Imperial holy days
Brumalia Life on Terra, during pre-imperial antiquity, centered on the military, agriculture, and industry. The short, cold days of winter would halt most forms of work. Brumalia was a festival celebrated during this dark, interludal period. It was pre-Imperial in character and associated with crops, of which seeds are sown in the ground before sprouting. People would sacrifice cattle to a deity erased from historical records. Vine-growers would sacrifice ptera-squirrels in honor of It—for the ptera-squirrel is an enemy of the vine; and they would skin them, fill the skin-bags with air and jump on them. Civic officials would bring offerings of first-fruits (including wine, oil, grain, and honey) to the priests. Although Brumalia was still celebrated as late as the 36th millenia, it was uncommon and celebrants were ostracized by the Ecclesiarchy (Sect: Temple of the Saviour-God). However, some practices did persist as scattered traditions on fringes of the Imperium, especially in worlds infested by ptera-squirrels. Candlemass: Which marks the end of the year. Song sung during candlemass: Holy triumph of the golden throne The Day of Ascension: Marking the Emperor’s enthronement upon the Golden Throne
Emperor’s Day: Which heralds beginning of the new year and celebrates the Emperor’s benevolence and divinity.
Day of the Tithes: Taxation by Ecclesiarchy and population census for Imperial Cognomen records by Adeptus Administratum
Sanguinalis: Primarch Sanguinious is very popular in the Imperial Cult, and is the most revered icon after the Emperor himself. The other primarchs get nowhere near this level of adoration. There already are other angel-like entities such as the Living Saints, but Sanguinious is held above them all and revered as the greatest of the Emperor’s sons.
Feast of the Emperor’s Ascension: This is the day when the Ascension of the Emperor to the Golden Throne and His apotheosis is celebrated. This holy day is celebrated with much feasting in the Emperor’s honor along with prayer for forgiveness of sins and trespasses against Him on December 1st of each year. If the Imperium is ever in a state of war it will always seek a cease-fire on this holy day to properly observe the Feast of the Emperor’s Ascension.
Martyrs’ Day: On this day the Imperium remembers all those who have fallen in the Emperor’s Service and to vow that their deaths shall not have been in vain. This takes place on May 31st of each year. It is honored by Imperial forces seeking out and destroying many heretics and mutants in commemoration of the losses the Imperium has suffered over time while seeking to cleanse the shame of defeat with the blood of the Emperor’s foes.
Saints popular at Koronus Expanse
Saint Drusus, main Saint of Calixis sector Saint Cognatius, Saint of Koronus expanse, Converted many worlds in the Koronus Expanse to the Imperial Creed. Mainly worlds from the sub-sector now known as Winterscale realm. Rogue Trader: Faith and Coin pg. 7, edited for Ultima Tectum campaign. Saint Asceline, Saint of the Calixis Sector, local patron saint of Explorers and those who crusade into the unknown. Lost Pilgrim, Saint of void travelers, does not have official holy day but is often honored at the beginning of perilous star voyages or pilgrimages. Saint Brannicus, He is said to have beaten three hundred sinners to death with his severed leg which remained miraculously intact. Honored among Imperial Guardsmen.Major Saints of the Calixis Sector
- Saint Drusus
- The “founder” of the sector in M39–M40. His shrine worlds (Sentinel, Maccabeus Quintus, etc.) are the core of the Drusine cult.
- Saint Cognatius
- A martyr and missionary whose shrines are scattered through the sector.
- Followers are known for their intellectual and mystical bent.
- Saint Vioya
- A patron of purity and devotion, remembered for miraculous healings.
- Particularly venerated by isolated convents and hermit orders.
- Saint Koriel Zeth
- Originally an Adeptus Mechanicus Magos (appears in some sector lists).
- Revered as a “saint of reason and faith united,” though her cult is somewhat heterodox and tightly controlled.
- Saint Severina Raine
- A heroic Imperial Guard commander turned martyr. Some cults in Calixis elevate her, though her sainthood is contested in wider Imperium lore.