Holidays in Terra: The Hunter's Moon (Patreon)

The end of Autumn signals the end of harvest season, an event so big that many cultures dedicate an entire holiday to it. Terra is no different, with some of these practices and rituals resembling some of our own. Today, we are going to focus on one celebrated in V’rok’sh Tah’lj: he Hunter’s Moon

Though they have become a more agricultural society in recent years, for the orcs of Tah’lj, the end of fall signals the end of the hunting season. Long outdoor excursions are made more difficult by the dropping temperatures, as well as the potential for snow and ice. Additionally, much of the usual choice of game will  have gone to ground, becoming much less active or even hibernating through the entire season.

Like many orc communities, hunting is very much an essential part of the culture in V’rok’sh Tah’lj, even if not all orc families still hunt. The Tahlijan orcs feel it is important to use every part of their kills - meat, fur, and bones - as a sign of respect to the animal you have hunted. And that is what ties back to the Hunter’s Moon.

Held on the last full moon of the season, the Hunter’s Moon is a night of celebrating and paying respects to the spirits of all the animals killed during hunts in the past year. At one time, it was traditional for the heads of each clan to venture out on the day of the full moon for one last hunt, but as the city’s population has grown, this has become less feasible. These days, a group of citizens is “elected” to participate in the final hunt, with one of them being named King of the Hunt.

In the weeks leading up to the day, the orcs of V’rok’sh Tah’lj will often take time to craft elaborate costumes using furs and other objects acquired over the year to craft elaborate costumes. These are often stylized impersonations of the beasts the materials came from, but others choose to base theirs on creatures or heroes of legend. Children in particular are encouraged to participate, crafting small trinkets and toys from the bones and feathers of their own hunts.

On the night of the full moon, the elected hunters will carry the results of the day’s hunt through the city, lead by the King of the Hunt. As is tradition, they are dressed in the garb of the Spirit of the Hunt, who leads the ghosts of prey and those killed while hunting to their final destinations. The costume consists of a large bear skull, adorned with two antlered horns of a buck, and the long, sharp beak of a stork. The procession moves through town, ending at an altar dedicated to the Spirit of the Hunt, where the hunt’s bounty is displayed.

What follows is a feast, with the citizens gathering together to revel and show off their own costumes. There drinking, dancing, and many, many sugary treats. During the feast, children are encouraged to exchange their creations with ttheir friends, or present them as offerings to the Spirit on the altar, in the hopes of having many successful hunts when the seasons change once again. In truth, these objects are collected and donated to families in need, and the same is done with the yield from the hunt’s bounty.

The day that follows is often one filled with many hangovers and a lot of cleaning up.  Costumes are put away until next year, or more likely disassembled, the materials recycled for other purposes. As the coming winter months will need to be prepared for, this holiday also signals the final food-centered celebration until the new year. Let’s all hope the Spirit of the Hunt will be pleased for the coming spring...