good evening everyone literally just remembered i made a whole note sheet about mandalorian (specifically concord dawn) holidays that i made up, so here they are!
cuyan’tuur (survivor day)
happens every year at the end of winter into the beginning of spring
it’s an ancient festival. since mandalorians tend to be a rather darkly humorous people, it’s a celebration of those who survived the harsh season. in modern times, with winter posing less of a threat, it’s used merely as an excuse to celebrate
there are feasts and celebrations, and it’s customary to give surviving family members gifts. there’s an old concord dawn tradition where it’s bad luck to propose and get married before you’ve both made it to survivor day
aay’han (bittersweet perfect moment of mourning and joy)
this is a slightly more solemn ceremony that happens in late summer. it is a celebration of all those who have passed
the celebration is twofold - the more boisterous part of the ceremony occurs in the community, where children perform mandalorian legends for crowds, and there are battle re-enactments
it’s a largely social event, and those freshly mourning tend not to attend. when a young widower attends, it is assumed they are ready to get back out there, so to speak. this isn’t a hard rule; mainly it’s just considered rude to pursue a widower who has yet to attend aay’han
at home, older family member tell stories of fallen loved ones and maybe perform a few traditions that those who passed on used to do. for example, if your father always had a beer with dinner, you might have one, too, even if you hate beer. it’s a way of the fallen living through you for the night
this is also when you would be permitted to repaint or repurpose any armor you’ve been passed down. it’s considered bad form to do so earlier. if you are in dire need of the armor, you are allowed to modify it so long as on aay’han you make appropriate apologies and treat the armor with care (buff out dents, fresh coat of paint, etc.)
bralovla davaab (successful execution)
this ceremony celebrates the successful completion of the verd’goten. while mandalorians celebrate individually with family, this celebration is held every spring to commemorate the 13-year-olds who have completed their rite of passage. it’s also something of a “coming out” of the new adults - so that they may socialize with other new adults and understand the culture of mandalorian adulthood
however, most mandalorians don’t consider 13 to be the real age of adulthood anymore, and so while the focus of the celebration is the trial-goers, it’s also something of a variety show and social for teenagers
adults go to applaud and to supervise, but really it’s a good social event for young mandalorians. young people excelling in certain areas (shooting, jet pack ability, piloting, hand-to-hand combat, etc.) may compete to be declared “alor” (leader or chief) of that skillset
varies from household to household, but almost always involves uj cake, and, for mandalorian adults, ne’tra gal
though children get excited for their birthdays, beyond 13, there really aren’t many milestones for mandalorians - everything is by the parents’ discretion and, later, your own, so birthdays aren’t usually considered important
(slightly nsfw hc) young married mandalorians sometimes will try very hard to conceive a child around birthdays - a symbolic representation of your youth, in a way. this is mostly just an excuse for more sex though, especially between parties that don’t particularly want children or can’t have them
there is no prouder day for a mandalorian parent than when their child completes the verd’goten
together, the family recalls past verd’gotene. then the new adult and any witnesses to their accomplishment will retell their rite in exciting detail
younger children are encouraged to ask questions, and if there are none, other adults will excitedly ask
similarly to birthdays, there is uj cake and the new adult’s first taste of ne’tra gal - since it is a beer, a mugful won’t affect the kid much. harder alcohols aren’t encouraged for three to five more years
if a trusted adult (a parent or older sibling) close to the new adult has died before their rites, other adults will tell them all about their loved one’s verd’goten, and tell them how proud they’d be of the new adult
all mandalorian celebrations involve music. singing, dancing, and instrumentation are all key parts of mandalorian culture
they also tend to involve lots of food and lots of drinking. as a result, there are often fights, but rarely ones that result in long-held grudges. the offending parties usually laugh it off after the fact, with a rare few exceptions
it’s considered bad form to fight on aay’han, and elders and other adults will escort you out or simply knock you out. it’s also considered tasteless to propose or get married on aay’han
a lot of marriage proposals occur impulsively between teenagers on bralovla davaab. this is part of why you’re meant to wait until survivor’s day has come and gone to marry - after almost a year, it’s usually clear if it was just a heat of the moment decision
mandalorians tend to take marriage very seriously, as the assumption is that any child you find or have you will raise together, and to abandon your spouse and child is highly dishonorable, since everything is about children and foundlings
marriage ceremonies are brief, but marriage celebrations are long and large, mostly because everyone wants a good reason to celebrate
