Mycenians young and old alike gather together around a vast, clear lake located near the cave entrance. Every year, during the start of warmer weather patterns, the community creates a scavenger hunt with moon crystals found in the deep reaches of space caverns. Groups or single adventurers choose a difficulty and are assigned riddles to find their special moon crystal that they can take home and cherish for generations to come. Some families are proud of their keen abilities, describing their time with warm nostalgia. There is also a separate section of the lake dedicated strictly for time trials, to see who can collect the most within the week of the celebration.

The Great Moon Crystal Hunt came to be a century ago, when it was not well known that space caverns existed. The first moon crystals had traveled to the entrance of the cave, and since they were discovered to be plenty in supply without hurting the environment, they decided to make the artificial value connected only to the celebration. The activity originally began as small get-togethers and game booths, later expanding to the scavenger hunt mycenians know and love to this day.

At the end of the week, the participants all come together to swim in the lake at night, often creating intricate jewelry from their moon crystals that shine in the starlight. Lanterns can be seen floating around the depths to indicate safety in the water as well as decorations for the festival. Young Mycenians are especially excited that it the only time a year they can stay up late and visit local vendors for snacks. Some decide to camp in nearby forests during the whole week, but traditionally, tents are pitched on the last night to conclude the event. 

Every year, around the start of summer, Mycenian families can be seen gathering delicious ingredients from all around the cave. Be that from their own garden, the local markets, or foraged from around the cave, the origin of the food does not really matter. As long as it’s safe to eat (of course) and homemade.

A large array of food can be found at this potluck, from pickles to pork roast, you name it, it’ll probably be there. There’s something for everyone, even the most finicky eaters. Some families make their meal that same day, and others spend days or even months on a meal, bringing their best cured meats or dried fruits that they’ve been carefully aging for months. And it is all welcomed and all appreciated. It’s also not uncommon for Mycenians to bring their home made wines and beer.

Many Mycenian families use this potluck as an opportunity to share their recipes with fellow villagers and get a few new recipes from others to fill out their own cookbooks. Most Mycenians are more than willing to share their recipes with one another as they happily chow down on meals made with thoughtful love and care.

But the recipe sharing ends at the Annual Bake-Off. Almost like a light switch, these recipes are fiercely protected, because there’s a prize on the line and bragging rights for the year. From year to year, the contest alternates between pies and cakes. Anyone can enter the Bake-Off, but only one lucky Mycenian can win. The prize is 100 gems and a gold colored ribbon that the Mycenian can wear proudly. The ribbon is highly sought after, as it is seen as a symbol of status and can only be won from the Annual Bake-Off.

As the day dies down, bellies full to burst, and the Bake-Off winner has been announced, everyone helps clean up the tables and picks up after themselves. Any leftovers end up going home with various families and any dirty dishes are washed before being given back to their owners. You better believe everyone sleeps well after this food filled day. That is, unless you get heartburn.

This ancient tradition stems from a group of Ineki and Drasillis that remember Before with startling clarity. They were deeply changed by their experience of the never-ending winter. The settlement was always prepared with an extensive amount of provisions and supplies to last through a second winter if it were to ever arrive. Still, this was not enough to sooth the minds of the survivors. As such, they developed a tradition known as the Winter’s Watch.

The Winter’s Watch is as much a title as it is a tradition. It is given to a new individual during the winter equinox. The Winter’s Watch is tasked with creating a detailed record of weather events, barometric pressure, etc. in the surrounding caverns and compiling them into a logbook. These logs are used to predict future weather patterns and compare them with those of the past. The hope is that marking strange changes and abnormalities in weather patterns will help the inhabitants predict the next long winter before it is too late.

The Winter’s Watch is a position that is held for one year; it carries high honor and status. Many believe that keeping the logs could be a matter of life and death during a future catastrophe. The year’s reigning Watcher, as they are called, is treated with complete reverence by the rest of the community. It can also be a lonesome duty, though. Gaining thorough readings requires extensive travel and staying in remote locations. The community keeps waystations stocked for the Watcher at remote locations, but rarely interacts with them directly. Distracting them from their solemn work is considered nearly unforgivable.

Traditionally, the year’s Watcher wears all-black in memory of those lost Before in the first winter. They are loath to change their wardrobe even during celebrations and joyous occasions. The Winter’s Watch can also be marked by their signature black cape. It is rumored that the tattered cloak has been handed down from Watcher to Watcher since the tradition first began.

In order to prepare those in the settlement for the potential of being given the duty of the Winter’s Watch, all youngsters are trained in the basics of observing and marking the weather. This is considered as necessary as learning the alphabet in this remote cavern. The position is usually filled by a volunteer from the village; however, in the instance that there are many (or no) volunteers, the position is instead filled through a lottery.

