C.A. Morley – Author

Celebrating Festivals and other Customs

I was recently in Vienna with some of my family. We took in as many sights as possible and traveled down memory lane, mainly my mom’s memories. I’ve been to Vienna more than once, but every time as a child, so my memories weren’t as clear. It was special introducing my husband and my youngest daughter to this grand old city and our family history for the first time. One thing we did was go on the giant Ferris wheel where we got a really good view of the city. We didn’t have long to wait, but there were neat exhibits to see for those waiting in line, so I quickly took pictures. Each exhibit was of different scenes in history from building the cathedral to a man on horseback herding pigs, and they had movement and lights too.

How does that tie in with my debut novel, The Novice (Wayfinders Book 1), and the Kingdom of Livania? History teaches us how people lived in the past and this is necessary for good worldbuilding. In Livania and the surrounding kingdoms, the people celebrated the Midwinter Festival with feasting, and, in some cases, marriage alliances were formed. They also celebrated a Midsummer festival. If you were a high-ranking Livanian, then you would participate in the yearly hunts for deer and boar every autumn with foreign officials, ending off with a sumptuous feast.

A custom that gets mentioned is a silver birthday gift when turning thirteen. It’s a cute memory that gets mentioned in the first chapter. My alpha reader helped develop this scene with me.

Amity knotted her braid tie and picked up a small silver-framed hand glass. It was new, a traditional thirteenth birthday gift from her mama. As she checked to be sure her thick ash-brown hair was tied in a smooth and even braid, she was reminded, once again, of just how much she looked like her papa. She had inherited not only his hair and plain grey eyes but also his rangy build, broad shoulders, and calm demeanor. His thirteenth birthday gift to her had also been the traditional silver but in the down-to-earth form of the thirteen silver coins usually given to boys. “To grow your fortune on,” he’d said. But they’d been polished to a fare-thee-well and presented in a beautiful, totally impractical little silver brocade purse (that had completely charmed her practical little soul).

The Novice (Wayfinders Book 1) by C.A. Morley

I hope you enjoyed this bit of worldbuilding. If you’d like to see photos of St. Stephen’s Cathedral, then be sure to visit my post, “Making a Grand Entrance.”