It has been really hot since the summer festival, it hit 31C today, it hasn't been that hot for years! Normally it is right around 24C in the summer. My English teacher, Sofiha (she spells it Sophia, weird, no?) says that's nothing, where she's from it regularly gets to about 40C.
My friend, Jinpi (something like Dragon or Basilisk in English), the fiery one i mentioned yesterday, is of course having a wonderful time. He was outside so much yesterday just relaxing that his skin was bright red all over his face and arms today. I got him some ointment but he didn't seem to mind, even though he looked rather like a tomato.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Summer Festival
Sorry I haven't posted in a long time, work has been busy, my friend is what we would call a "fiery" personality, and I have been giving him some extra help with his business as he prepared for the summer festival. I figured it's the least I could do, he pays me even when I take time off for the autumn festival (when us earthy types party). A person's season party is really a lot more important than their birthday (which really doesn't define a person as well as their preferred season).
Summer festival is probably the wildest party of the year (earthy and watery people tend to hold more sedate parties, and it's too cold in winter for airy people to have as exciting parties). The party is near the solstice, but lasts for nearly a week.
During the day there is singing and dancing, much of it in the shade of the big tree in the village commons (fiery people like the heat, but they aren't stupid, no one likes heatstroke!). Glass and metal decorations are hung from the tree to catch the light, and as they move in the wind the beams of light dance with everyone else. Summer food is cold food whenever possible, mostly fruit (my friend's favorite is a watermelon with orange-red flesh that our village specializes in, it's a bit tangier than standard watermelon but no less juicy).
Nights are when the real fun comes out. It's cooler at night, just enough so the fiery types can light torches, candles, bonfires, incense (boy, the way I describe them they sound like pyromaniacs, they really aren't, no more than anyone else), lanterns, whatever they want. Last year they lit so much stuff that it was like a strange orange-yellow daylight going on. This year, at the request of their wives (who are mostly waters, opposites attract, right?) they toned it down a little, using glass and metal to make it look more flamboyant. The dancing lasts all night, but about 2 am when the bonfire begins to die down, the chanting begins. It's not like the Haurenhi who have a song for every season and a season for every song and chant really eerily, we just chant random songs, from lullabies to drinking songs, and someone generally starts drumming to the music. This year the big hit was at about 4 am on the second day someone busted out a really sweet love song and somehow the lyrics got confused with the most, umm, "low-class" drinking song anyone could think of. The result was hilarious and everything sounds more bizzare and profound when chanted. My favorite line in the remix was "Fill me a cup of roses, and I'll pour cinnamon-vanilla wine upon your head!"
Come to think of it, I think my friend has some cinnamon-vanilla wine left over. I think I'll wind up this post and have a little night cap with him.
Summer festival is probably the wildest party of the year (earthy and watery people tend to hold more sedate parties, and it's too cold in winter for airy people to have as exciting parties). The party is near the solstice, but lasts for nearly a week.
During the day there is singing and dancing, much of it in the shade of the big tree in the village commons (fiery people like the heat, but they aren't stupid, no one likes heatstroke!). Glass and metal decorations are hung from the tree to catch the light, and as they move in the wind the beams of light dance with everyone else. Summer food is cold food whenever possible, mostly fruit (my friend's favorite is a watermelon with orange-red flesh that our village specializes in, it's a bit tangier than standard watermelon but no less juicy).
Nights are when the real fun comes out. It's cooler at night, just enough so the fiery types can light torches, candles, bonfires, incense (boy, the way I describe them they sound like pyromaniacs, they really aren't, no more than anyone else), lanterns, whatever they want. Last year they lit so much stuff that it was like a strange orange-yellow daylight going on. This year, at the request of their wives (who are mostly waters, opposites attract, right?) they toned it down a little, using glass and metal to make it look more flamboyant. The dancing lasts all night, but about 2 am when the bonfire begins to die down, the chanting begins. It's not like the Haurenhi who have a song for every season and a season for every song and chant really eerily, we just chant random songs, from lullabies to drinking songs, and someone generally starts drumming to the music. This year the big hit was at about 4 am on the second day someone busted out a really sweet love song and somehow the lyrics got confused with the most, umm, "low-class" drinking song anyone could think of. The result was hilarious and everything sounds more bizzare and profound when chanted. My favorite line in the remix was "Fill me a cup of roses, and I'll pour cinnamon-vanilla wine upon your head!"
Come to think of it, I think my friend has some cinnamon-vanilla wine left over. I think I'll wind up this post and have a little night cap with him.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
My first post
Hello! My name is Nefo and I'm from a small town called Siltsu, which is probably too small for your maps.
My hobbies are mostly of the outdoorsy sort, like hiking and sitting by the brook that comes through town. It's actually more exciting than it seems. I hate being cooped up inside, drives me nuts. For work I run a booth for a friend of mine at the outdoor market, it's right up my alley and pays well enough to support my family.
I have a wife Una (who works retail and may be starting her own blog soon) and a very young daughter Kiv (who won't be blogging for a while, being a toddler ;) ).
Siltsu is really not the most happening place to be, so if the news there is a little slow I might comment on bigger things. Maybe.
Feel free to comment, I haven't travelled much so I'd love to know what people from other places think. :D
My hobbies are mostly of the outdoorsy sort, like hiking and sitting by the brook that comes through town. It's actually more exciting than it seems. I hate being cooped up inside, drives me nuts. For work I run a booth for a friend of mine at the outdoor market, it's right up my alley and pays well enough to support my family.
I have a wife Una (who works retail and may be starting her own blog soon) and a very young daughter Kiv (who won't be blogging for a while, being a toddler ;) ).
Siltsu is really not the most happening place to be, so if the news there is a little slow I might comment on bigger things. Maybe.
Feel free to comment, I haven't travelled much so I'd love to know what people from other places think. :D
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