It started off as a Halloween tradition. Every year, the settlement’s residents would trek to a nearby cavern, where they’d spend an afternoon pruning back weeds and picking handfuls of mushrooms. These mushrooms were fun just to look at—they had perfect little half-moon caps, silvery white in color and balanced on squat, plump stems—but what made them really special was the fine blue powder that dusted their tops.

Someone noticed early on that the powder disappeared clean off the mushrooms every Halloween, as if spirits had come and collected it, so Mycenians started leaving messages carefully sketched out upon the mushrooms’ tops. Then someone else got the bright idea of collecting the powder, adding just a touch of water, and using it as ink, which seemed to disappear after Halloween night just as cleanly. Ever since, the Mycenians of that small community have written messages in half-translucent blue ink for those they’ve loved and lost.

Then someone wrote their message on a paper lantern and floated it off into the great beyond.

Then someone else got five paper lanterns, wrote a general message of welcome, and left it drift away with the smug declaration that now all the spirits would know they were appreciated.

This, of course, soon spiraled out of control, and before anyone knew it, the whole thing had turned into an annual contest. Who made the prettiest lantern? Who created the most legible ink? Most importantly, who could time it so that their lantern reached the spirits first?

The contest now has several categories, but the biggest award still goes to the Mycenian whose lantern—and therefore, whose message—reaches the spirits before anyone else’s. This is determined by making everyone release their lanterns in the same cavern and seeing whose lantern is closest to, but hasn’t touched, the cavern’s ceiling when the spirits of the Lost arrive. The theory is that since spirits fly, they must descend when coming back to the living world—so the higher up the message, the sooner it’ll be seen.

Magic is strictly forbidden. After all, who knows how magic will react once the veil between the worlds fall? Anything else is fair game, which might be part of the reason why Mycenians raised in this particular community keep growing up to be engineers and scientists. They all take the competition very seriously, and some individuals start planning as early as the turn of the new year.

Some community members argue that something as personal as this shouldn’t be such as spectacle. Others say that the residents really should have better things to do than picking mushrooms and making contraptions with such specific single uses. No matter what the objection, however, everyone agrees that there’s no sight more beautiful than a cavern full of blue-and-silver lanterns glowing softly from within, floating off into the Halloween night.

Each year before winter sets in, some of the smaller communities of Mycenians living in the wetter parts of the cave would come together to create a communal reserve of food. There would be a single storage unit, carefully waterproofed, that stored non-perishables (usually in cans). In the event of a bad flood or storm that caused ruin to an individual’s supplies, they could access the reserve to help last out the winter.

Once spring arrived, if the stockpile has been left largely untouched, the leftover supplies would be redistributed among the community. One member of the family would choose a single boot and stand it upright outside their door. Traditionally, the Right Boot is the one chosen. During the night, members of the local community visit the doorsteps and leave cans of food inside the boot.

Nowadays, the tradition is continued in places that no longer create communal reserves.Two weeks from the start of spring, a boot is left out and presents of food are often placed on top rather than inside.

The choice of a boot might once have started with poorer communities who needed to replace their boots yearly and did not want to leave out more valuable containers overnight. Many modern Mycenians insist the boot had some other significance, perhaps a reminder that a full belly and healthy feet are important to a comfortable life. The reason why the Right Boot is preferred…that is truly a mystery.

Several sayings have popped up because of the tradition - the most common is when “Have you had enough to eat?” is followed by “Enough to put in a boot!”

Pranksters often visit the doorstops the next night and Mycenians that have forgotten to take the boot back inside often find that it goes missing!

Yuletide Bookmass

After the first snowfall, Mycenians gather to hold the semi solemn holiday of Yuletide Bookmass. First created by the Great Librarian, some say the ceremony is even older, leading to the earliest days when the Sorceress Herself still roamed the Caverns.  As the days grow shorter, and the the night’s get colder, the villages’ inhabitants naturally draw in closer to fires and cuddle in fleecie blankies, reaching for hot drinks.  It’s a perfect time for a big thick book, or multiple smaller ones.

As Yuletide draws near, and after the first snowfall, Mycenians gather in their village’s largest hall.  In some settlements there is a specific space set aside, sometimes it’s in a library, in more rural settings, it can even be in the most prosperous citizens’ home.  During the Autumn, while leaves are falling, and crops are being harvested, bins appear to collect books of every shape and size, from the big childrens’ starter picture books, to detailed industry reports, to travel books of far flung reaches of the cave, to fantasies, any book, no matter how large, or small, tatty, or pristine are gathered in the month preceeding Yuletide Bookmass.

