1. Lauren Beauchamp says:

    Lincoln was the 16th president. (Land of Lincoln resident here — state employees still get Lincoln’s birthday as a holiday, he kind of a big deal being a “local” lol.)

    But I agree having holidays that focus on the past would add a lot of depth to a world.

    I can’t think of any specific holidays off hand, but Anne Elisabeth Stengl was doing some great work with tying the past into her Goldstone Wood series . . . I miss those!

  2. Many notable cultural things in fiction seem to focus more around events and landmarks in people’s lives, at least up to a point. Like, when characters finish their apprenticeships, their culture might have a sort of graduation event where they prove/show off their skills and then have a ceremony that gives them a new name, title, etc. So many events seem focused on things that characters do, which gives the story a chance to show how competent characters are, establish any rivalries, or be a backdrop for when the enemy decides to spoil their peace by invading.

    There’s probably actually a pretty good amount of yearly feasts and holidays mentioned in fantasy, they just aren’t harped upon or considered as important to the plot, so maybe they’re harder to recall. One of the main event/holiday type things in something I’ve read lately is in The BlackBlood Alliance by Kay Fedewa. There’s a feast that the Inarian wolves hold each year when a primitive horse herd migrates back into their territory. But one reason it’s more memorable is because it matters to the plot. Like, for one thing, the wolves were eagerly awaiting the herd’s return so they didn’t have to be as hungry, so when the herd DIDN’T return, they felt desperate/angry/worried and whatever else. Which is probably going to play a very key point in the plot later.

    As far as honoring specific people, that often seems to be handled more in stories passed down through generations, rather than specific holidays. At least in fantasy.

What do you think?