A little late to catch the recent calendar debate, but hopefully useful to campaign players. Here is the latest version of the Far Point Stead Calendar by Michael Raaterova and myself.
A FAR POINT STEAD CALENDAR The following article provides representative dates for important herding, farming and hunting events in the Far Point year from the perspective of an upland stead. Many activities continue over several weeks: the dates represent the *beginnings* of such activity. Obviously, actual dates will vary from year to year according to a variety of climatic, ritual and economic factors. Dates in Storm Season are particularly unreliable, and depend on the progress of the annual battle between Light and Darkness.
Regular activities such as hare and bird hunting, small game trapping, weaving and charcoal-burning are not included below.
As well as the runic system of days and weeks, the Far Walkers organise their year into a series of 'Movements' or 'Times' (Tames), as indicated below.
Far Point is for the most part colder and wetter than neighbouring Sartar and Tarsh. Therefore, events in those lands may vary by a week or two from the times given here.
Disorder Week: Planting of pot herbs and vegetable gardens. Ulerian Festival. Walking of the Boundaries. Hare Day - all hares change sex on this day. Prime season for hare hunting begins. First elk calves.
Harmony Week: Major sowing; tending of vineyards (Sharl Plain & Sartar only). Barntar Plough Day. Snaring of Goddess Birds for magic and for luck.
Death Week: Draining, ditching and clodding; last frosts. Hind and wolf hunting ends, otter hunting begins(1).
Fertility Week: Release of domestic stock from byrnes to forage in forest and pasture; first ploughing of fallow fields; fowling and egging in bird nesting grounds. Flamal Festival - stickdancing! bad poetry! gowkhunting!!(2) Roo (female roe deer) and badger hunting begins.
Stasis Week: Lambing; harvest of winter crops; Ponydrift (annual round up, branding and tail cutting of semi-wild forest ponies); Kukfighting season begins.
Movement Week: Egg collecting from marshlands; cows pastured or driven into mountain grasslands; cheese making begins; wagon and sled repairs, timber cutting; salmon runs, smoking and drying of catch. Prime season for hare hunting ends. First alynx litters.
Illusion Week: Silage; perfume making; culling of excess stead trollkin; first batching of year's sticklepick(3). Bear hunting begins. First red deer calving. First wolf litters.
Truth Week: Farm repairs; collective water-bird hunting in marshes with nets and bird-lime; first inter-stead cattle raiding.
Disorder Week: Haymaking - cutting, tossing and cocking; stead and clan beast-takes. First roe deer calving.
Harmony Week: Sheep shearing. Badger hunting ends, hart hunting begins. Death Week: Hay carting and tossing; berry harvest, slaughter of excess birds (geese, teal). Clan moots. Buck (fallow deer) hunting begins.
Fertility Week: Weeding; second ploughing of fallow land. First fallow deer calving.
Stasis Week: Wool-spinning; early harvests; first droving. Prime hart hunting.
Movement Week: Sheep and cattle markets. Tribal Things. Roe deer rutting begins. Stone Planting ceremonies.
Illusion Week: Main harvest begins; cattle breeding.
Truth Week: Elmali Harvest Rite (Fireday). AldaThingi(4) Elk rutting season begins.
Disorder Week: wheat sowing; hemp making.
Harmony Week: End of harvest season; 'stickpicking' - collection of wood, rush, & thatch from gors; stead repairs; cider making and ale brewing! First frosts. Hart and buck hunting ends; hind and boar hunting begins. Red deer rutting season.
Death Week: Twins Day - The Good Hunt (ceremonies for Animal Twins or Stead Founders); Odayla High Holy Day (Godday); fruit picking, nut gathering; first slaughter of excess animals or cattle-drive to Alda Chur Great Market. Otter hunting ends, wolf hunting begins as winter wolf packs form. End of kukfighting season.
Fertility Week: Alda Chur Fertility Flame Festival (HarvestHome). Roe deer form herds to move from uplands to winter pastures.
Stasis Week: Honey gathered; fruit trees set; rye sowing; Cider Sup; charcoal burning; 'Dark Slaughter' and salting of excess animals begins. Sheep and cattle should not be milked after this date. Cattle raiding ends. Fallow deer rutting season begins.
Movement Week: Muck spreading; final ploughing of fallow fields; ploughing; sowing of winter crops (wheat or rye); apple harvest.
Illusion Week: Turf, heather and peat gathering; candle and torch making. Cattle Gifting and clan gift exchanges. First snows and winter storms.
Truth Week: Indoor threshing of grain (not oats); hedge-trimming, bonfires. Elk gather in herds and move to winter pastures.
END PART ONE OF TWO
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