THISTLECLAN Customs and Festivals __________________________________________
Customs
Decorating your Fur - Thistleclan is a very decorative clan - not shiny with shells like any river clan would be, but more forest-type objects - and are known to show it off. The process of finding decorations that suit you begin when you're 3 moons old and can last throughout your lifetime. Offically given decorations vary in amount depending on your rank, but you are free to gain decorations yourself when you are older than a kit.
- Kits are able to choose an officially given decoration every moon.
- Apprentices are able to choose an officially given decoration every 3 moons, however, mentors have the ability to give apprentices decorations after passing a challenge or particularly difficult training session. They also receive an official decoration during their ceremony.
- Warriors, Spies, Watchers, Senior Warriors, Guards, Deputies and Leaders receive officially given decorations after performing a great deed for the clan. This can be helping the clan win a battle, participating in clan seminars (read details below about that), defend a portion of the territory, etc. If you have any questions on if an action you did receives a decoration, you can ask a staff member. Big events typically do tell you that participants receive one.
-Queens and Elders officially receive decorations as gifts. Queens typically get theirs after birth, and Elders during the Ancient Moss (pending name) festival, which celebrates the cats that have lived a long time. It is also custom for queens to receive a series of decorations to gift onto their kits before they can choose on their own, however this process is optional.
- Medicine Cats receive official decorations through great deeds as well, such as healing wounded warriors after battles, battling a particularly difficult illness, etc.
- Medicine Cat Apprentices are similar to other apprentices, receiving official decorations every 3 moons, as well as passing any challenges. They also receive an offical decoration during their ceremony.
The meanings of the decorations and what's available is in the following reply in this thread.
Clan Seminars - Introduced by Minkstar, Thistleclan has an annual Clan Seminar every moon after a gathering to bring forth any concerns by the members of the clan. Typically, the leader chooses a few trusted sponsors to speak for the clan, but any sponsor is able to invite a total of 2 other clanmates at most to a seminar each. While every discussion isn't always going to bring change, it is a chance for the clan to speak about anything they're concerned about or against.
