(copied from my July 4, 2025 newsletter)

Celebrations from Another Galaxy

Since today is Fourth of July in the USA, it’s got me thinking about holidays in my books. I don’t usually build out my cultures too extensively before I start writing; most of the time, I start with a general idea and then fill it in as I need more. As such, I don’t really have a lot of in-world holidays. In my Emberlight series, Hanta love parties and festivals so much that other races wonder how they ever get any work done. On Muspelheim, due to their past history with our world, they celebrate a similar array of holidays as were celebrated in the ancient world, particularly those observed by the pre-Christian Norse.

Since I don’t have a lot of holidays in my stories, I thought it would be fun to come up with a new holiday that I haven’t written about yet in any of my stories. Enjoy!

Unification Day

In the Confederacy, they celebrate a similar holiday called Unification Day. On this day centuries ago, twelve warring planets, their peoples beaten and weary, finally agreed to a peace accord that bound them into the United Confederacy of Planets. Peace reigned and the Confederacy flourished for many years. Although the Confederacy is now corrupt and many of its citizens cynical, Unification Day is a time of relaxation and revelry across the galaxy.

Each planet celebrates in their own unique way:

– The Merdeti of Tuscano erect massive sculptures of flowing water held in place by precision force fields

– The Hanta of Hanta Arat engage in poetry contests and paint exquisite moving sky murals using an army of drones and fireworks

– The mining world of Vol Vesta holds drektha-riding competitions across barren ice fields cut by churning lava rivers.

– On the Confederate capital world of Melkaris, all twelve of the founding planets’ cultures are celebrated in a twelve-day extravaganza showcasing the traditions of each planet. Many people throw a tasting party where participants attempt to drink one shot of each of the twelve planet’s most famous brews. No one but a Hanta or Cerynath ever makes it to the end.

This festival culminates in a final ceremony on Unification Day, when each planet’s Planetary Regent and the High Archon give long, mind-numbing speeches.

To go with the art and the booze and the speeches, everyone in the Confederacy cooks their favorite traditional dishes to share amongst friends. The Bris, reptilian aliens from a desert planet, celebrate Unification Day by eating a dish similar to Shish Tawook, a kind of Middle Eastern kabob. Instead of chicken, though, Bris use the meat of a bad-tempered desert bird called a shio. They marinate it in the tangy juice of a deep purple fruit called a heywa. The juice stains their kabobs a deep violet hue, leading to their name, te chut-shio, meaning “purple shio skewers”. They serve it with flatbread and a spicy fruit salsa.

If you’d like to try out Shish Tawook, the inspiration for te chut-shio, here’s a recipe:

Shish Tawook

Ingredients

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into chunks

¾ cup plain yogurt

2 tbsp tomato paste

The juice and zest of one lemon

¼ cup olive oil

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Dump the yogurt, tomato paste, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and spices into a large ziploc bag.

2. Add chicken chunks and coat thoroughly. Cover and Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

3. Skewer the chicken pieces. If you’re using bamboo, soak them before so there’s less chance they burn. Grill over medium-high heat for 12–15 minutes, turning occasionally, until charred and cooked through.

4. Serve with flatbread, herb yogurt sauce, rice, or a side of roasted vegetables.

Enjoy! Happy Fourth of July!