Real World Holidays related to Tamriel Holidays

Gidorick

ZOS has stated in the past that they would not be celebrating any real-world holidays in ESO but that Tamrielic Holidays were a possibility. With the impending Witches' Festival releases it has become apparent that ZOS will more than likely release items for Tamrielic Holidays that also have real-world counterparts. Let's take a look at what those holidays might be!

New Years Day <-> Old Life Festival & New Life Festivals
December 30th-January 1st / Evening Star 30th-Morning Star 1st

• Old Life: On the last day of the year the Empire celebrates the holiday called Old Life. Many go to the temples to reflect on their past. Some go for more than this, for it is rumored that priests will as the last act of the year perform resurrections on beloved friends and family members free of the usual charge. Worshippers know better than to expect this philanthropy, but they arrive in a macabre procession with the recently deceased nevertheless. When ale flows free in all the taverns in all the cities of Tamriel.
• New Life: Today the people of the Empire are having the New Life Festival in celebration of a new year. The Emperor has ordered yet another tax increase in his New Life Address, and there is much grumbling about this. Still, despite financial difficulties, the New Life tradition of free ale at all the taverns in the cities continues. The people of Tamriel certainly know how to hold a celebration. In Daggerfall, this is the Summoning Day for Clavicus Vile.

Valentines Day <-> Heart's Day
February 14th / Sun's Dawn 16th

• Today is the 16th of Sun's Dawn, a holiday celebrated all over Tamriel as Heart's Day. It seems that in every house, the Legend of the Lovers is being sung for the younger generation. In honor of these Lovers, Polydor and Eloisa, the inns of the city offer a free room for visitors. If such kindness had been given the Lovers, it is said, it would always be springtime in the world. In Daggerfall, this is the Summoning Day for Sanguine.

St. Patrick's Day <-> Flower Day
March 17th / First Seed 21st & First Seed 25th

• Flower Day is another of the frivolous celebrations of High Rock. Children pick the new flowers of spring while older Bretons, cooped up all winter, come out to welcome the season with dancing and singing.

April's Fools <-> Jester's Day
April 1st / Rain's Hand 28th (pretty far apart...)

• Be warned that today is Jester's Day in the city of provinceName, and pranks are being set up from one end of town to the other. It is as if a spell has been cast over the community, for even the most taciturn and dignified councilman might attempt to play a joke on his relative. The Thieves Guild finds particular attention as everyone looks for pickpockets in particular.
  • NOTE: Let's hope this goes hand in hand with the Thieves Guild release!!!!

Easter <-> Day of the Dead
Sunday in March or April / Rain's Hand 13th

• The Day of the Dead is one of the more peculiar holidays of Daggerfall. The superstitious say that the dead rise on this holiday to wreak vengeance on the living. It is a fact that King Lysandus' spectre began its haunting on the Day of the Dead, 3E 404.

Canada Day & Independence Day <-> Merchants Festival
July 1st & July 4th / Sun's Height 10th

• The bargain shoppers of the known world are out in force today and it is little wonder, for the 10th of Sun's Height is a holiday called the Merchants' Festival. Every marketplace and equipment store has dropped their prices to at least half. The only shop not being patronized today is the Mages Guild, where prices are as exorbitant as usual. Most citizens in need of a magical item are waiting two months for the celebration of Tales and Tallows when prices will be more reasonable... In Daggerfall, this is the Summoning day for Vaernima.

Halloween <-> Witches Festival (obviously)
October 31st / Frostfall 13th

• Today is the 13th of Frostfall, known throughout Tamriel as the Witches' Festival when the forces of sorcery and religion clash. The Mages Guild gets most of the business since weapons and items are evaluated for their mystic potential free of charge and magic spells are one half their usual price. Demonologists, conjurors, lamias, warlocks, and thaumaturgists meet in the wilderness outside (the city), and the creatures created or summoned there may plague Tamriel for eons. Most wise men choose not to wander this night. In Daggerfall, this is the Summoning Day for Mephala.

