The fae of the Veil are more deeply connected to nature than most creatures, so it is no surprise they take seasonal changes seriously. As the seasons turn from the bright and warm days of summer toward the gray and cool days of fall, the fae of the Clan Moraine take part in traditions and rituals that are as old as the fae realm itself. Since Winnie Price has been spending more and more time in the Veil, she has offered to share some of those cherished fall traditions with us.
Hearth and Harvest Festival
Gatherings are an important part of every fae season, but the Hearth and Harvest Festival, held on the eve of the Autumn Equinox, is one of the most celebrated. Within each fae community, one household is chosen to host this festival. It is considered a tremendous privilege to be selected.
The royal palace always hosts the largest festival in the clan, welcoming in all the fae of the surrounding villages.
The Hearth and Harvest Festival involves an elaborate feast, comprising no less than seven courses: fruit plate, cold salad, bread and cheese, warm salad, soup or stew, roast (meat, nut, or beans, and a selection of fall vegetables), and dessert. Meals are served family style, no matter how many families are involved, with dishes being passed around on enormous platters and each fae serving themselves.
Following the feast, the fae will gather around the hearth, where spiced apple cider has been simmered throughout the day in a massive cauldron. Once each fae receives a mug or goblet of cider, they will sing autumn carols and share stories of fall seasons past.
Baking the First Bread
To celebrate the harvest season of cereal grains, baking the First Bread is an important ritual that happens in nearly every fae household. Each family has a secret recipe that is unique to their line. No two First Bread recipes are exactly the same. Recipes can vary depending on the variety of flours used and can include mix-ins like dried fruit, herbs, nuts, seeds, and spices.
It is a tradition that when baking the First Bread, each family will make a baker’s dozen of loaves. They will keep one for themselves and bring the rest to offer as gifts at the Hearth and Harvest festival, ensuring that there is plenty to share with families that cannot prepare their own.
Gifts of Fruit and Flowers
One way that fae show their love and appreciation is through seasonal gifts. Throughout fall, you will often see fae gifting autumnal fruits like apples, cranberries, figs, grapes, and pears. For an extra-special gift, fae will collect the fruit in a cornucopia, a symbol of an edible bounty that will last the recipient throughout the dark, cold winter.
Flowers are also a common gift among the fae. Bouquets full of fall blooms like black-eyed Susans, chrysanthemums, dahlias, daisies, snapdragons, and sunflowers, are commonly given as gifts for those that host dinners and parties throughout the season. Always seeking to embrace the full spectrum of nature, the fae consider it important to include as many colors as possible.
Decorating for the Season
Since the fae are so connected to nature, they like to blur the line between inside and outside as much as possible. As the weather cools off and fae spend more time indoors, that often means bringing in natural elements inside to decorate their homes. The pinnacle of fae interior design is making the home feel as much like the forest and garden as possible.
Visit any fae household in the fall season, and you will often see brightly colored gourds from the garden on the windowsills, bundles of dried wheat and corn standing in the corner, and bowls of acorns displayed on tables and shelves. Neart the hearth, there will also be a large supply of pinecones and dried rosemary that will be used to scent the fire.
The Sacred Procession
With winter fast approaching, as the days grow shorter and the weather turns chilly, the fae know that their time in the forest will be dwindling. In order to acknowledge and take notice of the passing of the season, of the ephemeral cycle of nature, many fae will take part in the Sacred Procession. At midnight on the night of the first full moon after the equinox, fae in villages across the realm will gather at the edge of the forest to go on a silent walk through the woods.
Without speaking, with no source of light, using no magic, and making as little sound as possible as they walk, the fae will move through the forest in a single file line. Only moonlight will illuminate their trail. Using all of their senses, they will notice as many details as they can about the world around them: the calls of the nightbirds, the rustling of squirrels in the drying leaves, the watchful gaze of owls and raccoons. The smell of the damp earth, decaying leaves, and night-blooming flowers.
Committing those sensory details to memory, fae will complete the procession and then return home to journal about the experience. This tradition cultivates the personal connection of each individual fae to the nature that surrounds, protects, and nurtures them.
Celebrating the fall season in the fae realm sounds like a dream. Do you have any special fall traditions that you’d like to share? Are you going to try any of the fae rituals?
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