Brewfest
| Greyhawk Holiday | |
|---|---|
| Brewfest | |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Date(s) | Brewfest 1-7 |
| Type | Varies |
| Observed by | Flanaess-wide |
| Significance | Week of the Autumnal Equinox |
Also called Drunken Days or the Feast of Brewers, Brewfest, the fourth festival week of Oerth's calendar, is a rowdy period unsurprisingly claimed as a holy time by the churches of Olidammara and Wenta. The Free City of Greyhawk does not celebrate the entire week, but Brewfest 1 and Brewfest 7 are both set aside as public holidays. In Elmshire, the week is spent in restful, carefree music, drinking, and dancing. In Hardby it is spent with fistfights, riots, and ensuing hangovers. In Narwell it is celebrated with ale-brewing contests, horse races, beatings, and robbery. In Safeton it is celebrated with nervous violence and nightly orc hunts. The week is also sacred to the Old Faith.
The elves call this week Fallrite, and use it to contemplate the spirits of their ancestors, the passage to the afterworld, and the fragility of life. They believe other races make merry during Brewfest because they are "hiding" to avoid facing death's reality. In contrast, the olvenfolk strive to fulfill the most important of their duties and reach the most crucial of their decisions during this time of year. The elven kings and queens traditionally judge capital cases during Fallrite.
Holidays and celebrations
Holidays observed during Brewfest include the Autumnal Equinox and Raxivort's Orgy. The week also includes a very intense beverage competition hosted by the Greyhawk Guild of Ostlers and Brewers. The Tocsin of Kelanen is also celebrated during Brewfest.
Bibliography
- Gygax, Gary. The World of Greyhawk. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1980 (ISBN 0-935696-23-7).
- -----. World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1983 (ISBN 0-88038-344-5).
- Holian, Gary, Erik Mona, Sean K Reynolds, and Frederick Weining. Living Greyhawk Gazetteer. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000.
- McComb, Colin D. The Complete Book of Elves. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1992.
- Miller, Andy. "Campaign Holidays." Dragon Annual #4. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1999.
- Mona, Erik. River of Blood. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000.
- Moore, Roger E. Greyhawk: The Adventure Begins. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1998.
