Halloween is a long-standing tradition that has been in a variety of different cultures for hundreds of years. While it is often depicted in fiction it is rare to find (a traditional) Halloween in a fantasy setting. But that doesn’t meant that the fantasy world created doesn’t have their own take on a special holiday or some tricks of their own.
I love holidays. I especially love unique holidays in discovered worlds. There is simply no better way to get to know another culture than by viewing the tradion of their holidays. Take for instance the holiday of Calanmai found in the ACOTAR series by Maas. Although the holiday has ties in our history here in the real world, Maas uses this holiday as a pivotal setting to her plot.
Illustration by Yuhime
While the first two books in the Dance of the Elements series may not highlight their own holidays there is no shortage of tricks or treats! With Shadow Dancers running amok, poor Jura is always succumbing to some trickery or foul play. Check out this excerpt where our main characters pull a prank of their own. In this scene, Jura and Tylak are invisible and have crashed a party to seek out information on Jura’s father and colleagues.
Jura, IGNITED
“We should get closer to them,” Jura murmured, eyeballing a tray laden with sweetened delicacies meant to enjoy after ones meal. Flames, but she was starved. She reached out a hand and Tylak slapped it down.
“Are you trying to get us caught?” His voice darkened in warning.
“Sorry.” She rubbed at her slapped hand and popped half a tart in her mouth. It was delicious. “We cant just stand here all afternoon we’ll never get any information that way.”
His look suggested that he wished to strangle her but he pulled her forward toward Denir and Fatima.
The Eleventh was leaning toward the Fourth, speaking in earnest tones. “The child is absolutely power hungry. I know I’ll think twice before angering this family.”
Denir yawned before a lazy smile played across her lips. “I think she’s frightened. It’s natural for her to assert herself after being granted interim power. At least she’s doing a better job of it than the daughter of the First. Justir is lucky to still have his seat after leaving her in charge.”
Jura ground her teeth and threw her tart at Denir’s rump. Tylak shot her a warning glance. She smiled back sweetly.
Denir brushed the crumbs away, confusion written on her face as she tried to find the source of the attack.
So while DOTE doesn’t have a holiday to celebrate a night of fire they do have an everlasting flame that they worship as their god so… semantics. Do you have a favorite created holiday or a version of Halloween found in a book? What about a time where a MC played a harmless prank? Share your recommendation with me if you do!
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