Dayern's Hamlet

Dayern's Hamlet is a small society that has formed out of necessity. Hale Dayern's remote farmstead started out with an orchard that needed hired hands to help out with the workload. Eventually, Hale branched his farming out to grapes and he created a vineyard. As the years passed, some hired hands moved on but more stayed on, allowing Hale to expand the vineyard even further.

As the villagers took in outcasts, orphans, and refugees into their homes, the village continued to grow. The vineyard and orchards flourished allowing plenty of work, food, and adequate wages.

Due to the nature of these people taken in, a combined sense of happiness and sadness permeates through the hamlet. What keeps this small society going? A good party! Dayern's Hamlet will welcome any wanderer, especially one looking for work, and will not turn strangers away even during private celebrations. The following is a list of primary celebrations that Dayern's Hamlet enjoys hosting for their ever-growing family:

Joyous Handfasting

This annual spring event pays tribute to and honors those that are currently married. A sub motive is to get unmarried people motivated to mingle with others.

All married couples prepare a platter of their favorite baked goods. Baked within those sweetbreads and cakes are inexpensive trinkets that have a match to another platter of baked goods made by another couple. The baked food is then delivered to two long tables in the town square whereby single men and women will choose a baked treat from a designated table. The trinkets found within the baked goods will allow a man and woman to match up their trinkets and spend the day together getting to know each other.

Days of Remembrance

Due to the nature of many of the villagers' pasts, this annual event is intended to remind everyone of their roots but to also celebrate their joining with the village.

At dawn on the first day, the cleric(s) will gather up all the new villagers that have arrived in the past year and host a private sermon for them on topics such as strength, peace, and renewal. Then at noon on the first day, the new villagers are brought to the town square where a moderate feast is held.

The following three days are reserved for constructing a building. All the villagers that are physically able will band together and build a simple home that will allow the new villagers to have a place of their own instead of boarding with those that originally took them in. The villagers will rise at dawn and work till dusk.

By the last day of the construction, the new villagers are shown the new home and a larger feast is prepared. And by evening, the villager's musicians and entertainers will then take over the town square and perform whatever they are enlightened by their talent and passion.

Time of Temperance

Though surrounded by alcohol, Dayern's family always believed that one should never treat it as a vice. For an entire week during every third winter, the hamlet is deemed dry. No alcohol will be served, bottled, or consumed. Should anyone be found to be drinking during this time, they are handled appropriately based on the village council's decision. The village's reward is to provide a bottle of the oldest vintage to each family or household. Though some families save the unopened bottles for a special occasion, most will partake immediately.

The Fall of Children

Though the name sounds negative, the festival celebrates both children and the first spring wine harvest. The festival takes place during autumn when the first wine bottled that year has had its minimal fermentation time.

The focus on the children occurs from dawn to noon where parents gather with sweets and gifts. In addition, some of the teachers and/or clerics will share stories and plays that teach morals and history in a fun and engaging manner. The younger children will perform singsongs, and the young adults will display their favored talent whether singing, writing, artwork, or other ability.

Between dawn and dusk, the focus shifts from children to the spring harvest wine. A few barrels are rolled out for the whole village to taste testing and judging. The barrel that wins will be re-corked and sent back for storage. The barrel that loses will be drunk for the rest of the evening.