hi all! glad & humbled to see this post making the rounds again and just want to clarify a couple of things:
1. these are pretty much all made up holidays (with the exception of verdâgoten; i just expanded on what was already available for that particular holiday). i researched the vocab and cultural items using wookiepedia and the mandoâa dictionary, and then made these celebrations up based on my personal hcs regarding mando culture as well as examples throughout the eu. i only specify this bc i donât want anyone to think this stuff is official to canon; itâs just fun worldbuilding iâve done to fill out my own fan works and hcs!
2. i encourage you to use them as much as youâd like!credit would be appreciated but isnât necessary; i think fan works are meant to be shared and expanded upon, and iâm sure some of my inspirations for mando culture have inadvertently been taken from other creators
thanks all for the kind words and iâm glad youâre enjoying this list! i havenât been active the the sw fandom for a while but mandos will always be a niche interest turning over in my mind, so itâs always nice to know other people appreciate/share an affinity for this level of detail. happy creating!
good evening everyone literally just remembered i made a whole note sheet about mandalorian (specifically concord dawn) holidays that i made up, so here they are!
general holidays:
cuyanâtuur (survivor day)
happens every year at the end of winter into the beginning of spring
itâs an ancient festival. since mandalorians tend to be a rather darkly humorous people, itâs a celebration of those who survived the harsh season. in modern times, with winter posing less of a threat, itâs used merely as an excuse to celebrate
there are feasts and celebrations, and itâs customary to give surviving family members gifts. thereâs an old concord dawn tradition where itâs bad luck to propose and get married before youâve both made it to survivor day
aayâhan (bittersweet perfect moment of mourning and joy)
this is a slightly more solemn ceremony that happens in late summer. it is a celebration of all those who have passed
the celebration is twofold - the more boisterous part of the ceremony occurs in the community, where children perform mandalorian legends for crowds, and there are battle re-enactments
itâs a largely social event, and those freshly mourning tend not to attend. when a young widower attends, it is assumed they are ready to get back out there, so to speak. this isnât a hard rule; mainly itâs just considered rude to pursue a widower who has yet to attend aayâhan
at home, older family member tell stories of fallen loved ones and maybe perform a few traditions that those who passed on used to do. for example, if your father always had a beer with dinner, you might have one, too, even if you hate beer. itâs a way of the fallen living through you for the night
this is also when you would be permitted to repaint or repurpose any armor youâve been passed down. itâs considered bad form to do so earlier. if you are in dire need of the armor, you are allowed to modify it so long as on aayâhan you make appropriate apologies and treat the armor with care (buff out dents, fresh coat of paint, etc.)
bralovla davaab (successful execution)
this ceremony celebrates the successful completion of the verdâgoten. while mandalorians celebrate individually with family, this celebration is held every spring to commemorate the 13-year-olds who have completed their rite of passage. itâs also something of a âcoming outâ of the new adults - so that they may socialize with other new adults and understand the culture of mandalorian adulthood
however, most mandalorians donât consider 13 to be the real age of adulthood anymore, and so while the focus of the celebration is the trial-goers, itâs also something of a variety show and social for teenagers
adults go to applaud and to supervise, but really itâs a good social event for young mandalorians. young people excelling in certain areas (shooting, jet pack ability, piloting, hand-to-hand combat, etc.) may compete to be declared âalorâ (leader or chief) of that skillset
personal holidays:
goteâtuure (birthdays)
varies from household to household, but almost always involves uj cake, and, for mandalorian adults, neâtra gal
though children get excited for their birthdays, beyond 13, there really arenât many milestones for mandalorians - everything is by the parentsâ discretion and, later, your own, so birthdays arenât usually considered important
(slightly nsfw hc) young married mandalorians sometimes will try very hard to conceive a child around birthdays - a symbolic representation of your youth, in a way. this is mostly just an excuse for more sex though, especially between parties that donât particularly want children or canât have them
verdâgoten
there is no prouder day for a mandalorian parent than when their child completes the verdâgoten
together, the family recalls past verdâgotene. then the new adult and any witnesses to their accomplishment will retell their rite in exciting detail
younger children are encouraged to ask questions, and if there are none, other adults will excitedly ask
similarly to birthdays, there is uj cake and the new adultâs first taste of neâtra gal - since it is a beer, a mugful wonât affect the kid much. harder alcohols arenât encouraged for three to five more years
if a trusted adult (a parent or older sibling) close to the new adult has died before their rites, other adults will tell them all about their loved oneâs verdâgoten, and tell them how proud theyâd be of the new adult
miscellaneous
all mandalorian celebrations involve music. singing, dancing, and instrumentation are all key parts of mandalorian culture
they also tend to involve lots of food and lots of drinking. as a result, there are often fights, but rarely ones that result in long-held grudges. the offending parties usually laugh it off after the fact, with a rare few exceptions
itâs considered bad form to fight on aayâhan, and elders and other adults will escort you out or simply knock you out. itâs also considered tasteless to propose or get married on aayâhan
a lot of marriage proposals occur impulsively between teenagers on bralovla davaab. this is part of why youâre meant to wait until survivorâs day has come and gone to marry - after almost a year, itâs usually clear if it was just a heat of the moment decision
mandalorians tend to take marriage very seriously, as the assumption is that any child you find or have you will raise together, and to abandon your spouse and child is highly dishonorable, since everything is about children and foundlings
marriage ceremonies are brief, but marriage celebrations are long and large, mostly because everyone wants a good reason to celebrate
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