Clock's Eve

Clock's Eve is an Anaxi holiday related to the worship of the goddess Alioe. It is celebrated every year on the first of Intas, the first day of spring and on the night of the first full moon of spring, and is the largest and most important ceremony in the country. Clock's Eve is celebrated by all races.

History

In Anaxi mythology, the Time Goddess Alioe guards over a sacred Deep Spring, which is slowly filled by tiny rivulets; each stream represents the passage of time for an individual. The older a person gets, the quicker the water flows into the Deep Spring. When a person dies, their stream has run dry; it is then refilled with the life-water of another individual. (This can be interpreted as reincarnation.)

To slow the passage of time for elders, the Anaxi people have a yearly celebration to honor the goddess Alioe. In this celebration, elderly individuals rise and are bathed in moonwater, water that has been blessed by the Everine, and their life-streams are said to be rejuvenated. Newborns are also bathed in moonwater, as it is said to lengthen their life.

For everyone else, Clock's Eve is a night of festivities - drinking, dancing, and the rare co-mingling between the galdori, wicks, and passives. There are often shows of magic such as duels and light displays.

Humans celebrate Clock's Eve in a similar way, though they often play down the religious overtones.