When B. first envisioned the world of our books, it had a dual star system. This begged the question: what kind of impact would such a solar system have on its inhabitants? In two star systems, the suns typically orbit around each other, so they would likely mark their calendar by the orientation of their two stars. As each sun passed in front of the other, the temperatures would drop much like it gets cold during a solar eclipse on earth. We decided to make one sun larger and warmer than the other, so when the smaller one crossed before the larger one, we termed it “The Crossing”. It was this event that triggered the planet’s winter season and marked the New Year.

Animation of orbiting suns

Now came the question of holidays. Part of the backstory to our tale was the arrival of scientists and missionaries from Earth (Territes). In a world whose calendar is very different from our own, how would they commemorate such events as Christmas and Resurrection Sunday? When considering their solar calendar, the answers became obvious. Christmas became Aventye, a four week celebration that begins at the height of the Crossing, based on our own Advent. Resurrection Sunday became Pasyaltide during the “Hiding” when the smaller sun passes behind the larger one (more on this when book 4 comes out).

So, as we enter our own Christmas season, we introduce you to the first holiday of Elvensty, the Aventye of Hope. For our characters, this carries a double-meaning: the hope of the New Year as the promised hope of the Messiah that was fulfilled when Jesus Christ was born. It is on this day that we remember the days of Moses, the prophets, and the nation of Israel as they looked forward in Hope for the Savior that was to come and atone for their sins.

Advent Candles

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