Recently in Feast of the Moon Category

Yesterday was the traditional date for the Feast of the Moon. Since the weather prevented me from going to the cemetery as I did at the beginning of the month, I was forced to stay home and meditate on what this holiday means.

On the Feast of the Moon, we remember our honored ancestors. Traditionally, this means that the priest recites the names of those within his parish who have died during the previous year, along with a record of their deeds in life. This is followed by a feast in memory of those who have died. Specific prayers on behalf of the dead, or of their loved ones who survive them, are also appropriate on this day.

Given that I have not had any deaths to recognize this year, I meditated on those who have brought me to where I am, and on the faith that I have gained as I focus on my Lord. It is good to know that, no matter who you worship, no matter what your faith, in the end, we all go through the same passage, before moving on to whatever destination our individual faiths lead us to.

Due to the weather, I was forced to postpone my cemetery visit from yesterday to today. It was worth the wait.

The nearest accessible cemetery is in Brattleboro, Vermont, on top of a hill overlooking the Connecticut River. The cemetery has been there since at least 1830 (and most likely earlier - that was just the earliest date I could clearly read off a marker), with graves that cover an area of at least ten acres on top of the hill, and running down the slope facing the river for at least three tiers.

Some of the history represented there, just in the names I was able to decipher, shows how much we miss when we don't pay attention to our dead. For instance, I had never known about the Steamboat Greenfield explosion of May 18, 1840, until I saw the marker for Mr. Wood, the boat's engineer. I found entire families laid to rest together, some sharing a single marker for all of them, some with individual markers, some with a combination: a family monument, with a smaller stone giving name and date that showed where each member was within the family plot. I also found many people buried alone, without any relatives or loved ones nearby.

Saddest of all, though, were the stones that had uprooted, broken off, or simply fallen off their bases, and were simply laying there, some of them long enough that grass had partially grown over them. The city doesn't care enough about the graves to reset the stones - all that matters is ensuring that the lawn mower can travel between them. In fact, the person I encountered who had driven an hour to view the stones cared more about them than the city seems to care, and he was viewing them as a tourist, not as one of the Silent Shroud would. Regardless, the state of the cemetery made it clear that Kelemvor's teachings are needed, as the whole place gave off an aura of being cared for in the most superficial way possible.

That pretty much covers my initial impressions, so the rest of this post will hopefully be more uplifting.

Once I had finished walking the cemetery and noting the names and dates I could decipher, and once I had traced the family connections I was able to find in those that were there, I trusted Kelemvor to guide me to the spot that would allow me to bless as much of the cemetery in one go as I could. That, He did. The spot was an intersection of three drives, and right in the middle of the intersection, in a little raised triangle of ground where the three drives came together, was a piece of granite that had been placed on its side, like a small altar. It was obvious that this was where He wanted me to pray.

While I was praying, the sadness I felt, coming from all those abandoned and unremembered graves, wasn't overwhelming - it was, rather, tempered by a sense of resignation, as if it was expected that the living would forget the dead. At the same time, there was a sense of peace that came over the cemetery, as if a simple blessing was enough to ease the passing of those who hadn't gone yet.

How many were still there? I don't know. What I do know is that, for the Church of Kelemvor's first Feast of the Moon, the result was a greater connection with local history, and a greater sense of peace in one cemetery, at least. It's a start. I continue to pray that it grows until we can accomplish the goal of the church: that no one dies alone.

Image by spacepleb via Flickr

Every culture has its festival that celebrates the dead, honored ancestors, and the spirits that dwell in the afterlife. In Japan, there is the Bon Festival. In Korea, there is Chuseok. In China, there is the Qingming Festival. In Nepal, there is Gaijatra. To Pagans, Samhain is that holiday. The Asatruar honor the dead in two holidays: Walpurgis Night and the Feast of the Einherjar. In Western society, All Saints Day and All Souls Day occur together, and are surrounded and expanded upon by Halloween and Dia de los Muertos. Even players of World of Warcraft celebrate Hallow's End.

In our faith, the Feast of the Moon celebrates our honored dead, our ancestors, and all those who have passed on. We celebrate this festival from October 31 through November 2. Traditionally, according to the Calendar of Harptos, the Feast of the Moon would be celebrated on November 30, and would be celebrated by all faiths. In the future, if the other Gods of Faerûn gain a following in this world, our celebration may return to the traditional date, but for now, we choose to celebrate at a time when, due to the combined celebrations of millions of others, this world is closest to the other side, and the dead can most easily be honored.

As a new religion, we have not accumulated the generations of tradition that guide older religions in the celebration of this (and other) holidays, but we do have guidelines for celebration that give us a good place to start.

• In our faith, the most important part of this celebration is the relating of the stories of our dead. Each family tells the stories of their loved ones who have passed on, as well as stories of any notable ancestors. Our priests relate the stories of any members of their congregations who have died in the last year, who do not have family members to tell their stories for them.
• Another practice is visiting the graves of the dead, to ritually remember them with offerings, stories, conversation, and picnics. A visit to the grave during this festival is a solemn obligation.
• This is the holiday at which conversations with the dead occur. Priests will speak with those on the other side who can offer insight into difficulties that their congregation may be facing, and will help any members of the congregation who do not know how to communicate with the dead.

Image via Wikipedia

We don't have any objections to the usual practices of Halloween. In fact, I personally enjoy giving out treats when the Trick-or-Treat mobs come to my door, and I love decorating my house in its Halloween best. And as for horror movies? Don't let me get started on those! Celebrating along with the rest of the world is a good way to get in the spirit of the holiday. Share the good times with your family and friends, and give to those around you, whether it's by giving out candy at your door, giving something extra to your favorite charity, or going to the cemetery to place flowers on the graves of Revolutionary War veterans.

Whatever you do to prepare for the holiday, remember that the dead deserve your honor, and that the honor you give them reflects upon your own. The Feast of the Moon is a time to reflect and reconnect with your past, with those who made the world what it is now. It's a time for families to come together, the living and the dead, and rediscover their unity. Immerse yourself in the spirit of the festival, and you will find that it stays with you into the coming year.