On the day itself, the townspeople gather in their finest robes, many will sport glitter and holly or other ornaments in their fur, or crowns of tinsel perched on their heads.  The mirth is toned a little in that while they are happy, they maintain the semi - hushed tones of being in the library.  One by by they come to peruse the piles of books lined on the tables.  Each gets to take away at least one book, though in many towns some avid readers are known to take several.  It’s to honor the coming time when they will be closed in their homes, chores all done, and plenty of time to read.  Traditional coffees, hot cocoas and pastries will be nearby the bonfire typically burning in the town’s center.  Here the occupants can laugh and discuss and show off their latest new treasures before retreating to their homes. Sometimes handmade bookmarks will be exchanged as tokens of love between family members and dear friends.

OregonCoast

Rebirthday Giving

Given the nature of the Cave, many Mycenian’s are not born, but carved from their petrified states. Birthdays from before the long winter are often lost, forgotten to time and the magic that turned all to stone. Despite the loss of past lives, new life is carved out within the Cave and worthy of celebration. Rebirthday’s are celebrated by individuals in a variety of ways, the anniversary of the day an individual was carved and named.

A common Rebirthday tradition is to amass thoughtful presents, wrap them in cardboard or gold, and send to those whom are most important to the Mycenian celebrating. It is a day to give to others, especially the one who has carved you, and to spread cheer. If the carving was upon a special date, a theme might be in order! Hearts and letters given out by those carved around the Season of Connections, creepy wigs and costumes given by those carved in the late fall. Whatever might strike one’s fancy is the best gift, because it is truly the thought that counts.

If presents aren’t one’s style, helpful gestures and heartfelt words are just as sought after as fineries. After all, it is a time to be spent savoring the company of friend’s and family, letting them know they are appreciated.

Summer is beloved by many as that special time of year to get out there and live life to its fullest. In one particular cavern, this notion is not only taken to heart, but turned into a full-blown holiday meant to engage those who wish to participate in thrilling events both cooperative and competitive with the people they cherish most. Of course, it had started innocently enough. As Mycenians were brought together there and started building friendships and families, it became quickly apparent that many of them had birthdays a day or two away from each other, if not just on the same day, and most of them were within the same couple of weeks in the middle of June. One celebration after another after another, and while everyone enjoys a good party every now again, usually by the time July rolled around, everyone was utterly exhausted. So, eventually, they decided to try something a little different, and one year, they decided to roll up the larger festivities of every birthday in June into one big party set on the Summer Solstice… And it worked out really well! Everyone laughed and played and wished their loved ones well long, long into the night. And again the next year, where someone suggested having even bigger games to compete in, so that this special day would stand out even more. The year after that, someone suggested pooling in the birthdays of May and July into the fun as well, so as to not let them feel excluded. And it continued to escalate until it became what it is now; One massive festival that starts in mid-June, held anywhere from one day to two weeks depending on the moods of the citizens, celebrating all the bonds that everyone has built together with cake, music, fun, and the rush of the summer air.

Visitors are encouraged to take part in the many activities with or against their friends, which can consist of anything from the calm of making something together, like baking or sculpting, to the intensity of testing one another in competition, such as races or even duels. Regardless of the tempo, the activity that’s chosen doesn’t matter terribly much, they say, as what’s really important is simply keeping the bond alive and passionate, as it is that love that keeps Mycenians — and everyone, really — strong of heart. Those who claim to have truly powerful connections may wish to test that claim in the gathering’s final event, the Solstice Tournament. The exact terms of the competition are subject to change each year, but it’s always a team competition, pitting groups of friends against each other in the test to see who really has the strongest bond of the cavern. This is undeniably the most intense event of them all, which also makes them the most anticipated for both participants and onlookers, and the winners go home with a fancy prize in the light of a beautiful fireworks display. This marks the official end of the celebration, however it is quite common for smaller activities to continue on for a few days longer, as the lingering remnants of the festival persist as long as possible. And even after the final stalls are packed up, the celebration is never truly over, as it’s always summer when you’re with your best friends. Besides, it’ll take all year again just to clean up the confetti!

It’s understandable that in a place like the cave, where so many were once Lost and everyone is conscious of the gift of life, most Mycenians want to make the most of it. Sometimes it seems like everyone is on the go at all times—working hard, playing hard, and not letting a second go by without filling it with some kind of activity. But that constant state of action can wear on even the most energetic and determined, so once a year, Mycenians are reminded that taking the time to rest and do absolutely nothing can be a wonderful part of existence, too.