Christmas <-> Saturalia
December 25th / Evening Star 25th

• The New Life festival comes a few days early in Wayrest with Saturalia, traditionally held on the 25th of Evening Star. Originally a holiday for a long forgotten god of debauchery, it has become a time of gift giving, parties, and parading. Visitors are encouraged to participate.

These are the holidays that I think are pretty likely to be used in ESO which could coincide with real-world holidays!

One Tamriel-only Holiday I hope to see observed in ESO is:

Dancing Day
Mid Year (June) 23rd

• Dancing Day is a time-honored holiday in Daggerfall. Who started it is questionable, but the Red Prince Atryck popularized it in the second era. It is an occasion of great pomp and merriment for all the people of Daggerfall, from the nobles down.
  • What could ZOS do?: ZOS could release new limited time dance emotes in the Crown Store every year for every Dancing Day.

What about you? Any Tamriel-only holidays you would like to see observed in ESO? Are there other real world holidays that have Tamrielic counterparts?
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Calendar

nordsavage

Festivus <-> Can't believe I wasted my time reading that.

Gidorick

nordsavage wrote: »

Festivus <-> Can't believe I wasted my time reading that.

That get's an "insightful" from me.

Mettaricana

I like this

Shunravi

Very nice. Good to show what could work.

Darkstorne

Awesome idea! There's a mod for Skyrim that adds Tamriel festivals on the right dates. Helps add a sense of time to the game, since the lack of seasons makes the game feel fairly static where time is concerned.

the Dancing Day idea. I would definitely pay for limited edition dancing emotes =D

You're missing holidays for August, September, and November, so:

Harvest Festival / Harvest's End
Mid-Late September / Last Seed 27th - Half a month out, but an important festival, and fills the August gap for Tamriel.

• The work of the year is over, the seeding, sowing, and reaping. Now is the time to celebrate and enjoy the fruits of the harvest. The taverns offer free drinks all day long, an extra vagance before the economy of the coming winter months. Under-fed farm hands gorging themselves and then getting sick in the town square are the most common sights of the celebration of Harvest's End.
• Classic "get wasted" festival. Opportunity for limited time Provisioning recipes?

Children's Day / Children's Day (same name in Tamriel)
November 20th / Hearth Fire 19th

• Children's Day in Betony is a festive occasion with a grim history. All know though few choose to recall that Children's Day began as a memorial to the dozens of children in Betony who were stolen from their homes by vampires one night never to be seen again. The holiday has since become a celebration of youth.
• Fantastic opportunity for in-game charity work and plenty of vampire hunting events! Stendarr will be most pleased!

Warrior's Festival - Not based on real world festival
Sun's Dusk 20th (November)

• Most of the local warriors, spellswords, and rogues come to the equipment stores and blacksmiths where all weapons are half price. Unfortunately, the low prices also tempt many an untrained boy to buy his first sword and the normally quiet city streets ring with amateur skirmishes.
• Great opportunity for limited-time combat events, PVE co-op dungeons and PVP arenas. Also awesome opportunity for a Crown Store sale on weapon skins (and an incentive to release some )

krees28b14_ESO

Warrior's Festival - Not based on real world festival
Sun's Dusk 20th (November)

• Most of the local warriors, spellswords, and rogues come to the equipment stores and blacksmiths where all weapons are half price. Unfortunately, the low prices also tempt many an untrained boy to buy his first sword and the normally quiet city streets ring with amateur skirmishes.
• Great opportunity for limited-time combat events, PVE co-op dungeons and PVP arenas. Also awesome opportunity for a Crown Store sale on weapon skins (and an incentive to release some )

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Warrior's Festival sounds like it could be some type of Memorial Day type of thing. I am all for festivals and holidays but they have to expand on them each year so we are not playing the same things all the time.