Zhermerro
A New Year Celebration; An annual festival commemorating birth of Eight Aspects, Exaltation of Eight Sacred tribes, the end of Grievous Strife, global peace among all sistren, and the beginning of Anno Aspecti – the Age of Aspects. Celebrated through the Last Day of the Old Year and the First Day of the New Year by millions of Meora’s children around the world.
The People of Meorenell had celebrated New Year Holidays before Zhermerro, but at different dates in different region, with varying traditions and reasoning, such as Feets, who begun the new years on the first days of sowing, associating it with a cycle of reincarnation and birth of new generations, or Bosomian Fortress Cities, where celebrations are extended for two whole weeks after the First Day and The Realms are never stinted in rewarding their citizens for yet another year of selfless service and perseverance – throwing the biggest feasts for them with no delay.
In this age, the beginning of New Years falls on last cold days of winter season in the southern hemisphere, on days which are believed to be when the First Angels were begotten. It is accustomed to celebrate with all neighbors, family and friends all night long – a meaningful symbol of our united persistence to live and joy even when surrounded by cold darkness, to show the dominance of Her Light withing us.
Some parents desire for the life of their children to be spiritually supported by the festivity spirit – a new life in the new year, thus many births or conceptions fall on around the Zhermerro holidays.
Most Zhermerro traditions have long been universal among all nations, such as wishing each other the virtues of Aspects, or decorating houses with eight-pointed stars made of the Aspect runes to celebrate the birth of each one, and adding more stars with the runes of those Aspects whose blessing you wish to receive in the new year. Speaking of other common decorations: traditional colors are white, gold, red and green, where white is for the glory of Her Light and holy Aspects, gold – for our flaming spirit and valiant hearts, red – for the beauty and health of bodies we have been endowed with, and finally green represents the surrounding goodness of nature and the existence itself; such decorations may include lanterns, either hanging alone or in group of four – one for each color; light-colored tinsel, to visualize serenity of Her Light surrounding us; large decorative ribbon bows, as they resembles Her holy symbol in a festive way; small round golden bells, to guide the souls of our ancestors towards the feast and to intimidate the Evil.
Hallow Trees became inseparable part of the celebration, as they are health and safety of Her body. Thus, resembling smaller trees with white bark, their branches, or branches painted white, become part of the decorations, in the form of baskets or wreaths. Depending on a region and the nearby Hallow Trees, these are either Birch, Aspen, Alders, Sycamore, Gum, and some others. Although in most of Southern Continent, where only two Hallow Trees blossomed, Zemerza is more popular – visually similar to Sycamore, but with a dark red bark and much more tolerant to cold climate than its relatives, it keeps light-green leaves throughout the winter and sheds them right before spouting new ones.
Celebratory outfits are usually comprise of red and green colors, with golden or white woolen rims. A common combination is red bottom and green top, with Green Capelets being popular (of course – never red).