Archive:Mevizhi

Mevizhi Mevizhi

'Mevizhi (pronunciation: /meʋɨʒi/) is the capital city of Bomo, located on the eastern coast, in the region of Ka'atsinen. Mevizhi is home to the Crimson Palace, as well as the Zhuji Yngatsa, both prominent Federal government buildings. This city is also a prominent trading city, and a large commercial fishing hub. There are two main ethnic subgroups that call Mevizhi home, and that is a cause of great tension in the city. Mevizhi is one of the only parts of Bomo with notable tourism, due to a thriving arts community and the governmental significance of the city.

Etymology

It is unclear where the name Mevizhi came from, but local legend says that Mevizhi was a woman that lived in this area long ago, and when people began to migrate to Lahan, she stayed behind, to protect her family's land and the culture that was so dear to her. The legend goes that one by one, every member of her family left her, even her children, and her partner. But still she stayed. She is seen by the residents of Ka'atsinen as the mother of Bomo.

Culture

Festivals

There are many festivals that take place in the city, and many of the county-wide festivals are celebrated in Mevizhi in large celebrations.

The Celebration of Mevizhi

Each spring, the residents of Mevizhi celebrate the mother of Bomo. The celebration consists of a citywide feast, hosted in many different locations, and headed by the Counselor of Ka'atsinen, and a series of traditional dances and songs. The festival concludes with a traditional candle lighting ceremony to honor family members that did not last the winter, and to honor women that have given birth that year. Tradition dress is also a large part of the ceremony. Women wear white gowns, and men wear yellow tunics. Both men and women wear traditional jewelry and other accessories.

Gepukefi

Gepukefi is a yearly celebration of the entrance into adulthood. It takes place in the midst of summer, and all of the 16 year old men and women of the city gather to be welcomed into adulthood. There are a number of different ways that this ceremony is celebrated, with wealthier families having large private parties, middle class families having smaller family gatherings, and the poorest citizens attending mass ceremonies led by the government. The main event of the ceremony is a ritual dance, performed by those that are coming of age, that can last for hours, depending on the amount of people that are coming of age at the ceremony, and the preferences of the families of those coming of age. Traditional dress for this ceremony is a crimson tunic and head wrap, the only time a person is culturally allowed to wear that color, as it is a nationwide symbol of royalty. Those that are coming of age also pain their faces and body with intricate designs of black ink, and wear wooden or metal jewelry around their necks, wrists, waists, and ankles. Another very important part of this ceremony is the assumption to the throne of a new Counselor. If the current Counselor believes that one of those eligible in their family that is coming of age should be their successor, then they surrender the throne at the beginning of the ceremony. Those in their family that are coming of age, which could be anywhere from one to, at highest recorded, 15 in number, depending on the circumstances, are then presented near the end of the ceremony, as the sun sets, and the retired counselor names their successor in front of the whole city. The new Counselor then recites a traditional sacred text before the crowd, and extinguishes the flame of the fire of the old counselor, and lights their own new eternal flame, that remains lit as long as they remain in power.