The Festival of the Mummer is a biannual celebration that takes place in the Free City of Braavos.
It is celebrated every third and ninth moon of the year, and was created by the Sealord Illio Sollys.
History[]
A great lover of food, wine and theatre, Illio grew very fat in the later years of his life. In celebration of his love, he created the Festival of the Mummer, and twice a year since the streets of Braavos have been filled with singers, musicians, dancers, jugglers and performers of all kinds. The Festival ends with a Feast in the plazas surrounded the Towers of the Keyholders.
Format[]
Although the actual involved parties vary with each festival, the overall format of the celebration has remained largely unchanged over century and more that the festival has existed.
The celebration always starts with a speech from the Sealord from atop the onward facing balcony of the Sealord's Palace. Whilst Illio Sollys' speeches were long and poetic, citing playwrights and bards from across the Known World to whet the interest of those listening, his replacement has often seemed less enthused by the task.
In preparation for the festival, a grand stage is constructed in the Plaza of the Moon Pool. after the Sealord's speech, the first of three plays are performed. Depicting the tyranny of the Valyrians, and the escape of the ancestors of the Braavosi rising against them, the show is centred around the escape of the slaves, and the founding of Braavos. The roles of both the leader of the slaves and their Valyrian masters are fiercely sought after.
The second play celebrates the life of the Sealord past, and thus has varied significantly over the pass hundred and twenty years. The plays typically focus on the positive aspects of the Sealord's life, and thus sometimes runs for hours in the case of more popular Sealords, or mere minutes in those remembered less favourably.
The third show is by far the most popular, primarily due to choice. Illio Sollys declared that the city of Braavos was a city for the people to have freedom above all else, and as such both the play and its participants are chosen by popular vote. As a result of this, the performed show has the potential to be deeply confusing to those unfamiliar with the story, for often men are chosen to play women, portly individuals selected to play lithe and dashing characters. Many refuse the role, but those that contribute are considered highly by the commonfolk of the city, and are placed upon the Sealord's table at the subsequent feast.
The feast takes place in the well-kept streets around the Towers of the Keyholders, the brick and stone transformed by streamers of fabric and coloured parchment hanging from above. All those of noble birth are welcome to feast with the Sealord, and those that attend traditionally dine on mussels served with cloves of garlic and sprigs of thyme, roasted fish caught fresh in the bay, and crisp white wines from the hills of Andalos, served chilled with ice from the Shivering Sea.