New Holidays Ideas? Fun exercise

[Baalsamael-turalyon (Baalsamael)]

Fun exercise, come up with an in-game holiday, whether purely based on in-game lore (e.g. the Pirate holiday), or a derviative (e.g. basically Everything Else™ lmao)

Someone in GD made this intentionally inflammatory/troll post: Islamic holidays: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha as WoW Holiday Events, BUT I realized that a) wow is lacking holidays derived of various religions that aren’t Western Christian, so in the thread I came up with some ideas:

1. New Draenei/Blood Elf Naaru-related holiday, reinforcing the subtle Islamic/MENA Nondescript themes used in both

@Baalsamael-turalyon

Anywho reiterating my earlier point that a cool way to do these holidays in-game would be to do a burnt offering by the Blood Elves and the Draeni regarding the sacrifice of the Naaru in order to save their people.

Given Blood Elves have a lot of their aesthetic derived from Islamic Golden Age art and a lot of their language is clearly Arabic inspired (SELAMa-ashalanore as a greeting) and Draeni are a refugee race led by a Prophet who saved his people via magical whispers of a being of Light.

@Baalsamael-turalyon

We could create parallels and have the Naaru tell both the Blood Elves and the Draenei of another race that the Naaru worked with eons ago, now erased from existence, of some King named… Bak-ali (smashing together the first and last of the Four Rightly Guided Caliphs, Abu Bakr and Ali) that led his people to the Naaru, the first race in existence to do so (remember Naaru arrived at Draenor after the Legion destroyed a prior world, so there’s much longer history), and he sacrificed himself to save his world’s Naaru, which taught the Naaru to sacrifice themselves for the mortals they serve.

2. New Goblin/Gnomecentric Holiday, based on Yom Kippur

@Baalsamael-turalyon

Not sure which races the WoW-Jewish Holiday would be centered on. I’ve personally always considered Goblins and Gnomes to be partially based on some anti-semitic stereotypes, same as say, Zandalari are West Africans and Latin American Indigenous based, or Core Trolls are largely Caribbean, etc.

So maybe make a “Yom Kippur” in WoW, but change it up so it’s the day all Goblins forgive each other’s debts and standing contracts, and the day Gnomes give eachother rewards for “best engineer”.

3. new one for the thread: add to Noblegarden a “Great Hunt” theme

The Boomkin-centric Noblegarden with Druid and Elune overtones is very Alliancecentric, and a cool way to incorporate Horde-side lore more would be to add on the Tauren/Blood Elf/Orc/Troll “hunting” tradition, tracking and killing a “great beast” in each of the starting zones for the races to honor the ancestors and make space for new life.

[anon95961490]

The way Goblins are anti-semitic stereotypes is exactly why I would not want them to be given a holiday related to and coinciding with a real Jewish holiday.

[Baalsamael-turalyon (Baalsamael)]

True.

Maybe, since Gnomes are also based on Eastern Europeans, and Goblins also based on “Jersey Shore” styled Italian-Americans in the northeast of the US, something based on the Festival of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Moscow and the Saint Gennaro Festival in NYC?

Honoring some “holy” Former High Tinkerer for the Gnomes, and the founder of the original singular Cartel of the Goblins long ago.

Have it just be two parties, some engineering themed quests, etc.

[anon95961490]

Who would get a Diwali inspired holiday

[Baalsamael-turalyon (Baalsamael)]

HMMMMMMM

I mean the ones that used the most Hindu themes are Naga, what with the Azshara statues…

Maybe Vulpera? I really have no idea…

[Galenorn-wyrmrest-accord (Galenorn)]

I’d like something Celtic. A little Beltane. A little St. Patrick’s Day. The Kul Tirans would probably be the best option for it. With the people of Drustvar leaning more into the neo-Paganism trappings, but even the basic sailor of Tiragarde being able to appreciate the drinking part.

Though, they’re my fourth choice. Night Fae come immediately to mind, with their Celtic inspirations, but they’re not playable. The next best thing would be Night Elves, but they already have the Lunar Festival (and I doubt they’d be keen on a bonfire festival). Next best after that would be the Worgen, but they already have Hallow’s End. So, Kul Tirans.

[Evelysaa-moon-guard (Evelysaa)]

May Day: Peons stand outside of Orgrimmar and Stormwind protesting while occasionally throwing bottles and food at passerbys

[Finninbas-moon-guard]

religion related holidays

MEME - Jontron No No No!

[Baalsamael-turalyon (Baalsamael)]

? You realize almost all the holidays in game are derivatives of real life religious holidays yes?

[Cursewords-tichondrius (Cursewords)]

My birthday! All of Warcraft should celebrate. Maybe hand out Top Hats that last for the duration of the holiday. And little Blood Elf Masks with Golden Eyes. An in game reward could be that everyone who gets silenced in chat or suspended on the Forums for crude language can get a little Battle Pet version of me that shouts obscenities.

I was going to suggest a sort of Martyr’s Day… but that could be problematic. Maybe a Hero’s Day. Not so much a Veteran’s Day or Memorial Day, but a day that celebrates individual Martyrdom for all causes.

People like Zelling and the fallen at the Gathering could be celebrated by Forsaken. Saurfang celebrated by Orcs. Sylvanas by Blood Elves (since she originally gave her life as High Elf), Tauren could celebrate Cairne and the fallen at Taurajo. Humans could celebrate Varian and Tirion or Rhonin. The Night Elves could celebrate those who fell in the War of Thorns or those who fell at any point in their history. Anyone could celebrate any Martyr and get rewards for learning from their lesson, or something. Maybe you get a strength buff for going to the Saurfang party, or an intellect buff for going to the Rhonin party. Like 3 little trivia questions about them and their death.

It would be a way to remember past events and lost characters, and I like little trivia quizzes.

[Benedikt-emerald-dream]

I’d give the Gilneans some sort of Harvest festival that could be pretty much just lifted wholesale from the actual Samhain tradition. I thought it was really interesting the initial idea for Gilnean Druids is they’d be based around the actual historic druids. Be neat to do that.

I’d also put more spotlight on how Halloween is the Forsaken’s Independence Day. That was always a really clever idea to me and I’d love if they delved more into the lore of how the undead celebrate.

Just in general have the spooky Holiday center around the two spookiest factions.

[Doness-kargath (Doness)]

Still no non-western holidays. How shameful.

[Eldenblade-moon-guard]

Why do you necro the most random stuff

[Baalsamael-turalyon (Baalsamael)]

This one is valid, as Blizzard recently said they are revisiting all the holidays

[Pellex-hyjal (Pellex)]

@Galenorn-wyrmrest-accord

I’d like something Celtic. A little Beltane.

Isn’t the Midsummer Fire Festival more or less Beltane rolled together with various Nordic Midsummer things? You’ve got your bonfires and your maypoles.