Chapter 1572： after the celebration (1/2)

The grand sacrificial event lasted for a whole day, until the dusk was getting deeper and the night was approaching, a series of sacred ceremonies on the Pioneer Square finally came to an end, but even so, there were still a large number of people inside and outside the Pioneer Square - the official sacrifice After the ceremony, there will be folk celebrations and entertainment. A large-scale night market will continue from night to the next day. Jugglers, dancers and craftsmen selling specialties will take over the celebration tonight.

The gifts and prayers of the day are a matter of the gods, and the celebrations and pastimes of the night belong to the world.

Enjoy the free and cheerful festival after the sacred, rigorous and cumbersome ceremonies. The Pioneer Square after nightfall is even more lively than during the day.

There are no more rules and regulations, no solemn and rigid church music, replaced by the stage set up by street vendors and mobile artists everywhere. There are local small businessmen selling souvenirs around the square, and there are also people from Kant or Tanzania. Sang's jugglers and dancers set up a stage to perform in the business area planned by the municipal department. The cheerful and lively tunes were mixed with the sound of hawking. The bright magic spar lamp array floated in the sky above the square, illuminating the night of the celebration.

This is often the happiest part for children - they don't yet understand the rigor and sacredness of church rituals, nor do they understand the allusions and inheritance of the three gods of abundance, and religious festivals like Easter are divided into two distinct categories for them. Part of it is the rigorous, boring and depressing daytime, and the night market where you can eat, drink, and play around. All over the square, the slightly anxious or helpless shouts of parents sounded behind them, which became another "scenery" of this celebration night.

Veronica, holding a platinum scepter, walked unhurriedly among the noisy crowd, looking at everything around her with a smile.

Holding a scepter, wearing a white dress and shimmering around her, the "Virgin Princess" should have been a particularly eye-catching target in the crowd, and her quiet and calm temperament was also incompatible with the surrounding environment, but the crowd in the square was not. As if not paying attention to the appearance of this big man, the flow of people coming and going is extremely natural and subconsciously avoiding Veronica's side. Everything is kept at just the right distance.

She stopped and looked forward.

There is a rudimentary stage there. It is said to be a stage, but it is actually a modified cart. The rear half of the cart is stretched out and reinforced with support columns, and it becomes the appearance of a stage. The dancer in the light purple dress spun and danced in the middle of the simple wooden platform. Although the night in the early spring was still cold, the dancer's figure was still cheerful, and the smiles were full of joy. There were two people holding flutes and lyre in the cart. It is country music with a simple tune. It is not as solemn and grand as the church music in the daytime, but the performers still do their best to immerse themselves in it - the audience gathers around this stage, some people applaud, some people Turning around and leaving, more people just stood quietly on the edge and watched.

Veronica looked at the figure standing quietly on the edge. The other person's long golden curly hair was particularly eye-catching in the night, and the latter seemed to have noticed the sight that suddenly fell on her. She raised her head, a little bit. Surprised to discover the existence of Veronica, she then showed a polite and gentle smile: "Good night, Your Highness Veronica, I really didn't expect you to appear in such a lively and vulgar place."

"I don't think this place is vulgar, it's a part of this land," Veronica also smiled back, "but you, didn't you come too - as the saint of the three gods of abundance, in the grand sacrifice Isn't there a lot of business to deal with after the ceremony?"

The one who appeared in front of Veronica was none other than the Holy Maiden of Harvest who presided over the sacrificial ceremony during the day, but at the moment she did not bring the accompanying priests, nor did she wear the robes of the priests, but stood like an ordinary citizen. Here, she looked like she was enjoying the festival. After hearing Veronica's question, she spread out her hand: "Didn't you say it too? The grand sacrificial ceremony is over - my work has been completed. , the follow-up matters will be handled by the aides and priests in the temple."

"I see—it's not the same as the Church of the Holy Light. I was much busier than you when I was a saint in the North Church," Veronica seemed to say casually, "It seems that you are enjoying the festival here. ?"

"Is this strange? The gods have blessed the earth, so enjoying the joy of the earth is the best way to respond to the gods," the Holy Maiden of Harvest said naturally, "Tonight, everyone can enjoy themselves here, of course. Including you and me."

Veronica didn't answer for a while, she just looked up at the dancer spinning on the wooden platform, and after a long time she said softly as if talking to herself: "Every year there is a recovery festival, before the establishment of the Theocratic Council, it was established. After that, for believers of the God of Harvest, this is the day when the three goddesses bless the earth, but for most non-believers, Easter is just a celebration.”

"I agree with you," the Holy Maiden of Harvest said calmly, "For non-believers, today is just a celebration, but this celebration has been passed down for thousands of years. It is undeniable that the influence of the three gods of fertility has become this An essential part of the celebration, people will hang dry ears of wheat at the door when Easter comes, will dew on the grass on this day as a good omen for the beginning of the year, will eat sweet pies on this day, This practice is spread across several countries, regardless of whether the people in these regions believe in the three goddesses - but you, the executive of the council, should know that these so-called customs are actually variants of some items of the ancient doctrine of fertility That's it."

Veronica listened quietly, she knew what the other party said was true, and she admitted these facts from the beginning, just as Gawain had told her - the power of faith has grown on this land for thousands of years, This is not an impurity that can be removed from the culture, nor is it a "disease" that can be "cured" in a short period of time, it is not a ritual, norm derived from belief , Dogma has become an essential part of the operation of the mortal world in a subtle way, they have become the habit of ordinary people's speech, they have become the etiquette in interpersonal communication, and even become people's daily judgment criteria for good and bad luck.

Theocratic councils can reshape the church, they can adjust their mindsets, they can loosen beliefs as a harmless force, but in the end, some things that have evolved into social conventions are extremely difficult to eradicate because these things... already are part of civilization.

Just like this celebration tonight, like the dancers dancing in the cold wind, like the children who put on new clothes and walk through the crowd, and the parents who can only helplessly restless no matter how mischievous the children are—

God has said that children should be tolerant on the night of Recovery Day, because God will be displeased by the crying of children. Ordinary people outside the Church may not know the existence of this commandment, but almost everyone knows about Recovery Day. Don't hit children.

This is the part that is difficult to interfere with the power of the Theocratic Council. It is the "projection" left by religious activities in cultural heritage - but in the final analysis, the Theocracy itself does not intend to interfere with such harmless things.

"The operation of the Theocratic Council is only to make the world safer, we never intend to eradicate the church, let alone the enemy of the gods," Veronica smiled and shook her head, "Everything we do is to help you. "

The Holy Maiden of Plenty smiled and seemed to ask casually, "For example, this unusual celebration today?"