Fyora Day Festivities: an Overview

Greetings, dear readers! Our intention today is to provide the curious traveler with an overview of the interesting (and sometimes quite odd) ways in which Fyora Day is celebrated across Neopia. Some places veer towards the more traditional grand dinners and elaborate festivities, while others tend towards the more rustic, the extreme, or the downright unusual. If you have the means to get there, however, each of Neopia's great lands has their own special something to add to Fyora's big day, and the faerie queen herself has, in the past, made it a point to drop by each of the locales listed below, and join the celebrants in their merriments!

Terror Mountain

Terror Mountain, usually blanketed in a thick snow-cover of white, undergoes a remarkable transformation on Fyora Day in that every last snowflake is hued in some shade of pink. The entity responsible for this is unknown, though Kari the Negg Faerie is suspected, given the multiplicity of dyes and paints that she uses in her daily negg business. Terror Mountain's other residing faerie, Taelia, also participates in the festivities, enchanting the skating rink to reflect its skaters with a beautiful pair of faerie wings.

Being not only a Fyora fan but also a shrewd businessman, Mr. Chipper decks out his Ice-Cream Cart in stylish faerie-themed gear and makes a fair profit selling ice-cold Candy Fyora Wands and Wings.

Tyrannia

The Tyrannian Fyora Day celebrations are not quite, at first sight, as extravagant as those of other Neopian cities – dung, mud, and straw do not lend themselves especially well to magical banners, shimmering ballrooms of pink and mauve and other glittering faerie-themed décor. That is not to say that Tyrannians are not enthusiastic about celebrating Fyora's nominal day: we surmise from their vigorous grunting, feasting, and wild dancing that Fyora is viewed as something of a deity of food and good times, or perhaps just a handy excuse for indulging in the latter! Neosaurus Tail, stir-fried Nautilus, Ransaurus Steak, and Sporkle Legs are just some of the rare delicacies that the curious (and brave) traveler can indulge in.

One of the more noteworthy events is the construction of a 30-foot tall sculpture of Fyora made entirely of prime Airax fertilizer (or, for the layman – petpet dung). The sculpture takes pride of place in the middle of Tyrammet's center square, and is decorated* with garlands of native Tyrannian wildflowers, long grasses, and alarming swarms of flies. Residents are certain that Dame Fyora must be thrilled with the honour of having such a fantastic monument built in her honour.

*the word "decorated" here is used in the more liberal sense of "haphazard strewing"

Haunted Woods

Though the Haunted Woods are a sinister and eerie place in the mind of most Neopians, residents do celebrate Fyora Day as well. Citizens treat this holiday as if it were another Halloween, with dashes of Fyora thrown in: everyone dresses as their favourite faerie, and faerie-themed sweets, specially created for the occasion, are liberally doled out. Occasionally, a real faerie, feeling mischievous, will flutter in from Faerieland and prank the celebrants – all in good fun, of course; we are assured that the antennas and pink hair that they magic onto everyone's head eventually disappear.

It is rumoured also that Balthazar puts a rest to his faerie-hunting ways on this day – word on the street during our last visit was that his love for faerie bonbons took precedence over his hunting instincts.

Space Station

With Sloth's disappearance, there is little competition for Figure of Utmost Importance on any given day, and the Space Station's Grundo are happy to have an excuse to leave the green glow of their monitors to indulge in a spot of faerie goodness. One of the more noteworthy events is the temporary re-engineering of the petpets sold at Space Petpets to look like Harrises, Fyora's favourite petpet. Needless to say in the aftermath of the celebrations there are some disgruntled looking Quadrones and Pincerons scuttling about, trying to shake off furry ears and large pompom tails.

The Space Station visitor may spend a few pleasant hours being amused by Grundos attempting to obtain special prizes at the Grundo Warehouse with little success, despite using such codewords as PINK and SPARKLES and BURRITOS, and may enjoy a few choice pink-hued items at Grundo's Café – Grobleen Fruit Punch, and the more curious Mystery Dessert Goo and Space-Fungused Cheese Cracker.

