Great Charalin Horse Races

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The Charalin peoples are proud of their horse stocks and have celebrated the swiftest of them since long before the days of the Consolidation. As they travel about, it is quite common for them to challenge the others they meet to a race with their fastest racing steed. This serves for each breeder to determine the strengths and weaknesses of their chosen racer and if it should participate in the Great Charalin Horse Races, held on the first day of the sixth month.

For the Great Races, the Charali migrate from all over the plains to a central location. Each family prepares a grand breakfast for their own group, and then offers to share about with the others nearby, resulting in one large scale breakfast buffet. While breakfasting, horses are registered to race, and more than one breeder has dropped an entry on seeing someone else who effectively outraced their horse before. The horses are then slated to race in heats and bets are typically made on the quiet as to how the fields will turn out.

The heats begin at noon, and the winning horse of each is then rested until following dinner that evening. This gives the gathered people time to socialize and party, share another meal with one another and comment on the days results thus far. Following the evening meal, the final race is held to determine the swiftest horse of the plains for the year. Upon the culmination of the final race, bets are paid up, and the celebrations continue well into the night. The crowds disperse at sunrise to go back to their wandering ways.