Ark of Fools: Calendar

On the Skin

The Astral Plane is timeless, with no day or night, no seasons. Face uses an arbitrary 360 'day' year, divided into 12 months of 30 days each. 6 days form a week. Neither days nor months are named, only numbered. This is currently the 1998 Year of Exile (as counted by the Ancient). Time is not always consistent between the Skin and the Interior. A day may pass in Face, but 3 days in Akadazia, or the other way around.

A year on the Skin is referred to as an "astral year".

A year in Akadazia is referred to as a "local year".

Holidays, festivals, etc. in Face:

Carnival of the Ears: a two-week long festival held about once a year, when a bunch of trading vessels arrives at Armaz-Daka. Usually in the 3rd month. Celebrated with colorful merchandise, toys, clothing, and food.
Election Week: held erratically, usually once every 3-4 years. All the intrigue, manuevering, bribery, assassinations, wining and dining, comes to a point. Everyone pretends to be a wonderful person who has your best interests at heart. Gifts are exchanged, and little pins, flags, etc. with the emblems of the various candidates.
Anniversary: Celebrated the first week of the first month. (i.e., the new year). Everyone pretends to be very patriotic and loyal to the Ancient. The Sworn all dress up and lead a parade. Everyone outdoes each other in making floats showing the Ancient beating up his enemies. Celebrated with lots of noise, fireworks, flags, and broken ceramic figurines representing the enemies of the Ancient. (Rumor holds that some of them ARE actually enemies of the Ancient transformed into pottery figures, but who knows...) Every year around this time, a few people vanish, never to be seen again. Mock combats and masquerades are commonly sponsored by the rich.
Day of the Dead: midnight, on the seventh day of the seventh month. The dead are said to wake and walk on this night and visit people. Appeased with offerings of incense, candles, food, drink, burned paper messages, burned wooden mockups of valuable items.

In Akadazia (the Interior)

The three moons (silver-gray/Daka, green/Luna, and red/Armaz) move in and out of phase erratically, sometimes staying full for a month, sometimes speeding through a cycle in a week. The golden sun is steadier, providing a predictable march of seasons. Local diviners study the moon cycles, trying to read meaning into them. The brightness of the moons varies depending on the influences of good and evil throughout Akadazia. Luna is always full. The other two moons do go through unpredictable phases.

Sunreturn: winter solstice, counted as the new year's day. A vigil is kept, for the longest night and the shortest day, as the year swings around and days begin lengthening again. Feasts, drinking, storytelling, singing, gifts given. The fires must not go out (bad omen for the new year if it does).
Flowertide: about the time when the ground thaws, and it is time for planting. Fields are blessed. Trees and bulbs have flowered. Celebrations include dancing, singing, and the exchange of flowers.
Midsummer: a celebration of life. Dancing, singing, feasting, puppet shows, plays, etc.
Day of the Dead: same as on the Skin
Dance of Red Leaves: harvest festival. Straw figures burned. Candles placed in carved gourds to scare away bad spirits.
Feast of Three Lanterns: when all three moons are full. Celebrated with food and drink and singing. In the Lakelands, they hold dragonboat races by moonlight.
Moondark: when all three moons are dark. It is said that portals open on such nights. Everyone stays home or around a bright fire, praying for the best, hoping not to get eaten by demons.