In the days leading up to Restfest, everyone is encouraged to prepare for a day of pure relaxation. Makeshift forts may be constructed; lots of food is made; any responsibilities should be wrapped up or put on hold. The day itself is spent in pure, idle indulgence. It’s common for friends or families to pile a massive nest of blankets, pillows, and cushions together and lounge in it all day long, though spending the time in solitude is just as valid. Napping is highly encouraged, along with reading, chatting, and eating. Anyone who shows signs of working is subject to good-natured teasing.

Naturally, the next day is usually a frantic rush of everyone trying to catch up on what they failed to accomplish yesterday, but most Mycenians appreciate the break nonetheless.

Who wouldn’t look forward to a celebration dedicated to spending the day with a brand new small friend or other companion? 

In order to encourage Mycenians to appreciate the smaller folk of the Cave, each participating Mycenian chooses a brand new companion at random to spend the day with.

Most homes or villages host games to help Mycenians and their new pets get to know each other, food for every kind of appetite, and a general air of laughter! 

The exact timing of this holiday during the year varies depending on the availability of small companions in a given town or location.  Areas with lots of bats will often celebrate overnight! 

If any Mycenian happens not to get along with their companion of the day, it’s all right!  It’s important for every Mycenian to celebrate the time they spend with smaller friends, but finding a really good friend can take a while.  That’s why any Mycenian who doesn’t quite mesh with their new companion may spend the evening offering advice about which of their acquaintances might be a better fit for the small companion in question. 

A simple festival with an aptly simple name that is celebrated by a small colony of Mycenians that make their homes in the junkyards of the Cave, this festival came to be when one of their members entered into an innovation contest held in a Tech University nearby and won with his invention made completely of materials found in the junkyard. It brought reputation and fame, amongst other things, for the first time to this once unknown settlement. Thus to commemorate this festive occasion, the leader decided that every year on the day that the competition was held, they would hold something similar of their own to promote creativity in their litters. It was originally a small, closed community event that grew popular over time, the news of it having spread and brought in more and more interested participants with every year. Eventually, the festival was opened up so that every Mycenian regardless of their origins could come and participate.

The goal of the festival was to, very simply, come up with something new using only junk found in the junkyard. Anything could be used, from wood and metal to rocks and stinky boots. Participants would be given a week to gather the parts they needed, assemble their idea, and present this prototype during the recycling fair on the very last day. Three categories, Children, Youths and Adults, allow for fair competition amongst Mycenians of similar age groups. Mycenians could choose to team up or work alone, and the winner would be determined by votes from the audience attending the recycling fair with a list of criterion proposed by the Tech University itself.

The winner would win a hefty sum of nuggets and the honor of working alongside the smartest minds of the university to bring their invention to life. For the Children and Youths categories, they would also be given incentives and scholarships into reknowned schools.

The Day of Renewal is a cave-wide annual holiday strongly associated with the concept of mental and spiritual rebirth. Though it is a fairly simple holiday, with not many customs, it is casually celebrated by many.

The way to celebrate is mainly to wear anything with feathers on it, generally accessories like bracelets and necklaces are crafted, though some like to put the feathers in their mane or hair. Usually everyone will help each other get a hold of feathered accessories, they are rarely sold, instead the communities around the cave tend to band together to create them for each other.

The feathers can be any colour, and represent the feathers of a phoenix, risen from the ashes.
There are many who celebrate this holiday by going a bit deeper and re-evaluating their lives. The concept is to mentally let go of burdens of the past, and look to the future, like a phoenix letting go of everything and being reborn. Though it’s not always easy to let go, many people try their best and feel refreshed and ready for a new year, until the next Day of Renewal rolls around.

Very traditional Mycenians will often dedicate the whole day to meditating and thinking about what they can improve within themselves.

It has become very common to see other feathered decorations hanging around town during this day, as the tradition has become more modernised, and most celebrate it casually.

Falling fishies

Usually the fish more or less stay in their pond but during a certain week once a year their start jumping in the pond as high as they possibly can with their fins or varied sizes. When it looks like they are high enough and they start falling it’s the myceneans turn to try and cath the fishes before they get back to the pond. Even if it’s mostly celebrated among kids everyone is welcome to join. The fishes can by caught pretty much any way you want. Most often children go to the edges with their small nets that they hold slightly above the pond and older participants might even try and catch them with their paws. This sometimes ends in at least some participants in the pond. At the end of the day when evening comes everyone who participated in the event, whether they caught any fish or not, will gather around a bonfire where the fish will be prepared for everyone to enjoy.

