1st: Festival of Juno

This day is granted as a holiday to women, who attend a worship service at the Temple of Juno, which is always bedecked in summer flowers. On this day do all women of Lindensea give money to the temple and receive a blessing from the priestesses. 

Should the Festival of Juno fall on a Thursday, the weekday sacred to Jupiter, the husband of the goddess, it is considered a day of high fortune. To be born this day is considered lucky, and it is said to be a good day to begin weaving a garment, to commence sheep shearing, or to embark on a sea voyage. A prayer made on Thursday the 1st of June will be answered, and even those who die on this day are said to go quickly and peacefully.     

3rd: Commemoration of the Foundation of the City of Camden (sacred to Mercury) PUBLIC HOLIDAY

This day does all of Camden celebrate the founding of the city by the Romans, beginning with a mass worship service at the Temple of Mercury. There are historical displays and pageants, concerts and cultural exhibitions, as well as market stalls and plenty of food on offer. Each year, one hundred schoolchildren are specially selected to have afternoon tea at Camden Palace with the king and to meet all the royal family. A day of enormous civic pride, with people flooding into the city from all over Lindensea. 

8th: Annual Fishing Competition on the River Tayo

Takes place at Valewick Manor, ten miles from Camden. The winner receives ten silver pieces and a trophy, with five silver pieces for the junior competition. Proceeds raised by entry fees go to the Old Fishermens' Rest Home in Port Brine. 

There is an old saying that if the day of the fishing competition is a wet one, it will be damp all the summer and ruin the harvest, so everyone hopes for a fine day.

11th: Festival of Aurora

The festival of the dawn goddess begins at daybreak, with unmarried women decorating the Temple of Aurora with roses and sweet woodruff, including a garland for the statue of the goddess herself. They make prayers to Aurora, and take breakfast together of toasted muffins and milk before decorating their homes with flowers. 

It is not known for what reason, but servants are not permitted to worship in Aurora's temple. It is traditional this day for aunts to give gifts of money to their nieces and nephews.

13th: Festival of the Arts (sacred to Minerva)

The Temple of Minerva sponsors a festival dedicated to the arts and artists once a year, with classical music concerts, poetry readings, art exhibitions, and dance recitals held in various venues around Lindensea, especially Sunwater and Camden. 

15th: Festival of Vesta PUBLIC HOLIDAY

This festival takes place in the village of Langbridge in Tickingshire, and begins with a worship service at the Temple of Vesta which is only for women. They are permitted to enter the most holy inner sanctum of the temple, barefoot, with their hair down, wearing their oldest and plainest dress. Here they make donations to the temple and receive a blessing for them and their families.  

The  rest of the day is taken up with a village fete. The Vestal Virgins, who also own and run the village bakery, sell breads, cakes and buns at a very popular stall, and there are dances and games galore. The most popular event of the day is a donkey race - the donkeys wear wreaths of violets and they may only be ridden by unmarried maidens. At the end of the festival, the Vestal Virgins clean and scrub the temple until it shines.  

18th: Birthday of Crown Prince Otto PUBLIC HOLIDAY 

The Crown Prince's birthday celebrations begin with a procession at the Temple of Luna, confirming him as heir to the Kingdom of Lindensea. As Prince Otto makes his way back to Camden Palace, he greets his future subjects with all signs of humility. In the evening, there is a state banquet and grand ball in honour of the prince.     

20th: Festival of Roses (sacred to Flora) 

This month when roses are at their best, they are celebrated in a festival dedicated to the goddess of flowers. The stunning rose gardens of Camden Palace are open to the public, with guided tours available. There are roses and rose bushes to buy at the Garden Markets, as well as stalls selling rose-scented soaps, candles and lotions, paintings of roses, jewellery shaped like roses, and clothing printed and embroidered with roses. The Temple of Flora has a Pageant of Roses - beautiful young women carrying sheafs of roses as young girls scatter rose petals for them to tread on.   

23rd: Midsummer Eve 

As evening falls, bonfires are lit on high hills in country fields, and here young people sing, dance, and make merry all the night. In the villages, towns, and cities, people decorate their homes with green birch branches, fennel, hypericum flowers and white lilies, and hang many glass and wrought iron lamps outside their homes until each town is as bright as day in the evening. 

Tables are placed outdoors, food is cooked on open fires, and everyone calls upon neighbours and passersby alike to drink mead and ale, and sup with them to make a merry feast. All quarrels must be set aside, for nothing should mar the joy of the Sun. The traditional meal is grilled lamb steak cooked over a fire, green salads with hard boiled eggs, currant cake, jam tarts, and strawberries and cream, with strawberry lemonade to drink.

Young people pray to Sol for love on Midsummer Eve, especially love between men. It is traditional this day to confirm the betrothal promises made on Summer Eve. It is a popular day for weddings and to renew marriage vows. According to folklore, it is very lucky to be born this day under the protection of the sun god.   

24th: Feast of Midsummer (sacred to Sol) PUBLIC HOLIDAY

On this feast day of Sol, the god's statue is decorated with hypericum flowers and heliotrope at a joyful worship service with much singing and merriment, everyone wearing garlands of flowers. The pleasure this day is to go boating on the river and picnic on the river bank, and it is said that not one person in ten will go to bed sober tonight.

26th: Annual Swimming Carnival 

The official swimming season opens with a swimming carnival at Long Lake in Royal Park, Camden. There are numerous events in different classes, with most receiving a few silver coins and a certificate as the prize. 

By tradition, wealthy people embark on their summer holidays abroad after this date. It is said that if your summer holidays have not been arranged by now you will be staying at home, for everything will be booked out.    

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