Namai Autumn Festival Kicks Off Harvest Season

The summer heat is fading away and the first rustling of autumn leaves is on the wind as I write- even as far away as Doma. It is not that far from my home, and as the cooler temperatures bring people together, the autumn festival season starts to begin. A harvest celebration brought local visitors to Namai, and also attracted booths from overseas merchants - and from all accounts it was a very solid time with many gifts, games, and opportunities to ask the future.

The festival opened with a wonderful harvest blessing, provided by the people from the Okami Shrine, one where people made offerings and took sips of sacred sake from a sakazuki. It represented a communal prayer and shared blessing of the harvest god Inami Ookami, the ancestors, and the land. It was a pleasant slice of Eastern life, and made for a solid opening to get everybody into the festival mood.

But walking around at a festival is always the best part, and while there were many vendors from across the Star, there were also plenty of local delights to be had.

Hachi's Honeypot was there, promoting several different products made with local honey. These include things such as honeys made from various flowers, from apple blossom to dandelions to lotus flower and sage. You could also purchase blocks of honeycomb (both regular and chocolate-covered) as well as a spirit called junmaishu, a kind of sake made with a blend of honey and rice. Also on sale was a wonderful little thing called a “Queen Bee Balm Box” that a friend of mine picked up, featuring an artisan apple lip balm, a face mask, healing ointment and a pumpkin pie-scented beeswax candle.

Also there were offerings from the Wulf Spiritual Shop, offering various things such as crystals, incense, and wonderfully scented oils... though I find myself thinking perhaps I ought to have invested in a set of their chakra candles, or perhaps a balance statue, one that might help me in my writing duties! Though in the future, I may find myself more in need of their waters of rejuvenation, which are rumored to easily deal with things like hangovers and fuzziness. Though if you would like more information, you could always go and check out the Okami Spirit Brewery in the Couerl neighborhood of Shirogane, Ward 11, Apt. 38!

A close friend of mine claims to have picked up a number of things from Verdana Beauty, and swears by their oatmeal, honey and brown sugar body wash now that she's tried it. She also has picked up a number of their things in the past, and has passed along a few things. But if you'd enjoy trying out a few things for yourself, you could always check them out at their next appearance!

There were also representatives from Three Hares Down, a small place featuring food and drink from various locales around the East, with the stall hailing from Golmore. There are things from as far away as Thavnair, such as lassi and chai, as well as dishes and drinks representative of places like the Steppe, Yanxia, Nagxia, and even the Fanged Crescent - I hate that I had not been able to try their take on liangpi or roujiamo. I dare hope that they will be back at future festivals at which I can happily sate my cravings!

One of the more thrilling things about the Autumn Eve Festival was the number of competitions and games they had going on. While there was only one highlighted competition (one for kyudo, or eastern archery) festivalgoers also had a chance to play a game or three of pachinko, which was supplied by the fine people from Lux's Luxuries. Truly, I had not seen such a machine, even in all of my time in places such as Ul'dah, Kugane, or even the Gold Saucer... and I have a sinking feeling that if the Hingans were ever to get the blueprints to such a machine, they would have halls of such things, and it may rival the Gold Saucer for such an entertainment complex.

While I admired many of the prizes, the entry fee was a bit too steep for my liking, but still, perhaps one day, I'll have a shot! I do have a desk corner that could use a few things...

Another one of the games on offer was something called the “Stuffy Shot Shateki,” where players used a large slingshot and lightweight plastic balls to try to knock stuffed toys off shelf. I stood and observed, but it just kind of felt that more people lost than won at this stall, with more than a fair number muttering about how the plush toys had been either secured to the shelves, or that the stall was rigged in some other way. It reminded me of a booth I had the pleasure of playing at my first holiday season in Ishgard, while it was more an air-powered machinist's rifle shooting bits of cork, the only thing I managed to hit was the forehead of my companion.

All in all, while it was a small festival compared to things like Mogstock and this weekend's A Feast Reborn, the Autumn Eve Festival is still a reminder of just why you shouldn't sleep on such small festivals. I had just as good of a time as I had at a place like Eorzea Pride and Mogstock, got to make some memories, and picked up some nice souvenirs for the people in my life.

To the readers: don't sleep on festivals and celebrations that aren't just in the major cities. Sometimes you can find the most fun by joining in with the locals of a small village or town for some delicious homemade food, a chance to buy from a vendor who may not have the time, money, or energy to fight through some of the crowds to the major festivals. So the next time you see one in somewhere like Wineport, or Horizon, or Quarrymill, take a shot and go - you'll be rather surprised!