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Catharsis, the "Days of Cleansing"

February (Thanatos in the Elysian calendar) the 1st to the 14th is the time of Catharsis, the "Days of Cleansing". This holiday is dedicated to the telling of confessions, ritual bathing, and the burning of excessive plant growth to allow for new. Love is created and celebrated. Members of Nymph communities wash away their troubles with the spoken word as well as with water, soap, and scrubbing cloths.

It is a tradition for thoughtful gifts to be exchanged during the first, seventh, and fourteenth days of this holiday.

The first day of Catharsis is the "Day of Confessions", in which those who are smitten with another are to give the person of their affection a gift and share their feelings. Those who harbor ill emotions and are to confess and give a gift as well, though theirs is meant to remind the recipient of the grudge the gift giver will afterward confess. Those who have lied to someone are to give a gift that reminds of what the lie was about before they too confess.

The seventh day of Catharsis is the "Day of Burning". The past is burned away to make room for a fresh future. Excess forest is burned by a carefully controlled fire. Afterward, the Nymphs gather near the rich resulting soil and sing together to thank what was burned for returning to the earth, and to remind of the new life that would arise in their place. Afterward there is a feast and dancing, the latter is usually around a bonfire of some sort. It is before or after the dancing that the gifts are given, these usually being a handcrafted object in the colors of flame.

The fourteenth day of Catharsis is the "Day of Washing". The ashes of the past are washed away to allow for a bright tomorrow. The folk who celebrated the Day of Confessions together are expected to publically bath together in the nearest large body of water as a symbol of grievances forgiven and love being cherished. A gift on the Day of Washing can be anything that the person receiving it might enjoy, as long as some chiolen flowers are included.