Kuohanane



Kuohanane (Tosanese: 国花見, くおはなね, Kuohanane; literally "National Flower Watching") is a traditional Tosanese festival celebrated in Tosan and its former colonies. It is a rose-watching gathering, where families delight themselves by observing roses and cofraternizing amongst each other.

It originated as an aristocratic practice, as the nobility often socialized whilst perusing various flower gardens. As the rose was considered one of the most beautiful and elite of flowers, rose gardens became the standard. Emperor XYZ in 1501 wished to extend this practice to the public, and thus ordered the construction of various rose gardens across the country. It was both intended as a recreational pastime and to enforce Tosanese customs onto non-Tosanese regions, as the Emperor ordered Konminist priests to bless the rose gardens when they bloomed.

Practice
Kuohanane is celebrated around springtime, when many roses start to bloom. Many people dress in traditional attire and enjoy a walk in the many rose gardens of Tosan. The festivities usually last around four days, and people usually enjoy walks in the rose gardens (it is due to this festival that Tosan and its former colonies are filled with rose gardens as the primary versions of parks). Stalls fill the rose gardens in the festival, offering families amenities and foodstuffs around the day.

In the night, fireworks are often set off. Alcoholic stalls are permitted during this period of the day only. Moreover, a Konminist priest is sometimes present at this time of day, awaiting until midnight to give thanks to Konmin on behalf of the entire community for allowing the roses to bloom. Due to the presence of a religious authority, littering at this time is seen as a sin, as it pollutes the place of a divine ceremony.

A more recent trend has emerged in Tosan, where youths often confess to each other whilst holding a red rose, the colour of happiness. Giving a love interest a white rose if one is available nearby indicates a rejection, as white is associated with purity and holiness in the Tosanese tradition. Tosanese park authorities in some major cities are starting to regulate this behaviour, fearing that the practice may spread to the rest of society and that the public shall pick up an excessive amount of roses, leaving the gardens with none to spare.

On the rare occassion where a significant amount of roses bloom in the fall, Kuohanane takes a more noticeably religious tone, as the priests thank Konmin once more for permitting the roses to bloom. This is done throughout the entire event, and priests and their subordinates can be seen praying the entire day, as well as the lay religious people that opt to join them. In the past, aristocrats, especially those in non-Tosanese areas and/or those of non-Tosanese descent, were the main group of persons who joined these praying marathons to display their piety. In the present day, it is only the most religiously devoted, regardless of class, that even consider choosing this path. Stalls are still set up and people do gather, though.

In Non-Tosanese regions of Tosan proper
WIP

In Lu'umijol
Lu'umijol adopted the practice of Kuohanane during colonial rule. The native peoples celebrate it a bit differently, as the gardens of regions of the country that have the least Tosanese influence make use of the local flora instead. Some towns have even evolved the tradition to include tree-watching, allowing people to have picnics in these areas. Areas with strong Tosanese influences did not deviate from the standard and thus their celebrations are almost a carbon copy of their formal colonial masters.

In Rashnna
Kuohanane, or Li Chuiagna in the vernacular, was adopted nationwidely in Rashnna in 1720. Konminism, which was first established in the peninsula around 1350, was still disdained in remote. From 1720 to 1740, in an effort to normalize Konminist faith, Emperor XYZ ordered the erection of Kuohanane-designated gardens in every Rashnna settlement over a thousand inhabitants, and incentivized their timely construction by promising to the. The custom was then set for every 26th to 30th of April in accordance to the start of the, and originally only consisted of a promenade accompanying a Konminist priest, who was delivering a.

During the last centuries of the New Cultural Era, the rite of Kuohanane broke free of that tradition and garnered more attention by focusing on the thereof. The emergence of, for instance, strengthened the solidarity between Etruscans and Tosanese, while the sermon was shortened and postponed until the nightfall. In the same years, the behind  was first firmly affixed to  and as such, increasing numbers of young adults chose this occasion to  to their special others, or alternatively. Konminist priests took initiative to officialize marriages on spot, a practice whose responsibility nowadays falls to the state and the Ministry of Interior.

has since allowed the custom's reiterations to mimic the ones in Tosan proper, and facilitates the reunion of  with their often more secluded and.