The reason for this is still weird behavior of the fishes is shrouded in mystery and while some want to know why this happens others just enjoy the event.

Wanderer’s Night is the culmination of a week’s worth of celebration within the cave - to honour the work of the Wanderer whose life lay strongly tied into all of the cave’s creation.

The festival is very old and has long been celebrated by denizens of the cave, it is believed that many of the customs were created by some of the Wanderer’s own carved Ineki - who wished to honour his skills.

The festivities are started a week ahead of the night - whose date remains stationary no matter the day of the week. The week ahead is one where joy begins to spread throughout the cave as people prepare, with it being customary on the first day to hang a small stone carving on the door of one’s home. The subject of the carving does not need to be anything in particular as long as it is important to the creator. These carvings are done by all members of the family, with young members guided by their parents on the art of carving.

Throughout the week, Mycenians may engage in a variety of activities. These usually involve continuing to carve throughout the week, as well as creating in various forms of the arts - drawing, writing and music in particular, though any creative talent in encouraged heavily.

This continues until Wanderer’s Night itself - which brings forth its own unique celebration. The most important part celebrated by all who partake in the festival is the celebratory meal. Hosts will invite their friends and family to their homes and will hold a special speech, relaying the history of the cave’s creation. The speech culminates with the presentation of the food itself, which usually consists of a mushroom based dinner known as “Wanerelle”.

Once the meal is eaten by all guests, they may continue their party however they see fit, with no specific customs requiring a specific manner of which to carry out the party afterwards. Both loud and quiet celebrations are welcomed by different households.

The following morning, the stone carvings may be left up or taken down - but are generally kept by most Mycenian’s throughout their lives as small reminders from where they came.

The Great Spring Bazaar

The thing about Spring Cleaning is that you end up with a bunch of stuff that you accumulated though the year that you realize you don’t need, and maybe don’t really want that much either… Luckily, that’s a great excuse to set up a stall at the bazaar and sell all that junk on to another unsuspecting mycenian! And since so many mycenians are gathered together for the bazaar, why not throw a party as well?

This Bazaar/Festival doesn’t really have a set date, but it usually occurs near the end of spring. There is no discernible signal but one day someone will set up a stall in one of the bigger of the empty caverns outside of the town, and others will simply follow suit. Then still more mycenians will set up food stalls and games. Areas for music and dancing are roped off and musicians wander in and out of them to perform… Within two days of that first stall opening up the cavern is transformed into a loud, colorful, chaotic, wonderful, party. There are craft booths for young mycenians, though you can usually find older mycenians stopping by them throughout the event since few actually place any kind of age limit on their activities.

Aside from the cavern remaining undeveloped so that it can be used for the bazaar and other festivities through the year, nothing about the event is officially organized, at least as far as anyone is able to tell, or organized at all really (stalls filled with artistically carved driftwood can often be found right beside ones filled with six-hundred soggy right boots). No one officially rents space, the event isn’t scheduled. There are no advertisements anywhere… Everyone just decides, sometime in late spring, to sell a bunch of their stuff and turn the selling of it into a big party. Of course, it’s entirely possible that the bazaar is just an excuse for the festival, since nearly everyone ends up going home with roughly the same amount of stuff as they brought with them to begin with… Different stuff usually (except the stall with all those soggy right boots, they generally leave with most of their merchandise, plus anything else they bought), but the same general amount.

The event generally lasts about a week, and at the end of it everyone clears out within a day or so leaving only the trampled ground in the cavern and a tired but happy air about the town as evidence that there was any bazaar to begin with. Mycenians are after all, very good at cleaning up after themselves… Well, mostly. Someone is responsible for all those soggy boots and old cans everyone finds in the pond after all.

Guardian Day

The bulk of my entry is told through a short story starring one of my characters, linked above. The shorter description is this: Guardian Day is a day for celebrating our beloved Bone Monster, set on July 30th. It typically includes showing your respect and reverence for the creature by leaving various gifts such as flowers at an effigy of the Bone Monster, or for those living close enough to it giving the gifts to the creature directly. For richer regions these festivities may easily include further decorations such as lights and songs, in celebration of our cavern’s great guardian.

Once a year, all the children gather around their tables, giggling to themselves as they scribble away on their notebooks. They hush each other as their parents draw near, insisting that “No they weren’t doing anything, really!” despite the well-known holiday. Parents play their part and smile knowing smiles as they leave the children to their rituals. But that’s the whole point of the song, to be a surprise to the grownups. While the youngsters may not have the power and strength of the legendary Sorceress that reacted the Cave for them, they have a power all their own. The power of laughter, of silly words and goofy sounds.
After a week or so of secret writings, the time has come. Gathering all together in town centers as a village, homes as a family, or just in small clusters on street corners the children share what they have written. Song lyrics. Some rhyme, others don’t. But there is one thing in common among all the songs, they’re hilarious. Each child takes a turn adding one of their carefully crafted lyrics to the community song until there isn’t a Mycenean young or old doubled over laughing. Together they weave and cast their own magic: the magic of healing laughter.

