Sundance

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Sundance is an annual festival commemorating bonds, new and old, and the value they hold in someone's life. It is formally observed on the entirety of Castrella on Whisper 34, the final day of the calendar year, when the donut-shaped moon eclipses the sun and casts a radiant beam of light down into the center of Solaurum, directly over Eversun City, known as the Light of Guidance. It is very common for people from all territories to travel to Eversun City for this holiday, and the City receives the most amount of traffic and tourism during this season.

Legend

The most common iteration of the legend behind Sundance tells of two goddesses, one resting on the sun and one resting on the moon, who are separated the entire year from each other until the 365th day of the year, where the moon eclipses the sun. This is the only time they may see one another, and indulge in these 24 hours together to engage in a beautiful dance until they inevitably part ways once more, whispering tales of the journeys they've experienced around the world the prior year. There are many visual depictions of these two goddess that vary depending on the territory and culture spinning the tales, and of course, there will be some discrepancies in the legend itself because of it. However, Sundance's legend is one of the most commonly agreed upon story from all regions, comparing to other holidays.

The sun goddess and the moon goddess can be considered both a tragic tale and a hopeful tale. They are representative of all bonds between individuals, proving that despite distance, if you truly love someone—platonic or romantic—your bonds will never shatter.

Traditions

Sundance as a holiday may only be observed formally for a single day, however, that does not stop the festivities from starting early. Many municipalities, such as Eversun City, begin hosting festivities and age-old traditions from the very start of Whisper. The traditions of Sundance are widely known throughout the entire planet of Castrella, and it would be highly difficult to find an individual who does not understand how to participate in this holiday. There are quite a few traditions stacked in this holiday.

Dance of Bonds

As the name of the holiday implies, the most common and important tradition partaken in Sundance is the Dance of Bonds. Beneath the Light of Guidance, if one dances during the moment the clock rolls over into the new calendar year, good omens will come to you. The good omens are entirely based on personal values; if a family values monetary wealth, their good omen passed down may be to carry good fortune. If a couple values the love within their relationship, their good omen passed down may be to never shatter those chains in the coming years. There are several different types of dances for different types of bonds, with very little variation between cultures. The most common iteration of the set of dances is the Eversun Standard Waltz.

• Friends and Groups — For purely platonic friendships, a very easy and simple round dance adjusted for two or many participants is commonplace in Eversun City's Theater District.
• Family Members — A fun variant of a samba, the dance used for celebrating all types of family relationships is upbeat and cheerful. This is not purely reserved for blood family.
• Romantic Relationships — A ballroom dance reserved for intimate relationships. A slower-paced and gentle dance that is used to tell your partner(s) of your devotion to them.

As a general reminder, there is no ill omen for spending Sundance alone or outside of a dance.

Wish Tags

In a real-world Tanabata-style mirror, people can gift "wishes" to one another in the form of little tags (similar to tanzaku). The color of the tags based on stages of sunlight determines how the giver sees their and the receiver's relationship. The tags always have star, sun, and moon decorations with the wish written on the main body of the tag.

• Daytime — A yellow and blue gradient tag reserved for lovers. The daytime colors represent the dawning warmth of the sun and romantic love.
• Dusk — A purple and deep blue gradient tag reserved for family. The dusk colors represent the inevitable return of the night and the ability to always return to family at the end of the day.
• Nighttime — A silver and gold gradient tag reserved for friends. The moonlight colors represent the moon accompanied by a countless sea of stars, reminding of the countless bonds and friends made along through the journey of life.
• Dawn — An orange and yellow gradient tag reserved for new bonds. The sunrise colors represents a new dawn, a new day, a new friend made.

Whenever the receiver is allowed to read the wishes gifted to them is up to the giver. It can be as simple as "read this when the year changes" or it can be as complicated as "read this when you're feeling lonely over a dinner table."

Weather Prediction

Weather forecasters will announce every beginning of the month of Whisper whether Sundance is "led by the moon" or "led by the sun." If the dance is led by the moon, the year will be colder than average. If the dance is led by the sun, the year will be warmer than average. Whether this is true or not is up to interpretation!

Dress Code

People can wear any formal outfits that take from the theme of the moon (blue/purple/silver) or the sun (orange/gold/red). When participating in the festival hosted by Eversun City's Theater District every year, you might be the odd one out in the sea of visitors. It's also commonplace to wear a lot of jewelry to have the jingling sound of metal resound while dancing. Often times, couples will match in opposite themes (one in moon-themed clothing, one in sun-themed clothing) to honor the goddesses.

Real-World Dates

This section is reserved for real-world event windows for documentation.

Miscellaneous

• TBD