Crimson Days: A Brief Characteristic
My piece for the Crimson Days event held by @d2artevents! 💘 // Read on Ao3
From the writings of Eido, Scribe of House Light:
Since our arrival to the Last City one and a half solar cycles ago, I have taken notice of several Human holidays never prior mentioned in Eliksni records. They are mainly small celebrations, rarely tied to naturally-occurring astronomical phenomena or a particular anniversary, and are not commonly observable outside large civilian settlements – which may explain the lack of data. Based on an extensive interview conducted with Lord Shaxx, my own observations, and analysis of contemporary and historical material graciously provided to me by prof. Meren Hale of the Academy, I have compiled an entry on the topic of one such holiday, the Crimson Days, in hopes it may shed some light on the area not yet extensively covered by anthropologists.
NAME: “Crimson Days” take their name after deep purple-red hue, which, according to Lord Shaxx, is the colour of Human blood and most vitals. The sentiment behind that corresponds with the ancient belief, evident in many Terran idioms and phrases (see: “Language and Culture Before the Golden Age”, crpt. Tyra Karn et al.), that the heart is the emotional management unit in the Human body. Curiously, I came across no proof of the notion of naming a holiday after the colour of internal organs being perceived as repulsive.
TIMING: The holiday is cyclical in nature, occurring in the latter half of every winter-season, but appears to be entirely customary and not tied to any natural phenomena. Asked about the significance behind its placement in the calendar year, Lord Shaxx spoke of “warming up frozen hearts” and expressed what (for the lack of visual verification) I presumed to be confusion when I wished for further clarification. From the information I was able to gather, the holiday appears to be of pre-Golden Age provenience, though I could not determine which specific customs date back to the ancient times and which are the result of the impact the Great Machine’s arrival and the Collapse have had on culture.
AESTHETIC AND SYMBOLISM: According to Lorrd Shaxx, the Crimson Days are meant to be a celebration of love and profound emotional bonds. As such, the symbolic coding centers around the colour red (see above), heart and flower imagery, with some variants including arrows, birds, and ribbons (see: ‘Crimson Bond’, Briar-Athewry, “Symbol in Cultural Studies). While I have not observed any municipally-funded decorations as is in the case of the Dawning or the Festival of the Lost, individual people often decorate houses and storefronts in accordance with the holiday’s aesthetic.
RITUALS AND CUSTOMS: Unlike some holidays of post-Collapse origin (see: Solstice of Heroes), Crimson Days celebrations are prevalent in all social classes across the City, civilian and Guardian alike. They are rarely collective, instead involving a small group — usually two individuals — and are meant to celebrate the relationship between them. Common customs include exchanging gifts, most notably plants and confections, writing letters, and involving in “dating” (see: Human Mating Rituals). Group activities are typically targeted at single persons, serving the purpose of finding a mating partner. Guardian-only traditions feature a type of ritual combat, where two pairs are pitted against each other in an activity known as “Crimson Doubles”; according to Lord Shaxx, this exercise is meant to test the partners’ cooperation skills and mutual trust.
- Matsuo, crpt., “The Past Is Now: Understanding Tradition through Contemporary Records”
- “3. Annual Conference on Pre-Collapse Culture”, Peregrine Institute of Higher Learning (see: Attachment 1)
- Briar-Athewry, Alice, “Symbol in Cultural Studies”
- Vale, K.S., “Hunter of the Heart” (see: Attachment 2)