During the rainy season the grounds around the cave become damp from the rain falling and filtering in from the outside world. As the earth becomes flooded with rain water, strange mushrooms begin to erupt from the ground. It is unknown where these mushrooms come from and why they only emerge with rain water, but they emerge none the less. Due to the nature of these mushrooms, they were dubbed Monsoon Shrooms by the locals.

Once the mushrooms fully formed after the rainy season passed, a new sight would greet the cave dwellers. Brilliant blue, small rotund birds called Russula birds would bob in from the outside world, wiggling their bodies through the various cracks around the cave to get in. The locals described the birds’ flight patterns as “bobbing” due to their tendency to bob up and down in flight. During the first few weeks of the birds arrival, cave dwellers would amuse themselves with the sight of the birds rolling and bobbing around, dancing around each other in an elaborate courtship dance. The brilliant, long blue feather that adorned the top of their heads bounced to and fro in a comical fashion.

The birds would soon settle down in pairs, each building a nest under a suitable Monsoon Shroom. Within a few weeks, eggs would be laid and after another week tiny balls of blue fluff would emerge. It would take another few weeks for the tiny raindrop looking chicks to become fully fledged and be ready to leave. By the time the fledglings were ready to fly, the Monsoon Shrooms would start to curl up and release droplets of water that they had retained from the rainy season. Cave dwellers from all over would come to see the “Flight of the Russula Birds” as they called it. Hundreds of small blue birds would take flight to the high alcoves of the cave, searching for an exit. It was like watching a reverse rain shower. The exodus of the birds only lasted for a day, but it was always a sight to behold.

The day also marked the time of Monsoon Shroom harvesting. Once the birds passed through the caves, the Monsoon Shrooms would be ready to be picked. Due to the rain, the mushrooms were moist and retained an airy texture. The residents would spend the next few days collecting these uncommon mushrooms to make new dishes and preserving them for the winter. This was a time of new beginnings, for both the birds and the Mycenians.

At the height of summer when the nights have grown suitably short, Mycenians gather to celebrate. It is a time of great revelry, beginning with the rising of the sun and ending with the moon’s setting. The masses gather to spread cheer, feast, and dance throughout the day. Perhaps most important is the chance for Mycenians to handcraft and paint individual lanterns. These are to become vessels for their hopes and dreams, set adrift at the end of the celebration. As the sun sets the Mycenians progress deeper into the caves, chanting and dancing and playing a myriad of instruments. The procession echoes throughout the caves, carrying their love and thanks even well beyond the cave’s hold.

The festival is largely one of unabashed joy. A time to relax amidst the summer before the inevitable business of the fall harvest sets in. A way to wish for a brighter tomorrow. And wishes aplenty are made.

The celebration ends with its greatest draw: a tide of lanterns bearing wishes. The procession ends deep within the caves at a great river that flows free and serene, culminating in a waterfall some miles away. The Mycenians inscribe their individual lanterns with their very own wishes. A secret thing, but no wish is deemed too big or too small, be it a hope for a better future, a sprout, or happiness. They light them, one by one, and set them afloat on the Eventide River, sending off their dreams in hopes of blessings. It is a spectacle to behold, a menagerie of colors and shapes, a kaleidoscopic daydream painting the deepest caverns awash with light and hope. Many a Mycenian has taken to following their lantern to its inevitable plunge of fate over the waterfall’s edge. This may take them deep into the night and some have even returned home well past dawn, rapt and satisfied.

Whether their wishes come true is another story, but many whisper that the river is imbued with residual magic from the Sorceress or blessed by espiritita. Who can say? What truly matters is the journey and the time spent with loved ones

Every year around the crisp autumn leaves, everyone gathers around the Sacred Tree. It is not in the joy of life that fills the spring air, but in the remembrance of the lost, that haunts the cavern walls. No one knows why the tree acts as a home for some of the lost souls, but it can be assumed that where there is life there is a lost soul waiting to be carved.

The once blackened cave walls are filled with bright, colorful lights from the glowing trails left behind from the Espiritita’s that dance across the refreshing air. It always seems they want you to follow them with the way they bob overhead, while some linger about waiting to attach themselves to an unwilling participant. It is said the Espiritita’s are the lost souls of the uncarved. They’re fragments left behind while their body’s rest somewhere deep within the cave.

