HOME | DD

Description

Another holiday

  Veraque is sort of Abaddon's equivalent of Thanksgiving, though I took inspiration from Muslim tradition of Ramadan, Jewish tradition of Yom Kippur, and Christian tradition of Lent. Veraque is meant for self-reflection, humility, and community.

  From the full moon to the new moon, everyone over the age of 11 is expected to fast. Typically, the person has one hour before sunrise to eat what they want, and then they aren't supposed to eat anything until they are about to go to bed. (You can drink water, but only a limited amount.) If you'd like, you can have a snack to help settle your stomach and fall asleep. There are some exceptions.

For example, if you...

  are pregnant or menstruating or nursing

are ill or are recovering from a serious illness/injury

have a medical condition that makes fasting dangerous

    are traveling long distances

...then you are exempt from fasting.

  Now, fasting isn't meant to be a punishment. Say, for example, you work a labor-intensive job, and you are the type that gets sick to your stomach if you go without food for a long time. No one will begrudge you for grabbing a quick snack to help settle your stomach or get you through the day. The goal is to make it through the day on just that one meal you had before sunrise. (A few snacks is okay, but nothing that would qualify as a meal.)

The day before Veraque, families have a Full Moon Feast. The idea is to eat all the foods that you're probably not going to be able to eat during Veraque (ex: pot roasts, stews, pies). After that, you fast every day until the new moon, have a New Moon Feast (eating all the foods you missed during Veraque). Then, until the next full moon, you devote yourself to acts of service and/or donate to charities.

---

As for the story of Schae Veraque, in case if anyone wants to know...

  In the days of our ancestors, there was a boy named Schae Veraque, who had everything he could ever want. Then one autumn night, on a full moon, tragedy struck. Bad people came and set his house on fire. Schae managed to escape into the woods, jumping in a river to put out the fires on his clothes, but he couldn't stop there. The bad people who burned his house were trying to catch him. When the sun rose in the morning, Schae climbed a fruit tree and rested there, so that the bad guys wouldn't find him. The sun set in the sky, and the moon rose again as night filled the sky, but the moon was just a little bit smaller this time. Schae woke up, filled his belly with fresh fruit, and continued to follow the river deeper and deeper into the forest.

  Every day, he slept in a fruit tree, away from the bad guys, and every night, while the bad guys were sleeping, he would run into the forest, with the moon getting smaller and smaller. He didn't know where he was going, but he knew that we all need water to live. So, if he followed the river, he would surely find people.

  Then, one night, he couldn't see the moon at all. It was so dark in the forest, he couldn't even see the trees in front of him, or the dirt underneath him, or the river beside him. He couldn't see it, but he could hear it, and he could feel which direction it was flowing, so he kept walking in the direction of the river.

Finally, he came upon a village. The people cleaned him, gave him fresh clothes, and fed him good food--not just fruit. They insisted that he needed to stay in bed and rest, but he was so grateful for their kindness that every day, until the moon was full and bright, he would help everyone in the village.

He may not have had everything he ever wanted, but Schae was happy, because he had everything he needed. He had clothes to keep him warm from the coming winter. He had good food in his belly. He had fresh water to drink. And best of all, he had people who would help him if he ever needed it.

Description

Another holiday

  Veraque is sort of Abaddon's equivalent of Thanksgiving, though I took inspiration from Muslim tradition of Ramadan, Jewish tradition of Yom Kippur, and Christian tradition of Lent. Veraque is meant for self-reflection, humility, and community.

  From the full moon to the new moon, everyone over the age of 11 is expected to fast. Typically, the person has one hour before sunrise to eat what they want, and then they aren't supposed to eat anything until they are about to go to bed. (You can drink water, but only a limited amount.) If you'd like, you can have a snack to help settle your stomach and fall asleep. There are some exceptions.

For example, if you...

  are pregnant or menstruating or nursing

are ill or are recovering from a serious illness/injury

have a medical condition that makes fasting dangerous

    are traveling long distances

...then you are exempt from fasting.

  Now, fasting isn't meant to be a punishment. Say, for example, you work a labor-intensive job, and you are the type that gets sick to your stomach if you go without food for a long time. No one will begrudge you for grabbing a quick snack to help settle your stomach or get you through the day. The goal is to make it through the day on just that one meal you had before sunrise. (A few snacks is okay, but nothing that would qualify as a meal.)

The day before Veraque, families have a Full Moon Feast. The idea is to eat all the foods that you're probably not going to be able to eat during Veraque (ex: pot roasts, stews, pies). After that, you fast every day until the new moon, have a New Moon Feast (eating all the foods you missed during Veraque). Then, until the next full moon, you devote yourself to acts of service and/or donate to charities.

---

As for the story of Schae Veraque, in case if anyone wants to know...

  In the days of our ancestors, there was a boy named Schae Veraque, who had everything he could ever want. Then one autumn night, on a full moon, tragedy struck. Bad people came and set his house on fire. Schae managed to escape into the woods, jumping in a river to put out the fires on his clothes, but he couldn't stop there. The bad people who burned his house were trying to catch him. When the sun rose in the morning, Schae climbed a fruit tree and rested there, so that the bad guys wouldn't find him. The sun set in the sky, and the moon rose again as night filled the sky, but the moon was just a little bit smaller this time. Schae woke up, filled his belly with fresh fruit, and continued to follow the river deeper and deeper into the forest.

  Every day, he slept in a fruit tree, away from the bad guys, and every night, while the bad guys were sleeping, he would run into the forest, with the moon getting smaller and smaller. He didn't know where he was going, but he knew that we all need water to live. So, if he followed the river, he would surely find people.

  Then, one night, he couldn't see the moon at all. It was so dark in the forest, he couldn't even see the trees in front of him, or the dirt underneath him, or the river beside him. He couldn't see it, but he could hear it, and he could feel which direction it was flowing, so he kept walking in the direction of the river.

Finally, he came upon a village. The people cleaned him, gave him fresh clothes, and fed him good food--not just fruit. They insisted that he needed to stay in bed and rest, but he was so grateful for their kindness that every day, until the moon was full and bright, he would help everyone in the village.

He may not have had everything he ever wanted, but Schae was happy, because he had everything he needed. He had clothes to keep him warm from the coming winter. He had good food in his belly. He had fresh water to drink. And best of all, he had people who would help him if he ever needed it.