The Ritual of Stardust

Saturday, December 19, 2015

The caravan pulled into the campsite. Suso watched from the safety of the wagon while the adults made camp and tended to the animals. The mild winter meant an extended traveling season, but tonight their wandering paused long enough to celebrate the Ritual of Stardust. While most of their celebrations of Desna arose spontaneously, the longest night and the longest day each year held special reverence and rituals for the caravan's patron goddess. The company had stopped two days early to give enough time to prepare for the special night.

Suso followed her grandmother throughout the preparations, asking questions even though she already knew the answers. "Grandmama, why do we add raisins to the dough?"

"The raisins represent the stars in the sky."

"So why do we braid the dough?"

"The braid symbolizes our winding path through this life, Suso."

Even though it broke the rules of her game, Suso couldn't resist showing off a little. "And you're making a butterfly shape out of the dough to honor Desna!"

"Yes, dear, you're correct."

"Does that mean I can have one now?"

Her grandmother smiled. "Nice try, Suso. They're for tomorrow." She dumped a small mountain of raisins into the girl's outstretched palm, then shooed her toward the door. "These will have to hold you over. Now get!"

∗ ∗ ∗

When dressing for the party, the company pulled out its finest outfits, each of brightly colored flowing materials, allowing free movement of limbs. Suso looked in her basket and chose a skirt dyed in bright blue tones, a vest covered with mirrored discs, and a scarf with tassels to tie about her waist. She swirled and twirled in front of her grandmother. "Grandmama, how do I look? Like a butterfly?"

"Very nice, Suso. But it's still missing something." Her grandmother reached into the pouch at her waist—the bag that held so many interesting things—and withdrew a rose quartz crystal suspended from a thong. She placed it around Suso's neck. "I think you're old enough for a proper necklace, don't you?"

"Thank you, Grandmama! Thank you!" Suso hugged her grandmother tightly. Face pressed to the old woman's stomach, she asked, "Can I have a starknife too?"

Her grandmother laughed, making her stomach bounce. "Not yet, little one. That must wait for another season and another celebration."

∗ ∗ ∗

As the sun set in the sky, the chosen members lit the bonfires they had prepared. Five fires, set on the points of a star, ringed a large open space. Those picked to light the fires took their places. Chosen from all walks of life, they included the company's matriarch, the map-keeper, the lead hunter, the newest baby with his parents, and a visitor from Brevoy who'd been traveling with the company the past few months. They took lit brands and flung them into the waiting stacks of wood. The flames crackled as the final fingers of light retreated from the sky.

Suso shivered with excitement. Platters laden with meats, roasted vegetables, and the special butterfly buns passed from hand to hand. Some nights, there might not be enough food, but tonight the entire company would eat its fill.

Throughout the feast, people rose in turn to sing, lifting their voices to the stars. Some sang songs in homage to Desna, telling of her association with the swallowtail butterfly, or citing passages from her holy text, The Eight Scrolls. Others told of their travels, painting pictures of hard-to-reach places and distant skies. A few sang of lucky encounters, in which Desna blessed their endeavors. As the piles of food dwindled, people grabbed instruments and accompanied the singers. Suso reached for a drum and pounded a beat, sometimes in time with the song and sometimes counterpoint, whichever struck her fancy. Members of the company started dancing, the firelight reflecting off the bangles of their outfits as they spun and twirled.

Several hours of merriment passed, the enthusiasm of the early hours ebbing to relaxation. Children curled up in their parents' arms, exhausted from excitement and the late hour. Determined to remain awake until the end, Suso rose to her feet and started a slow path around the fires. As always, her grandmother tracked her passage with her eyes, watching to make sure Suso didn't tumble into the flames.

Some time later, Suso skipped back to her grandmother's side, holding a butterfly roll in her little hands. She held out the desert. "Share with me, Grandmama."

Her grandmother reached out and broke off a small portion, "Thank you, my dear."

They looked toward the matriarch, who retrieved a pouch from behind her seat and pulled herself to her feet. As the pouch passed from hand to hand, each person removed a small handful of sand from its depths. As one, the company turned to face the fires, a solid circle ringed by the star. Suso quickly popped the last of her roll into her mouth and chewed as she scooped sand from the pouch. Then she took her place between her grandmother and uncle.

As the matriarch lifted her voice in invocation, the company threw the sand onto the embers. The sand shimmered as it flew through the air, drifting down upon the coals.

In her softest voice, Suso asked, "Grandmama, why does the sand sparkle?"

People around the circle smiled. Suso's grandmother leaned down and whispered, "The sand is laced with bits of rose quartz, which catches the light. We use it to symbolize the winking stars in the sky. Through it, Desna witnesses our words spoken here tonight."

With one voice, the people of the company began to chant to the starry sky:

Follow the path, follow the stars, wherever your feet may take you.
Over the plains, over the hills, through forest and grassy glen.
No matter the time, no matter the trail, remember that you are loved.
I am with you, She is above, until we're together again.

Families gathered their children, lovers their partners, and together the people of the caravan made their way back to their wagons. Though travel would start again tomorrow, tonight they would sleep and dream, secure in the wings of Desna's blessing.

∗ ∗ ∗

You can download a special Chronicle sheet to celebrate the Ritual of Stardust blow until January 9th, 2016:

May you have a blessed Ritual of Stardust, and may Desna guide your travels this holiday season!

Tonya Woldridge
Organized Play Coordinator