Dragon Holidays and Celebrations by *Rose Adriane*

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

Dragon Holidays and Celebrations

January 16th - Earth Dragon Day

 

Bronze Dragons originally dwelled in mountan caves or subterranean lairs. They're the source of the mythos about dragon's hoarding treasure, but as with most things it isn't quite what it seems. Bronze dragons love weath but their definition of wealth is the wealth of the abundant land, lush green forests, sparkling waterfalls, flower sprinkled meadows. They are by their very nature ecologists. They can also be Eco-terrorists if they feel their land is being destroyed. They can wreck any level of havoc when they're upset but one of their favourite things to do is take back all the gold and silver and jewels they can find. After all it came from either "their" land or the land of a brother or sister dragon if people value those things more highly than nature why what else is a poor dragon to do to get some attention?

 

Feburary 16th - The Dragon parade celebrating Chinese New Year.

 

The Oriental Dragon Nian was a little dragon that came to the Villages of China in the Han times... But just by accident one of the villages discovered the Nian had a few fears of his own. He was afraid of the colour Red. Which is why the Chinese believe red to be the colour of luck, joy and happiness. At midnight of the Chinese new year firecrackers, paper dragons, noise makers and the waving of red ribbons are waved around to help drive away any lingering spirtis of evil dragons like Nian.

 

March 3rd - Alexander Graham Bell - The patron Saint of all Copper Dragons.

 

Copper Dragons are native to the red rocks of Sedona, but unlike humans who now visit to feel the vortex, the coper dragon has moved to the city where they have proliferated in large numbers. Their preferred lair is the wiring closet of any large builing and the largest of them usually take up their residence in the local C.O (Central Switching Office) of the phone company.

 

March 25th - Celtic Flower Day

 

Rainbow dragons are relatively small on the scale of Dragons and are very often mistaken for faeries. They have the special property of being able to breath a cloud of flower scented mist at friends and foe alike (some flowers actually stink which will repel a foe)

 

April 8th - Fire Dragon Day Day of the Fire Dragons.

 

This day always falls on the last Sunday before the sign of Taurus. It's a day to honor the power of fire by lighting a dragon candle or other such thing.

 

May 5th - The feast of the Dragon - Chinese

 

Ch'ien represents what is great, the creative penetration of the correct, the firm and the advantageous. Through heaven above and below we understand the relationship between the beingging and the end. Each of the six lines reaches it's accomplishment at the appointed time. They mount the chariot drawn by these six dragons at the proper hour, and drive across the sky.

 

June 18th - Dragon Boat Day

 

The Dragon boat festival is a Lunar holiday. The boat festivals are traditional customs to atempt to rescue the patriotic poet Chu Yuan. Chu Yuan drowned on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month in 227 B.C. Dragon Boats feature the head and tail of a dragon, a creature regarded by the Chinese to have dominion over the waters and exercising control over rainfall.

 

June 22nd - The flaming of the Rose - Nwyvre

 

He appears in the desert at high noon. His body is transparent ruby red, and his is surrounded by a cloud of fire like the teardrop shape of a candle flame. His gift is a sword of bright flame, the Sword of Truth, encased in a crystal sheath. The Nwyvre and his gift lie at the heart of the dragon myths in the west. In order to master the gift of the Flaming Sword of Truth one must enter into the Way of the Warrior. Once the sword is unsheathed one must do battle with the dragon flame or it will gain control and cause great harm to the knight who so arrogantly drew the blade when he or she wasn't ready.

 

July 17th - Festival of Tarasque

 

Look out! It's the Festival of the Tarasque wherein a man-eating monster charges down the streets of it's name sake city in France snapping at people. Doesn't sound quite as cuddle as Godzilla or Mothra. The old festival, commemorates the capture of the beast for which the festival is named, a fire-breathing dragon type thing. A dragon fload is paraded through the streets of the city and touched by attendants for good luck.

 

August 15th - Feast of the Flame Dragons

 

They are smaller in size than your "typical" dragon and are attracted to the warmth of the hearth and feelings of love and good fellowship. They generally take up residence in the fireplaces of a home and are often mistaken for Salamanders.

 

September 7th - St. Clouds Day - Fionneal

 

They are a sky dwelling race. Some will make lairs in cloud shrouded caves but most will always have their lairs on floating cloud islands. It is very hard to distinguish cloud dragons from the clouds around them because they can take on a cohesive gaseous form at will. While in this form the only form of attack or self protection available to them are spells that are weather or wind based. One special spell they have is called Cloudburst. it takes all water from a cloud and compresses it into a mass rain thta can extinguish all magickal and normal fires. Cloud dragons look like fringed and frilled gold dragons. Coloration depends on surroundings and mood, ranging from dark gray (angry) to pure white (neutral), or golden rose coloured (very pleased).

 

October 8th - Feast of High places - Claivsolais

 

Air dragons are very often mistaken for angels. They slip easily into either human form or virtual invisibility and people who encounter them are often left with the impression they've just met an angel. For some reason that's easier for people to accep, than they've just met a dragon who was a human who was a dragon... Claivsolais teaches a special practise that is associated with two of the nine elements.

 

October 16th - Air Dragon Day

 

Oriental dragons control the weather, wind and rain... Air Dragon day is to pay homage to these magnificant beings who rule our skies.

 

November 6th - Dragon Mother Day - Dubnos

 

Deep in the Earth the Dragon Mother lives. She is the first mother, she who existed before all things. Some know her as Tiamat.

 

November 14th - Feast of the Musicans - Laochgael

 

An annual Druidic festival known as the Feast of the Musicans which in the green rose tradition is dedicated to the dragon Laochgael. This is a day to spend listening to music. Listen to a peice you normally wouldn't be able to understand. And with Laochgael in your heart he will help translate it.

 

December 8th - Festival of the Sun - Gagreine

 

Gagreine is the one to approach if one wants to understand that nature of time. Gagreine can teach many things, the trick to remaining youthful, the trick of measuring time in your own manner so that we have a lot more control over our lives. Celebrate the light and warmth of Gagrenie the Sun dragon.

 

The Tarasque or Tarrasque was a fearsome monster tamed in a legendary story about Saint Martha.The Tarasque is also a legendary marine creature reported to live in Vietnam's Halong Bay Legend Legend has it that the creature inhabited the area of Nerluc in Provence, and devastated the landscape far and wide. The Tarasque was a sort of dragon with six short legs like a bears, an ox-like body covered with a turtle shell, and a scaly tail that ended in a scorpion's sting. It had a lion's head.

 

The Tarasque was said to have come from Galatia which was the home of the legendary Onachus, a beast which burned everything it touched. Some speculate that the story of the Onachus may be related to either that of the Unicorn or the Phoenix. The Tarasque was the offspring of the Onachus and the Leviathan of biblical account; basically-though disputably-a giant sea serpent.

 

Photo of a fibreglass model of the Tarasque, taken in Tarascon during the June celebrations.

The king of Nerluc had attacked the Tarasque with knights and catapults to no avail. But Saint Martha found the beast and charmed it with hymns and prayers, and led back the tamed Tarasque to the city. The people, terrified by the monster, attacked it when it drew nigh. The monster offered no resistance and died there. Martha then preached to the people and converted many of them to Christianity. Sorry for what they had done to the tamed monster, the newly-Christianized towns people changed the town's name to Tarascon.

 

The story of the Tarasque is also very similar to the story of Beauty and the Beast and King Kong. The monster is beguiled and weakened by a woman and then killed when brought back to civilization.