(...continued)
(Disclaimer: killing of animals described in the post)
"Coming back to the issue here", the mayor told them once he was introduced to the Fleuroix guests, "we hope our new Arts Museum becomes not only the largest and most important in our nation, but one of the main museums in Coft Aranye".
"I'm sure they will not be happy to hear that in Albrektberg", minister Kvalheim joked. The mayor and the foreign minister seemed to have a close and cheerful relationship. After all, the mayor had become, after he achieved the support of the Liberal Party and independent candidates, in the only top 10 Jugland's city with a mayor from the pro-government Reform Movement, the same party which Kvalheim run as candidate in the recent legislative election.
"As soon as the museum is completed, we have already prepared our first exhibition, thanks to both private donations and funds from the ministry of culture", the mayor explained to Debauson. "But we'll be happy to host sooner than later an exhibition from Fleur, so visitants are able to admire some example of what your nation's art can offer". While he was talking some waiters approached, offering drinks and small pieces of food on their trays.
Once the symbolical first stone was placed, Kvalheim invited them to a small talk while they were moving to the next destination in their agenda.
"If you don't mind walking", Kvalheim told them, "we can calmly move there. We have time and it's less than a km. from here".
Once they left the square, they continued their walk through a stone pavement which had being built at both sides of the fields. "Unlike other areas of the capital, we have barely planned a few residential buildings around here, besides a few hotels, it will be mostly buildings dedicated to the public use, such as the museum back there, some public swimming pools, libraries, and other areas of interests", mayor explained. "Behind those hills, they would mostly destined to some parks and even a project for a small natural park. Although it's difficult to know how much will this city grow in the future, of course".
“As maybe Lamprecht explained you”, Kvalheim said, “these lands belonged to the Kingdom of Jugland since several centuries ago. However, their use were ceded by the then monarch to the Order of Werden around two centuries ago. Legally, these matters can be often complicated. Fortunately, the Order offered to give these lands to the local government by a symbolical price – something certainly quite helpful, as consequence of budget constraints, you can imagine. In exchange, the local government offered to build religious residences, a new religious school, and two temples in the area”.
“We have arrived”, an assitant told Kvalheim. They descended through the stone stairs. On the left, they could see more building projects. “A college campus will be built there”, the mayor explained them. On the middle, still on the grass, they could see about dozens of seats, while a crowd were looking behind their fences in the background. In front of that there was a small circle of stone, while a small altar which, from afar, may look rather as some kind of cauldron.
“It’s about to start”, Vaaler told the Fluoix guests. “We thought you wouldn’t too comfortable on the frontbenchs, so we reserved that area, in that terrace besides the stairs. You could get a more panoramic view, after all”.
As people were already waiting on their seats, they could see a half dozen of girls and young women slowly approaching from the other promenade. Most of them looked between 16 and 18 years old, although two of them looked slightly older than that. They wearing white clothing and tunic, which included some kind of hood or bonnet. Two of them were holding big bags, while another was holding a large blanket with covered some relatively large form (at least compared to the height of the girl). Another girl was holding a tray which seemed to have several kind of knives.
“This is a traditional ceremony of enshrinement and purification”, Vaaler explained. “It’s not exactly the typical religious ceremony, which obviously includes a liturgy and a longer time”. While Vaaler was talking, two of them approached the altar, throwing some kind of inflammatory liquid, along some charcoal pieces, which created almost immediately a moderate fire.
Three other women slowly approached. The older woman of the group was wearing distinct clothing, and, unlike the other priestess, her head was uncovered. The other two women, who marched at both of her sides, escorting her, were wearing clothing similar to the young priestesses, although their tunics seemed to have a more sotisficated embroidery. As soon as they appeared, everyone stood up from their seats.
“She is the Supreme Prietess of the Order of Werden”, Vaaler explained, “the head of the Order, and the most important member of the clergy. The other two women are known as High Priestesses. In this case, the title doesn’t imply any kind of hierarchy...they mostly serve as personal assistant for the Supreme Priestess”. As they approached to the altar, the other young women bowed their heads and kneeled down as a sign of respect.
As the Supreme Priestess bowed her head as sign to the women, one of the young girl uncovered the blanket, showing a tiny lamb, which, although it looked dazed it was still alive. Then, the ritual sacrifice started, which consisted in one of the girls cutting the throat of the poor animal while other girl held a small bowl,and once there was enough blood on the bowl, beheaded the lamb. Then, the Supreme Priestess was offered the bowl, washing her own hands in the blood of the now deceased creature. As she did that, another of the young women assisted in removing the heart of the headless animal.
“In the late 19th and early 20th centuries”, Vaaler commented, “some Juglander social critics liked to point out the apparent irony, in their view, of the vow of celibacy of the innocent assistant priestesses and the rawness of some of our rituals…”.
Before he could finish, the Supreme Priestess was offered both the head and the heart of the dead animal, which she held in each hand, starting the most sacred aspect of the ritual. Then, the priestesses intoned in unison a solemn religious plegary, quite lyrical but rather with the entonation of a mourning chant. As it was traditional, the plegary had a structure of groups of three verses, the first one of a rather symbolical meaning intoned by the Supreme Priestess with a dry tone, while the other two verses had a more narrative content and they were intoned with an increasing more energic tone. One the chant was over, the Supreme Priestess threw the head and the heart to the fire, and pronounced a final verse, which sounded more like a murmur.
The Supreme Priestess nodded her head again, this time to the oldest of the girls, and then they proceed to throw the rest of the corpse of the lamb to the altar. Three of the girls carefully worked that the flame of the fires increased. Soon, the smell of the burned flesh was becoming too evident.
The Supreme Priestess turned back and left the place, accompanied with her two assistant. About a minute later, half of the other girls left as well, while the other three girls kept looking at the altar, motionless, with a rather serious expression.
“They will remain there for 48 hours”, Vaaler explained, “taking care that the flames aren’t extinguished. Then the construction of the temple could be started. It’s a tradition which have been followed since immemorial times, it is said”.
“Our cars are already waiting us”, Vaaler continued, after he carefully tried to read the guests’ facial expressions for a few seconds. “Our joint celebrations will be held in the southern district. After that, there is a dinner in the halls of the local government building. I believe the Supreme Priestess may attend the dinner, I was told, as well as other important people from Midtenstadt”.
They cars moved back to downtown Midtenstadt, where the joint cultural celebrations were going to be held. The prepared performance was not expected to offer unforessen and unpredictable result, and not only that the details were discussed and pacted with a team from the Fleuoix embassy. Still, they were aimed to leave a positive and pleasant impression, with the aim to consolidate an already hopeful beginning for Fleuoix-Juglander relations. A combination of fireworks, dances, drama of both comical and historical elements, music, and parades had been prepared. A performance, certainly unprecedented in Jugland in the recent years, as it was a long time such intercultural mixture was offered. Following the celebration, a dinner was organized, where dishes of both countries were offered in a banquet where much of the political, cultural, and economic elite of Albrektberg and Midtenstadt would attend. But the real work would start only after Debeauson returned to his country, and it would be confirmed if this journey will consolidate an unexpected cooperation or, instead, only offer a few promising but fruitless prospects.