The Lavender Festival of Giovanniland

[Giovanniland]

The Lavender Festival of Giovanniland

The Lavender Festival is one of the most prominent Giovannilandian holidays, along with New Year (January 1st), Empire Day (January 16th), Kingdom Revolution Day (June 15th), Harvonian Day (August 29th), and Constitution Day (October 30th). It happens during the week before New Year, starting from December 25th, meaning it's also often considered together with New Year composing its final day. 

The festival dates back to the age of the Lavandulan Empire, with archaeological records pointing to the first edition being held around 1100 BF during the reign of Emperor Tsering II. The capital Uryde, at the time known as Lavandula, had prominent lavender fields around it and was thus chosen as the main location for the event. The tradition has passed down generation to generation ever since, from the days of the Lavandulan Empire, then the post-imperial Duchy of Quorivo, and continues to the present day.

The flag of the Lavanda Prima region.
The green represents the soil, the lavender represents the plant's fields, and the blue represents the sky.

The lavender is commonly seen in Giovanniland as a symbol as prosperity and renewal, hence the festival's date just before the New Year. However, since the modern calendar was only introduced in Giovanniland through the Abrentans, the celebration has not always happened during the same time of the year. Only after Emperor Giovanni II the Great unified the entire island under the Giovannilandian Empire did the celebration expand beyond the Lavandulan region and start to happen all across the nation. The festival passed on to the modern Kingdom of Giovanniland, and its holiday status was enshrined into law after the passage of the Holidays Act of 1253. 

Giovanniland celebrates the holiday with various activities. Lavender is planted into home gardens some months in advance of the event in order to have them fully grown, and lavender bunches are used to decorate the insides of houses. Lavender aroma compounds and perfumes from lavender oil are also used to give a pleasant odor, and various food recipes also use parts of the lavender and are commonly baked during the festival. Last but not least, it is a common tradition to leave some lavender bunches at the doorstep, so that good fortunes can ensue for the following year.

Therefore, one can see how important this festival is for Giovannilandians from all the nation, and especially the northern part where it originated from. The current mayor of Uryde, Gyalseno Velanio-Lodeno from the Partito Librale-Demokrata, has capitalized on this opportunity to improve the city and the nation's economy through the creation of the upcoming Lavender Fair, with several markets across the city taking part. Each day, a different lavender product will be featured in those markets and have a discount on its price, while other lavender products will be sold normally, although the specific items won't be revealed until their own day. Furthermore, Prime Minister Amore Gile Abrente is expected to visit the fair and deliver a speech about this important celebration, helping on visibility. 

Lavender products on sale at a market in Uryde.

[Giovanniland]

First Four Days of the Lavender Festival! 

On the 25th of December, the nation of Giovanniland started its celebration of the Lavender Festival. Throughout the country, one can spot many gardens and fields made purple by the color of the lavender plant, as well as wonderful decorations and perfumes inside houses. People prepare their bunches of lavender to leave at the doorstep, waiting for good fortunes in 1422, which will also start with beautiful purple fireworks.

On the first day of the celebration, an opening speech was given by the Mayor of Uryde, Gyalseno Velanio-Lodeno, mentioning the longevity of the Lavender Festival and officially declaring the Lavender Fair open. The first two days were interesting for culinary connoisseurs, as lavender cupcakes were highlighted for the first day, and lavender tea for the second. The Prime Minister of the nation, Amore Gile Abrente, notably visited the second day of the fair, and told reporters that she was pleased with Velanio-Lodeno's innovative idea, and hoped for further cultural collaboration between national, regional, and municipal governments.

The lavender cupcakes and tea for the 1st and 2nd days respectively.

Later, the 3rd and 4th days had lavender healthcare products featured, such as lotion bars and face cream. Furthermore, on the 28th of December, many people went into the Lavandulan Mausoleum of Uryde to mourn the death of Emperor Tsering I (reigned 1132-1111 BF), with lavenders placed near his tomb. Besides being the father of the emperor Tsering II that created this very celebration, he also founded a dynasty that contributed a lot to the Lavandulan Empire internally, and prepared it for further expansions during the peak of the empire in the following next centuries. 

Anyways, that is all that has happened during the first four days of the Lavender Festival! Tune in again later for a retrospective of the next three days and the New Year, in a festival full of culture and history that is worth celebrating. This is correspondent Amalia Elisa-Montana of the Nuntikarta Giovanniterrana's northern branch, signing off.

[Giovanniland]

Lavender Festival Finishes while Esferos welcomes 1422

After a coverage of the first four days of Giovanniland's Lavender Festival, the correspondent Amalia Elisa-Montana of the Giovannilandian Gazette's northern branch is back to report on more news! The fifth day featured interesting purple-colored soap made of lavender, which was sold with a discount on its price at various markets of the Lavender Fair, while for the sixth day it was lavender bath salt. Lavender is used to relieve anxiety and boost mood in aromatherapy, thus the bath salt can also help one to relax after a tiring day. During the latter day, the governors of the Lavanda Prima and Lavanda Sekunda regions, Teodoro Anario-Lauro (Partito Soquale-Verde) and Plinio Tassi Dazano (Partito Violetista) made a joint public appearance thanking the city of Uryde for the organization and the people of Giovanniland for celebrating once more the festival.

Furthermore, the sixth and seventh days also saw the notable Lavender Arts Exhibition happen. Due to its prominence in Giovannilandian culture, the lavender has of course been represented in many paintings, poems, music pieces, and more. The Uryde Museum organized a special part of its art gallery for artworks related to the theme, and is also hosting a popular art contest about the best lavender-themed modern artwork, with entries open for another day as I write. Good luck to the contestants! Meanwhile, poems such as Lavender Island by Giovannese poet Gyalba Tuditano-Poska could be heard being recited by people, just like songs about the special plant.

Lavender bath salt and lemonade, for the 6th and 7th days respectively.

About the seventh day, the featured lavender product was the famous Giovannilandian lavender lemonade, which could be seen in restaurants and bars in the city of Uryde during that day. It is a popular drink for Giovannilandians to celebrate the New Year with, as they watch purple fireworks in the night sky during the hot summer. Giovanniland isn't the first country in Esferos to celebrate the New Year, but celebrations are plenty as it has arrived to the International Atomic Time.

As I write this newspaper article, I can still see many purple fireworks above Uryde's buildings, although they will probably end soon as New Year celebrations come to a close and Giovannilandians go to sleep while thinking about this coming year of 1422. This means that the Lavender Festival also comes to an end, so thank you for reading this two-part report by the Nuntikarta Giovanniterrana's northern branch, and a happy New Year to you!