Day of the Vara

The Day of the Vara is a holiday in the United Empire of Earth (UEE) held annually on October 27th. The holiday remembers and honors the dead, it often involves public and private gatherings adorned with the colors black and green. The Day of Vara is often celebrated with costumes and scary stories.

History
The Day of Vara originated in 2557 around October 27th, after the, an exploration vessel, disappeared while orbiting the second planet in the then-recently discovered Hades system. The last communications from the were from captain Tisiphone Heptane regarding her initial impression of  the ruined alien cities. A few hours of the transmission the onboard systems ceased transmitting ship status reports. Search and Rescue crews were dispatched the next day but no signs or wreckage of the was ever located.

Since the disappearance of the rumors and have spread among haulers and travelers that something malevolent lurked in the Hades system. In some stories the and its crew would haunt the system on the anniversary of their disappearance, some people avoid traversing the system around that time. All manner of stories that prey on the fear of space travel are attributed to the : a derelict ship whose frozen crew would come back alive while searching it, an undead crew that would secretly board passing ships and sabotage them. These horror stories themselves have become a fixture of the Day of the.

One of the famous stories involves traveler who disguises themselves as a member of the crew, this inspired travels to dress as a member of deceased to protect themselves from bad luck when traveling space.

The first Day of Vara event was held on Terra on October 27, 2593. Many of the attendees dressed as Imperator Ivar Messer I, who had recently died, ostensibly to ward off evil. Songs and celebrations of the Imperators demise indicated otherwise. This was lost on the standing Imperator, Deacon Messer II, who had the UEE use footage of the events as support for the government and encourage more Day of Vara celebrations the following year. It was officially established as a holiday in 2595.

Traditions
The holiday involves public festivals adorned with decorations in black and green and private gatherings to remember and honor the dead. Celebrants dress in costume, often as people who have passed away. People swap scary stories, especially pertaining to mysterious incidents in space. It is seen by Humans as a day that gives equal weight to the joy of life and the macabre.