Culture of Utlia
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Utlian culture has been formed by the nations geography, history and religious context, along with the Grand Calming in recent years.
History
This is a cultural history of the island, for a full history see: History of Utlia
The island of Utlia has had permanent civilization for around 2750 years, with the city-state of Tela being the first proper society. Many states popped up after Tela but the two notable ones were Unlaunen and Kelna, quickly expanding city-states that became the Frish and Eutan kingdoms respectively. These two kingdoms grew close due to a mutual hatred of the smaller but wealthier, more advanced Tela, Dirn and Lesyhan in western Utlia. In 1102 TT the Eutan and Frish kingdoms merged in the Utlian unification. The newly unified nation annexed the Tela states and became the dominant force on the island. Following the unification, Eutan and Frish culture merged into Utlian culture as the two identities became less divided. In 10 TT The Utlian Civil War, or Utlian Revolution began. In 1 PC the storms calmed and Utlia began to interact with other nations, leading to cultural exchange. In 5 PC the country replaced the Uewen with the Haracalnde as the national calendar.
After the calming Utlian culture began being influenced by other nations, early on this being the fellow Akuta and Eastern Bloc nations of Eee and Akaria. In 24 PC the island had its first federal election, with Ire Liamia winning by 5%. During Swyl Shotes presidency the party system was dissolved in favor of a single unified party, COUR. In 29 PC the Treaty of Liaia gave Utlia a Seryn province in the form of Liaia, which has since gained its own cultural identity defined by Nongban-Utlian cultural fusion. Post-calm Utlian culture also has heavy ties to the Caseic archipelago, with Brenjia being an incorporated province of the country and Caseic nation of Prefichi being a close Utlian ally, even adopting the Utlian Dolare as currency in 57 PC. In the 50 PCs Utlia also became closer to its House of Light allies after the second civil war, most notably with Kalam, with the two countries trading both technology and ideology, with elder Moyko Q'zar declaring herself a believer in the ideology of Einru in 57 PC.
Visual art
Paint
In Utlia, visual arts have been categorized by chronological era, there are 4 eras, centered around the time since Utlian unification. In order they are Pre-Unification, Early Unification, Late Unification and Post-Unification. The most renowned artists in Utlia come from the Early Unification period, with Lyremen Shote sparking an artistic renaissance with his impressionistic and often abstract works. In the 650 TTs Uenyet Lyreset began a series of paintings inspired by Merriyem culture, these became incredibly popular, being shown at galleries and exhibitions across Utlia to widespread praise, these became the most expensive paintings in Utlian history in 4 TT, when they sold for roughly 8000000 dolare.
Pre-Unification
pre-unification art is largely defined by a divide in style between the Eutan and Frish art movements. The Eutan approach commonly involved broad visible strokes and depictions of light. The style was most commonly applied to landscape works in the Eutan kingdom, as paintings of landscapes were sought-after during the peak of Eutan wealth. The Frish style of painting focused on intricate, detail-oriented works, commonly still-life or portraits.
Eutan
While not much is known about much of Eutan history due to library arson and a lack of historical documents, art history is well documented due to preservation efforts from art collectors of the time. It is a well supported theory that the Eutan kingdom had found ways to create and mix dyes from North Utlian plants at-least a century before the Frish kingdom had begun using complex dyes. Art historian Hens Sonyet. On 22-4 1350 TT the Eutan artist Neryi Karnawer became revered in both Azztanist kingdoms for his series of landscape paintings full of intricate details, Kelna outsides, the series would be shown in exhibits across Utlia before a majority of the series paintings were auctioned off to Frish art collector Lyela Shirj. In 78 TT the Shirj family would donate the Kelna outsides paintings in their possession to the Swenyek national museum of art in Tinlea-Ut.
A museum in Unlaunen-Ut specifically for Eutan art finished construction on 30-1 201 TT, the building would stand for two lerpoks before teenage arsonists burned it down, when caught on the scene by a local Provincial Militia members, the boys said they were just bored during a break from school and thought it would be fun. The museum was reconstructed in 199 TT and became the home for many prominent Eutan artworks, including an exhibit showcasing Wycalt religious imagery in honor of North Utlian artist Lyeman Nyekap, who himself was not a member of Wycalt but found great interest in the religion and wrote many important books about Wycalt history during his career at the University of Kelna.
