Reflections of a Satyr: Rafael | 97 | Celebrate

Rafael is if anything, always in the mood to celebrate. His attitude and aptitude to celebrate in any festivity he comes across were cultivated from centuries of travel and a healthy thirst for understanding. An anthropologist by his nature and by his blood, he sought that common link with people and has seen more than his fair share of celebrations. After all, what is the humble, noble task of a bard if not to chronicle the stories and the highs and lows of mankind?

 

And so, on this effort, Rafael left his village, ambling far and wide on the trodden paths and winding mountains of his home realm. He ate of the land and took with him his first stories, the stories of the celebrations and kindness of his people.

 

They had many religious fasts and feasts in celebration of their Gods. Nature’s orators, the elders often spun down stories of the scriptures to the children, stories of their flights of fancy, their triumphs and losses in equal part. Some wove those stories into songs, and honeyed words warm like the fire’s hue filled the hearts of those in attendance.

 

In remembrance of those that had come before, Rafael often observed those periods even when on the road. In celebration and solidarity with the Gods’ plights, when they suffered, he would fast and he would give generously of anything that he had. In those practices, Rafael showed great humility and reverence.

 

Then, in times after the harvest when the Gods were celebrated with feasts and merriment, he would take up his mandora and sing the songs and tell the stories of his people. A twinkle of merriment was held in his eyes as sometimes, he would fashion toys or other trinkets to share with the children, or flowers and sweets with which to tempt the women with his guile. All in the art of celebration, he had a lot of love to share and he was keen to revel in that capacity.

 

Then, as he traveled he inevitably came across other cultures and other celebrations, and he met them with an open heart and an open mind. He tried on their garb, tried their foods, and tried to understand the importance of their customs with an innocent curiosity. Eventually, he adapted some of these stories and some of these customs into how he ran his own life. To date, he is a man of a hundred celebrations, living among the many peoples and trying to understand what is important to them. He keeps a journal, a small, unassuming little thing that is filled with pages and pages of notes. Jammed in every margin of every page are stories, customs as he observed them, and even recipes for special dishes served during certain festivities. He also has messily penned in ink, a makeshift calendar that has date ranges jotted down. These ranges and days have their key, and leafing through the journal you can find exactly what time, what world, and what importance a particular holiday has. In the scheme of things, Rafael’s part is very small, but with a warm smile and a festive heart, he tries to keep the spirit of many different celebrations alive even when he is a world away.