[u][url=https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1DGb7gbbql5hF6XnFOSgNPI5xRn67E0F22PbQ-QhE758/edit?usp=sharing]Calendar[/url][/u]

The planet we live on, Aion, has 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 4 weeks a month, and 12 months a year, giving it a slightly shorter year than Earth's. The calendar is neatly organized by season, with January 1st marking the first day of Spring, April 1st marking the first day of Summer, and so on. The new moon is celebrated on the first day of every month. Religious folks worship their various gods at the local temple on the last day of every week. Below is a list of important holidays, sans the recurring events listed above. New holidays may be added at player suggestion.

[hider=January]
[hider=1 New Year's Day]
As the first day of spring, it marks the start of the harvest, and as such is considered a joyous day. The firstfruits of the harvest are gathered together for a grand feast, and pinatas are put together from sticks and leaves that died in the winter to signify the "death" of winter.
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[hider=22 Tax Day]
The government likes to collect taxes toward the end of harvest, so all that goes down on the last week. The current tax rate is 10% of all earnings collected. It's a rough day for people who haven't been tracking their income.
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[hider=February]
[hider=14 Valentine's Day]
This holiday carried over from the Old World more or less intact. It is a day to confess one's feelings to the person they love. Roses, strawberries, peaches, and chocolate (in urban areas) are associated gifts.
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[hider=March]
[hider=22 Harvest Festival]
The last week of spring is dedicated to celebration of a bountiful harvest. Towns and cities like to hold a fair with parades and orchestras, while smaller villages enjoy music and dancing. It is a joyful time for everyone.
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[hider=April]
[hider=2 April Fool's Day]
Legend has it that the holiday used to be celebrated on April 1st, but everyone was April Fooled into thinking it was April 2nd. The tradition stuck. National and religious leaders do not like the holiday for its celebration of deception, but it remains popular regardless.
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[hider=8th thru 13th Mercy Week]
The week used to be spent in fasting, prayers, and daily bathing, with a blood sacrifice at the temple on the weekend. Supposedly, the event commemorates God's mercy upon mankind. Lately, people have begun repurposing the holiday as a sort of "detox week," where they put away excess pleasures and rest or meditate. The ritual animal sacrifice remains, though.
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[hider=Day of the Purges]
This holiday is as old as civilization on the New World, which is to say, over a thousand years old. No one living remembers what exactly it commemorates, but it has always been a solemn day to remember loved ones passed.
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[hider=May]
[hider=4 Blessings Day]
According to legend, the first people on the New World took to saying "may the force be with you" on this day. Religious leaders have interpreted it to mean "may the power of God be with you," but historians have vehemently disputed this interpretation. Regardless, it is a day to bless your neighbors with goodwill and cheer.
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[hider=5 Cinco de Mayo]
With the original meaning of the holiday long lost to history, it has become a day to celebrate the diversity of species. The eastern elves are known to go a little overboard with this holiday, forgoing sleep to drink themselves almost to death for 24 hours.
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[hider=10 Mother's Day]
This day is dedicated to mothers and their contributions to society. Traditionally, the men of the household take over the mother's work for the day. Single women spend the day in service of local matriarchs.
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[hider=15 Summer Solstice]
As the Longest Day of the year, it is celebrated mostly indoors with board games and public book reading. Twister and Bridge are popular game choices, while the Bestselling Novel of the Year tends to be the selected reading.
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[hider=June]
[hider=Father's Day]
Like its Mother's Day counterpart, this day commemorates the contributions fathers have made to society. The women traditionally take on the men's work for the day.
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[hider=Freedom Day]
Every year on this day, servants and slaves get a guaranteed day off and are given preferential treatment. Some municipal and state governments like to free any slaves on this day too, though Diamont isn't one of them.
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[hider=Summer Festival]
Festivals are often characterized by song and dance, and the Summer Festival is no exception. Since the humidity would normally make such events miserable, this festival is often turned into a riverside/lakeside/oceanside event, featuring ridiculous watersports and underwater games. Sirens and mermaids are a popular theme in some places, for obvious reasons. Sometimes actual mermaids pay a visit and mingle, but people rarely notice the difference.
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[hider=July]
[hider=4 Independence Day]
Independence from what, nobody quite knows, but traditionally, the people's rights and freedoms are celebrated on this day with fireworks and marching bands. Naturally, celebrations fall to the wayside when oppressive kings take the throne.
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[hider=6 Valentine's Day]
Yes, there are [i]two[/i] Valentine's Days. Celebrated in much the same way as its February 14th counterpart. Some historians chalk it up to a cultural miscommunication.
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[hider=August]
[hider=2nd thru 27th Olympics]
Warriors and sportspeople from all over the country go to the capital to display their prowess in a series of competitions designed to test human capabilities to the limit. The highest achievers win medals and trophies.

Curiously, the population tends to spike a little this month. Last year's November festivities have absolutely nothing to do with this, of course!
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[hider=September]
[hider=15 Day of Atonement]
This a day for the airing and resolution of grievances, supported by the government through suspension of filing fees for complaints. Since this often creates a massive backlog of cases, reputable mediators get recruited to help out.
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[hider=22 Autumn Festival]
The time of year when nature is at its most beautiful is a great time to hold a festival, and the people of Draygan love their festivals. This one is one of the more peaceful events, characterized by calm music, pretty dresses, excessive decorating, and quiet strolls through the wild. Ballroom dances are popular in urban areas.
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[hider=October]
[hider=22 Octoberfest]
While Draygans aren't really known for drinking, they make an exception on this holiday. They break out their best alcoholic beverages and spend the entire day in drunken revelries. Some places use opium instead, but the effect is much the same. The holiday has become less popular over the years as the orcs have started taking advantage of it with surprise raids.
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[hider=November]
[hider=15 Winter Solstice]
The Longest Night is a popular holiday for campfire celebrations. People swap horror stories, drink a little, make snow angels, and sometimes make snow babies further off, if you know what I mean.
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[hider=26 Thanksgiving Day]
While the origins of this holiday have been lost to history, it remains much as it always did - a day to be thankful for all good things. Characterized by big dinners with extended family and even bigger family feuds.
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[hider=December]
[hider=22 Winter Fesival]
Ah, the Drayvan equivalent of Christmas. For the rest of the week, people prepare gifts, decorate their homes, and celebrate the close of the year. Municipalities hold epic inter-city snowball wars, complete with vast snow-forts and military formations. As the 25th approaches, the mood shifts more towards bonding and friendship. Many important political bonds form during this period.
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[hider=25 Gift Exchange]
This is the day when "magic" happens. Adults and children alike rip open their presents, stuff gets swapped, and an aura of happiness pervades the air. Many confessions of love also happen this day. Some of the most beautiful works of music make their debut during the holiday's romantic dances. It's for good reason people call it the Happiest Day of the Year.
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