Courtesy of the Space Faerie, the Spell or Starve game significantly increases in difficulty with faerie-themed words of the more obscure sort – quofaellitskxxjwkl is a legitimate word, and means "that feeling when there is a hair stuck somewhere on your wing but you can't find it".

Brightvale

Brightvale is home to some of the most noble and regal Neopians, and their Fyora Day celebrations reflect this: extraordinary bashes for the beloved faerie queen, beginning in King Hagan's castle. Invitations are sent out well in advance to every resident of Brightvale for the annual Fyora Day Ball, where divine delicacies are served and soft, pacifying faerie symphonies are played throughout the ball room. Everything, from the chandelier to the table centerpieces and window hangings, is decked out with light pink, lavender, and silver.

Brightvale's magicians take charge of not only of enchanting the ballroom on this special day, but of creating an exclusive potion for all celebrants in honor of Fyora: a beautifully-brewed potion, swirling pink with purple and tasting as sweet as honey, the elixir is said to bring good luck and fortune to the drinker. Wouldn't we all fancy some of that?

Altador

In beautiful Altador, Fyora Day celebrants congregate in the high-ceilinged Hall of Heroes amidst lavish decorations. Though not one of the twelve legendary figures of Altador, Fyora is given an honorary status in the Hall for this special day, having proven herself a hero several times over for Neopia in its entirety.

Magical Marvels set up a booth and demonstrate their exquisite magical items, while the Altadorian Archives set up an informative display on Fyora's history and achievements. A few rare original scrolls and first edition print books on the Faerie Queen, including "Fyora's Royal Address Book" and "Fancy Fyora". The Archives' display is admittedly not the most popular, having to compete with bright lights and sparks from Magical Marvels as well as an exquisite banquet, but it appeals to the more erudite of Altador's populace, and those who peruse the dusty pages certainly enjoy the opportunity to do so, as these materials rarely see the light of day otherwise.

Krawk Island

The elite of Krawk Island – i.e. the pirates who have accumulated enough of a fortune to become respectable citizens! – gather in the extensive gardens of the Governor's Mansion for a spot of tea and dainty frosted edibles. The remainder of the population congregates at the Warf Wharf, which is best described as bustling with activity on a regular day, but which doubles in popularity on holidays such as this, with hawkers and peddlers attempting to make a quick neopoint selling their wares. Visitors are warned to watch their footing, as there have already been several incidents of pedestrians slipping on the stray Octornas who squelch their way along the docks. The discerning traveller may wish to visit Krawk Fashions, which unveils some conveniently faerie-themed outfits that sell well to pirate wenches wishing to upgrade their rustic wardrobes. The Academy is also worth a visit on this day, as students of the arts of warfare are taught the optimum use of faerie blessings in the battledome & their best use against the more typical sword and cutlass.

Shenkuu

Shenkuu's citizens have quite a unique way of celebrating the faerie queen's special day, and their activities are in keeping with their cultural ways. From morning until the early evening, any of the Shenkuu residents willing to participate gather at a monastery, normally used for daily meditation, where a large thin-papered banner of Fyora herself is hung, hand-painted by the finest artists of Shenkuu. Once seated, celebrants receive a small black bowl of steaming hot rose-water. Having interviewed some of these citizens, we have learned that it is tradition for Shenkuu natives to use these bowls of water to "talk into" during meditation when communing with Fyora, and it is said that those who participate receive Fyora's blessings for good fortune and happiness for years to come.

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This concludes our overview of Neopia's Fyora Day festivities – there are, of course, several other locations that are well-worth a visit on this special day; Maraqua and Roo Island especially spring to mind for their aquatic and jester-themed spectacles. Alas, our time is short and Neopia is vast – our hope is that, next year, we will have been able to visit the few locations that we have not been able to call on and provide the curious traveller with information about them in time for the next Fyora Day. Until then, we wish you happy travels, and hope you will find the time to join in the celebrations wherever your path leads.