The celebration lasts four days. The first day honors the lost with items gathered from one’s journey. It could range from the wilted spring flowers to the seasonal catch of the day. The lost appreciate any item left by the roots of the Sacred Tree as for them, it is always a pleasant sight. The second day is the grieving period for some. While some lost souls were never carved, others have experienced a time when they were thriving. For those who remember these souls, it is a time of both sorrow and joy. Sorrow for the friend or loved one taken from them and joy for the hope of them once again regaining life. The third day is to remember those who have never been carved. The cave is filled with laughter and smiles as everyone creates a joyous atmosphere in hopes their good spirits will awaken someone nearby. In some cases, someone hears the amusement and comes to life to see what the fuss is about. On the last day, everyone gathers around the Sacred Tree in silence. In order to honor everyone who has shown them kindness, the Espiritita’s make their final dance around the tree before slowly dispersing back into the depths of the cave. It is with this final act that the celebration comes to a close until the next autumn leaves fall.

Brinner week is a beautiful holiday dedicated to the deliciousness of breakfast foods and how they totally, and completely, deserve to be honored as the biggest and most important meal of the day. This holiday is fairly new and was created in response to recent anti-morning propaganda that discouraged cave citizens from performing the beautiful ritual of waking up early and completely smashing a plate of pancakes and bacon covered in gooey maple syrup.

Piper, and a known Morning Person, couldn’t stand for this. So in response, she has developed the week long celebration of Brinner Week. The customs of Brinner Week are very simple: you eat breakfast foods for dinner.  Whether you want a bowl of cereal, a proper english breakfast, a plate of ratatouille (which only seems to be considered breakfast on certain airlines but hey, Piper will let it slide), or just an absurd amount of bacon and eggs, Piper encourages you to have your fill every evening of these seven beautiful days.

Other traditions of this sacred week that very few ineki have historically taken part of, but that nonetheless Piper is adamant about: waking up early everyday and starting the day with a brisk 3 mile job and some sun salutation yoga, a breakfast food eating contest where you see who can eat the most grits, and a 3-legged potato sack egg run where you and your closest friend tie one each of your legs together, hop into a potato sack, and then with your mouth (since your hands should theoretically be holding each other and the potato sacks) you carefully balance an egg on a spoon and race the 100 meters or so to be the first to drop the egg into a pot of boiling water. All successors get to enjoy a soft boiled egg with toast.

As winter gives way to spring, Mycenians celebrate the coming season of growth and rebirth by creating art together. The Storycross Fair began just a few years back when one Mycenian noticed that, though the creative community was thriving, many Mycenians kept to their own artistic circles; visual artists spoke with visual artists, and dancers stayed mostly within the dancing community. In an attempt to bring these creatives closer together and develop new, unexpected art, the first Storycrosser proposed a competition focused on collaboration and mixed media works.
Each year, the community selects a Storycrosser to host the festivities. Artists of all kinds, whether dancers, cooks, sculptors, or writers, submit their names to the Storycrosser, who randomly pairs the artists together before the event. On the day of the fair, the Storycrosser announces the pairings, and all artists are challenged to create a collaborative work by the end of the day in whatever medium they choose. In the evening, the fair’s festivities truly begin. Edible art is arranged in a feast for all attendees to dine upon as they walk around and appreciate the visual art, and performances run through the night until morning. Whether humorous or intense, dramatic or wistful, every art piece reflects the newfound bond between two creative Mycenians, and these friendships often remain long after the festival ends.

So many souls were lost in the cold and the dark of the longest winter. While the Sorceress, in her benevolence, saved many, scores more succumbed to winter’s bite before she could bless them in stone. Many who were lost would have found the frost a more merciful fate, as the winter froze hearts long before it froze bodies. The creeping frost choked harvests, and caused fellows to turn against each other, children to slay parents, and all manners of folk to slaughter and shun for a few more mouthfuls of food, a scrap of kindling, or a place at an ever-darkening hearth.

In the peak of summer, when the sun blazes fiercely outside the cave, and the temperature begins to rise even deep underground, the spirits of the Unsaved seek relief from the light and heat. The spirits grow heavy, the heat igniting angers not stoked since the long, cold winter, and they descend to the caves below. Nobody knows what it is they seek, whether reassurance or revenge, but they roam the caves, moaning their grief and scratching at the windows. Most Mycenians spend these days locked up tight, with their shutters drawn, and their loved ones kept close. This is known as the Shuttering, and it lasts until the first thunderstorm breaks the heat wave above, usually in three or four days but sometimes as long as ten. With the rain comes the cool and the damp, soothing the parched earth and ghostly tempers. The spirits are lifted back to the surface and their eternal restlessness above.

