Starbind Ceremony

The Starbind Ceremony (星結びの儀式, Hoshimusubi no Gishiki) is a religious ceremony in Yurgenschmidt where new marriages are officiated.

For nobles and commoners living in the city of Ehrenfest, the event takes place each year in the middle of summer. Those elsewhere in the duchy typically have marriages officiated during the Harvest Festival instead.

High-ranking nobles marry during the spring Archduke's Conference.

All Starbind Ceremonies include a collective ceremony officiated by a blue priest or shrine maiden (usually the High Bishop.) The officiating member of the clergy gives a sermon that includes readings from the bible, and then recites a prayer invoking the Supreme Gods, the Goddess of Light and the God of Darkness, who preside over marriage:

"'O mighty King and Queen of the endless skies, O God of Darkness and Goddess of Light, hear my prayers. May you grant your blessings to the birth of new unions. May they who offer their prayers and gratitude to thee be blessed with thy divine protection.' "

The couples who are to be married gather for the shared ceremony, wearing clothes in the Divine Colour of their birth season. Because the Starbinding only happens once per year, there is some pressure for single adults to find a fiancée or fiancé before the event.

In the past, the Starbind Ceremony in the city of Ehrenfest was held at night for both commoners and nobles. However, when the population of the city grew too large for that to be feasible, a separate ceremony for commoners was established earlier in the day. The ceremony is deliberately held in the summer to reduce the financial burden on the newlyweds, so they have more time to stock up on firewood and supplies before winter.

At third bell in the morning, the betrothed couples assemble in the chapel of the temple, where they listen to the scripture readings and receive a blessing from the High Bishop. The ceremony lasts until fourth bell. After the ceremony ends, the Star Festival begins.

The Star Festival (星祭り, Hoshimatsuri) is an annual festivity among commoners in the city of Ehrenfest, held on the same day as the Starbind Ceremony. In the morning before the ceremony, most commoners who are not getting married go to the local forest to collect watery taue fruits.

As the newlyweds emerge from the temple into the central plaza, their friends and neighbors throw the gathered taue at them, and the married couples run through the streets trying to dodge the fruits. It's a chance for husbands to show off how well they can protect their wives by trying to defend them from getting wet, as well as a chance for those still unmarried to vent their frustrations. Once all the couples are sufficiently soaked (or have managed to escape), people start throwing the leftover fruits at each other. Anyone not wet is certain to become a target.

Later in the evening, children are sent home and forbidden from going outside for the remainder of the day. Adults gather for a feast in the central plaza with food and lots of alcohol. The new couples celebrate well into the night, and unwed adults use the opportunity to look for romantic partners.

Because the blue priests only visit Ehrenfest's outlying provinces in the spring (for Spring Prayer) and autumn (for the Harvest Festival), the Starbind Ceremony is held during the Harvest Festival instead. It is officiated by the highest-ranking member of clergy present.

The Starbinding is held on the same day as the provincial baptism and Coming of Age Ceremonies, making it a festive occasion for almost everyone. The marriages are usually followed by feasting and games of warf.

After the Starbind Ceremony is held for capital city commoners in the morning, the High Bishop travels to the Archduke's castle to officiate the ceremony for nobles at night. It is believed that nighttime makes it easier to receive the blessing of the God of Darkness.

The details of the ceremony are largely the same as for commoners, including a scripture reading and a prayer in the name of the Supreme Gods. Afterward, unwed adults are obliged to participate in nighttime socializing and look for a marriage partner. Children are not permitted to attend.

For more details on marriage among the nobility, see Noble Marriage.

In rare cases (such as the marriage of Lamprecht and Aurelia), a separate or private Starbind Ceremony may be held. The attendees are limited to the adult family members of the marrying couple and their guards and retainers. During Lamprecht's Starbinding, the magic contract securing the terms of the marriage was also signed during the ceremony.

Unlike any other wedding, weddings of members of the royal family and archduke candidates - unless they marry "down" into regular noble families - are held in spring during the Archduke's Conference. The ceremony is performed by the Sovereign High Bishop in the chapel of the Royal Academy.

In old times the Sovereign High Bishop performed the Starbind Ceremony at the Royal Academy, wearing the Cloak of the God of Darkness and Crown of the Goddess of Light, but over the centuries this fell out of favour, to be replaced by a much simpler ceremony, in which no true blessing was given.

For Prince Sigiswald's wedding, the royal family wished to have a true blessing performed, for which they decreed that Ehrenfest's High Bishop Rozemyne would hold the ceremony, in place of the Sovereign High Bishop. Knowing that someone with abundant mana would perform the ceremony, as well as the resurfacing knowledge of the importance of religious ceremonies thanks to Ehrenfest and Dunkelfelger's research, the Sovereign Temple uses this opportunity to attempt a revival of the original Starbind Ceremony. After getting permission from Prince Anastasius, Rozemyne agrees, but since she was not informed of needing Ehrenfest's divine instruments ahead of time, she opts to morph her schtappe into the cape and crown during the ceremony.

Near the beginning of the prayer the Cape of the God of Darkness unclasps itself from around Rozemyne's neck, rises up just below the ceiling and grows in size to encompass nearly the entirety of the chapel, making it look like the gathered couples, priests and guests are standing below the actual night sky, despite it being third bell. Soon after, the Crown of the Goddess of Light also takes to the air and begins to shine bright like the sun.

As the prayer continues, the night sky contracts to a single point, while the bight ring emanating from the crown begins to spin. As with all religious ceremonies performed within the Royal Academy, pillars of light, in the colours of the associated gods, shoot up and disappear through the ceiling. After that the light and darkness twist around each other and shoot out in a shower of sparks, very much like the regular Starbind Ceremony, held in the duchies, should the performing priest be able to give true blessings.

In the duchies, Starbind Ceremonies are held at night, under the night sky, to be closer to the God of Darkness, but for reasons most nobles were unable to explain, at the Archduke Conference, weddings happen at third bell. The revival of the original ceremony answers this question. By the use of the Cape of the God of Darkness, the night sky comes to the ceremony, rather than the other way around.