching the meat or recovering a missed bit by scrambling with others for it, receive points for their Masters.

Merchant Kaissa: a version of kaissa played at tournaments and fairs.

Soccer-like Game: a game played with a leather ball with goals drawn in the turf played by the Red Hunters.

Staff Contest: a game played, namely at fairs, where Men compete with staffs in good natured sport for various prizes.

Stones: a guessing game in which a player must guess whether the number of stones in the other player's fist are odd or even.

Tharlarion Races: these high tharlarions are bred and registered for racing, being smaller and lighter than calvary tharlarions. Famous bloodlines include: Venetzia, Toraii, and Thalonion. The city of Venna is well known for its tharlarion races.

Wineskin, Greased: item used in a carnival-like game that entails a Free Man balancing, for an allotted time, usually an ehn, on a filled wineskin that has the surface greased. May times the prize is the filled wineskin.

Zar: a board game of the Tahari. The board is marked in squares, but the pieces, 9 per player and called pebbles, is p3aces at the intersection of the lines. Movement is somewhat like checkers, but without capturing pieces. The object of the game is to effect a compete exchange of the original placement of the pieces.