Rathalia

Rathalia, informally known as Ratha's Festival or the Strawberry Festival in Penumbria, is a tradition marked by festivities surrounding passion, heat, the height of natural growth, and praise to the Sun.

It is a common time for arranged marriages and adoptions, which typically begin the courting/interview process in Germina, to be solidified legally believing that Rath's presence symbolizes the resilience of Penumbrians to withstand inhospitable terrain. Essentially, it's believed to be good luck to have contracts signed under his observance.

Many activities take places during this Observance that are directed at bonding between couples or work families, focused on insularity and distancing themselves from their upbringings, as nepotism and "conflicts of interest" are banned in Penumbria, thus it is encouraged that they bond with their assigned family and partner rather than who they grew up with.

One particular tradition is strawberry picking in the Middling, which is a Green Halo with large amounts of groundcover to help transfer or propagate dying fields in the Crater States. It is also maintained well year round, and berries from the Middling are said to be the best as they grow uninhibited by plot size. It is a bonding exercise but also gives way to many special cuisines, such as the strawberry fire ant salad -- a Penumbrian specialty that includes fire ants that make their homes on the edges of the Middling, mixed with locally grown chard, strawberries, and vinegar dressing.

Logistics
It is a tradition that takes place every Observance of Rath (11 Earth days), which is the first half of the Resonance 1 (22 Earth days) of the Aer Su Cycle (44 Earth days).

Most homes in Penumbria, at least in the Crater States, have one of two groundcovers as their lawn -- strawberries, or chamomile. These are associated with the deities Laris and Turan, which are also two of the closest observable planets.

Strawberries are generally planted or propogated during Selvanalia, the festival of Selvans. This takes place during the previous Cycle of Aer Si during the Observance of Selvans. This timeframe is known as "Germina", the Resonance of germination and propogation. Thus, it has strong associations with fertility, which comes to fruition during the next cycle of Aer Su, during the resonance of Fervidor, the resonance of heat and what is seen as the height of Rath's power.

Time frame of Rathalia:

Aer Su - First Infernal Season

Resonance 1 - Fervidor "Burning Hot"

Observance 1 - Rath 1-11