During the Shuttering, when families are stuck inside, different rituals have begun to develop, but all surround the central theme of remembrance. Some tell stories of valor and adventure in the world above (with varying degrees of embellishment), while others recite genealogies. There is always an aspect of memorial, either to memories of mycenians’ lives on the surface, or where those who were lost above are named and acknowledged – though quietly, as it’s said remembering them too loudly might bring their spirit knocking. The Shuttering, above all else, is a time for acknowledging the past and the Sorceress’ role in the lives of every Mycenian. It is a time to mourn those lost, but also to be grateful for the saved, both carved and uncarved.

Lately, a sister holiday has begun to emerge. Those sprouted within the cave have nothing to fear from the restless ghosts, and have begun to sneak out to cavort in the abandoned squares and empty alleys, communing with spirits and creating quiet rituals that are only for Those After Winter.

Family Day is a relatively simple tradition that was started up by a community of explorers when they realised that their members tended to be widely split by the vastness of the Cave. Every year the entire community is required to return to the main settlement for a day of games a chatter and fun – and there are no excuses not to show. It’s a chance for families to reconnect and share their news, and all the more important for the fact that many won’t have seen each other for months – or more.

Although it was originally a simple affair, Family Day has slowly been growing in complexity and scale since its very first year. There are always some members of the community who prefer to stay at home through the year—or just happen to be at a loose end at the right time—and as a result the day is now preceded by a flurry of baking and planning that increases in size and organisation each year. Now Family Day is always accompanied by a wealth of home-cooked treats and a growing body of family-orientated games, and its likely that it will only continue to grow and change.

As midsummer approaches, crops of mushrooms that glow myriad shades of every colour imaginable begin to sprout around the Cave. While inedible, these mushrooms have often been adopted as decorations—and over the years, Mycenians have found an additional use in them as the key part of the festivities for the Glowshroom Festival.

During the festival, Mycenians set aside time to create and decorate paper lanterns, and harvest glowshrooms to light them. While they may of course be made for oneself, it is also common to gift lanterns to friends, family or other loved ones or exchange lanterns between individuals. Communities often hold activities with small prizes to encourage the creation of more lanterns, while some groups host contests for the most popular or outrageous lantern designs. It is not uncommon to see small groups of Mycenians gathering to make lanterns together in little circles, brimming over with both snacks and laughter.

Lanternlight Liturgy

Once a year, at the tail end of December, Mycenians come together for a festival, a remembrance of those that are Lost. Lanterns, candles, and other glowing light sources are handmade during the start of the month. Come the 31st, Mycenians all over the cave huddle in close quarters to place their lights in beautiful, whimsical patterns around the cave. These lights lead to where the Lost are, each one acting as a way to — hopefully — guide them back to everyone in the rare and naive chance that they recover from their condition.

The Liturgy sounds like it’d be a quiet, reverent holiday, but Mycenians have had so much heartbreak in the past, that they’ve turned this day into a sweet little carnival of sorts. There are games for the young and old alike (balloon toss, throwing rings, the typical sorts), food stalls, and plenty of cheer spread all around the cave. The festival concludes with the “Laying of the Lights”, as it’s so-called. After which, each Mycenian says a few words to the Lost: some, a prayer; some, good wishes; and others, their hopes, dreams, and darkest secrets. The idea here is to try to guide the Lost back through conversing with them and treating them as if they were present.

At the stroke of midnight, the the Lanternlight Liturgy concludes, but the lights will stay until the following festival where they get cleaned out with care by community volunteers.

After a full year of everyone fishing from Mycena’s fishing pond; the over-fished, ever-popular, largely endangered right boot population hits startlingly low numbers. As a way to combat this, an annual ritual was devised to help along the propagation of right boots in Mycena’s fishing pond, so that Mycenians young and old may continue to experience the joy of fishing up right boots every day.

Every Mycenian gathers up the right boots they’ve fished up that year, and on annual Right Boot Conservation Day, they bring their right boots to the fishing pond. After a full day of revelry, celebration, and speeches about the importance of protecting the environment, each person puts a rock in each of their right boots (to help weigh the boots down) and throws the boots into the pond, where they may continue their aquatic lives and bring joy to those who find them.

There are some Mycenians who haven’t quite gotten the hang of telling right boots apart from left boots, so a couple of those inevitably make it in, but that doesn’t happen too often, thankfully.

This is not to be confused with Throw Old Cans Into The Fishing Pond Day. That’s another holiday.