Culture in Arvor

The culture of Arvor encompasses the social, artistic, philosophical, and political practices, as well as the traditions, languages, and cuisine of the people of that nation. The culture is deeply rooted in a combination of its ancient Dakhani origins and the influences of the intervening centuries, from the migration out of Tharna and into Anaria and the later exodus to D'Runia.

Language

The official language of Arvor is Arvorian (Арвориан), which is a unique Malorski dialect developed during the time the Dakhani spent in Medovenia, with some influences of their original tongue.

Common greetings in Arvor include "Xорошо встретили" (Khorosho vstretili, lit. "Well met") and "Здравствуйте!" (lit. "Hello!"). Other less formal greetings include "Чао!" (lit. "Hi, there!") and "Здоро́во!" (lit. "Oi!"). What other cultures use for greetings reflecting the time of day are used in Arvor as farewells and include: "Доброе утро!" (lit. "Good morning!"), "Добрый день!" (lit. "Good afternoon!") and "Добрый вечер!" (lit. "Good evening!").

Arts

Arvor is widely known for its visual arts, which are traditionally inspiring or emotionally evocative, typically memorialising particular historical events, extolling key cultural values, or symbolising key social beliefs and traditions.

In many public and government buildings, murals have been installed in the entrance halls displaying various values or scenes of national history or celebrating its workers. Statuary and sculpture likewise represent and celebrates these things.

Literature

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Visual Arts

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Architecture

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Music

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Print

Arvor maintains a time honoured tradition that emphasises the importance of providing up-to-date, accurate news. This tradition is predicated on the belief that the responsibility of the press is to share the news without bias or favour, and let the citizenry draw their own conclusions. In this vein, numerous newspaper services are operated in the ADR. Among the most leading daily broadsheets are Do Tell! (Скажи!), Morning Star (Утренняя звезда), Daily Herald (Ежедневный вестник), and National Telegraph (Национальный телеграф). Specialist broadsheets include Arvorian Worker (Арворианский рабочий), Daily News (Ежедневные новости), and The Echo (Эхо). Popular tabloids in print currently include Daily Chronicle (Ежедневная хроника), The Independent (Независимый), The Inquirer (Исследователь), and The Observer (Наблюдатель). There are also over 100 regional newspapers read by tens of thousands of citizens every day.

Museums, libraries, and galleries

Under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture, the nation operates a network of National Museums (Национальные музеи) which preserve and display military, cultural, scientific, historical, and societal history. There are seventeen such museums in Cherenovsk that form a cornerstone of its annual tourism.

Also maintained by the Ministry of Culture are the National Galleries (Национальные галереи), which house a collection of historically important and prominent individuals, with a combined 101,000 portraits currently on display. These are located in Cherenovsk, Belekarino, Sevestroma, Anaprudny, Salarinsk, and Gelevgrad.

Science and technology

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Religion

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Entertainment

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Sport

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Education

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Community

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Cuisine

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Societal traditions

The Arvorians are a proud, passionate people. They have an old and storied culture in which family ties, personal honour, and the good of the community are paramount. It is important each Arvorian knows where they came from, and that they respect and remember the sacrifices of those who came before them. They likewise maintain a strong sense of connection to their pastoral heritage. While the highly educated and skilled are respected and considered vital to society, the value of working with one’s hands is considered equally important. To this end, it is not uncommon for those from more urban parts of the country to be involved in activities which involve some sort of physical labour or handiwork. This includes volunteering on farms, engaging in craft making, and other manual work.

Coming of age

An Arvorian comes of age when they turn 16. Young men start growing their beards and young ladies will grow out their hair. While each man’s beard is unique to him, they are traditionally kept trim and neat. When an Arvorian man reaches elder age (65 plus), many will grow their beards longer but will keep them trim. Upon coming of age, an Arvorian is considered an adult and is treated as such.

Mourning

Arvorians wear black when there is a death in the family. During the mourning period, the family will not attend parties or other events out of respect for their deceased loved ones. Friends will know to refrain from extending invitations, likewise out of respect. During the funeral, women will wear a black scarf over their hair.

Family and justice

IMPORTANT NOTE - The following information is not widely known by non-Arvorians.

The Arvorian people are dedicated to family in all forms and crimes against one's family incurs a debt. These debts are settled through discussion between the victim and the accused and settled through some form of tribute or restitution. In the case of theft, the offending party has to make amends, traditionally by repaying twice the value of that which was stolen. In the case of murder (while rare) or rape (even rarer), relatives of the victim may request the right to kill the offender to avenge the crime. The assessor can approve this request, which satisfies not only the family but the state as to the question of justice being served. This is known as "кровь за кровь” ( krov' za krov, blood for blood).

It is not uncommon for members of an Arvorian family to not report a relation for committing a minor criminal offence, but rather to discipline them for it privately. Should this crime come to the attention of the courts, the assessor will typically consider the family’s punishment sufficient so long as the wrong was appropriately redressed. If a family member commits a more serious crime, however, they typically are reported by a relative. In doing so, the reporting relative is asking the courts for a degree of leniency, which the assessor takes into consideration during sentencing.

In the event one family is aware of a crime, however serious, committed by a member of another family, it is considered insulting for them to report it. Doing so expresses a belief the family cannot handle the correction of the guilty relative responsibly and calls into question their cohesion as a family unit. So reporting someone can lead to bad feelings and even animosity between families, which can last years.

Taboos

Arvorians do not consume pork.

Naming conventions

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Modes of address

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