Gratia

Middling Holiday

Gratitude Festival (January 20th)

Celebrates the light of what one has, while casting off the yoke of one's troubles and praying for both inner and outer peace.

Beginning at dawn the house is cleansed from top to bottom in order to symbolically cleanse the household of bad luck accrued over the past year. Later in the evening a more personal cleansing ceremony occurs wherein the individual is cleansed. Central to the ritual, problems are written on "renewal scrolls" which are then tied up along with Bay Leaves and burned so that the troubles may symbolically turn to ashes and be removed from our lives- paving the way for a brighter new year.

Inspirations

Originally comes from the Gratitude Festival (Peldor) celebrated by the Bajoran species of Humanoids featured prominently on the show Star Trek: Deep Space 9, in combination with minor elements of the Fanon Bajoran New Years festival (Chem’Neryshu) and the Jewish Tashlich Ceremony to a point. I have zero regrets.

Bay (Laurus Nobilis). Originally from the Mediterranean area. The crackling of the leaves in the fire was a good omen. But if they just shouldered, the signs were not so good.