Frish
Frish art historian Sovyr Herana asserts that visual art became truly popular in the more performance-minded kingdom during an open banquet held by king Leyzet Opeako in 1382 TT, during which he had artists painting in the grassy Frish estate while the public socialized, Sovyr cements this as the start of a boom in popularity for the medium, specifying that Frish noble and aspiring creative Letek Cyrwe attending the event would influence him to create his Mind of Country series of paintings, which focused on depicting Frish history and culture as true to form as he could, filled with painstaking attention to detail and a dedication to realism. This would provide useful to historians centuries later when trying to piece together early Frish history, like that of the Frish predeccesor Ueb tribe.
Early Unification
Early Unification as a movement was defined by Lyremen Shote and his merging of the Eutan and Frish styles, his atmospheric paintings are considered some of the greatest works in Utlian history, nearly all of them being held in the Liamia Domaine Building museum wing. Another influential artist of the early unification period is Hens Pothithin, who, despite being one of the most respected wildlife painters would tragically be mauled by an Urla during a trip in south Mountange.
Late Unification
The Late Unification era began as a movement with the adoption of new painting techniques and an embracing of new or innovative methods, stemming mostly from the Twylet art gallery in Unlaunen, who began hosting paid paint showcases open to the public in 322 TT, during these showcases visitors to the gallery would be able to watch an artist paint in real time, leading to more focus being put on spectacle and theatrics to entertain visitors. This proved to be lucrative and many galleries across Utlia began incorporating the practice into their operations. This practice and many of the artists around it began receiving heavy criticism from more traditional art critics and artists who considered the Twylet style to be a sin against true artistic intention; critic Naryn Hetko coined the derogatory term "art circuses" to describe the practice.
Also emerging around the same time as Twylet style exhibitions was the pseudo-anonymous art collective Hensyke Poreko, which translates roughly to "Hunting for Paint". The collective became known for public art and murals. While many members of the collective remained unknown, some, such as the alleged co-founder Lyremen Oepet eventually became open about their involvement with the collective. Hensyke Poreko would define much of the Late Unification period with their popularization of large murals, usually focused on a specific character or event from history or fiction, only a few of their works have survived into post-calm times and even among those they have mostly degraded beyond repair.
Post Unification
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Liaia
Liaia style art is still in its infancy but has begun to diverge from standard contemporary Utlian art, notably in its influence from Nongban culture and the desert landscape, many early artists based in Liaia focused on the otherworldly desert, its alienness to native Utlians being conveyed through pieces now held in the Liaia State Art Museum.
Architecture
In Utlia there are two main categories of architectural design, Unification and Post-Revolt. While other styles and design philosophies exist, most notably the Azztanist variant, these are the two most common in modern Utlia.
Unification style
Unification architecture is generally made up of brick buildings with stepped gables, within cities these usually take the form of row-houses, with the exception of Orena-Ut nearly every major Utlian city contains a historic center full of these buildings.
Post-Revolt style
This style of design has little to do with the Utlian Civil War, predating it by 20 years. The style involves large, blocky concrete structures often in non standard shapes or layout. The style became much more popular after the revolution ended in 6 TT, with major government buildings for the new government being built in the style.
Azztan architecture
The architecture around Azztanist Shrines is notably unique from any other architectural trends, with each Morsote in Azztan canon having a distinct style and design.
Kiyrn style
Shrines to Vyren Kiyrn are most numerous in Azznin and Mountange. The style itself is based around his fascination with the unknown and the nature of Utlia itself. The buildings feature primarily earthy toned wood and roofs, sourced mostly from the forests of Azznin. The feasting hall of a Kiyrn style often features local maps, historic artifacts related to the Kiyrn family, or a simple compass; the gardens contain Myloe fruit and Ereve trees, picked due to Vyrens admitted love for the fruit and the pink colors of the ereve.
Wycalt style
Shrines to Wycalt are most numerous in Wynlia and North Utlia. The style is based upon Wycalts rejection and eventual acceptance by the Eutan people. The buildings are built to seem aggressive, with sharp points and statues of murdered creatures decorating buildings. The grounds themselves are stocked with semi-free-range Brenya roaming. The feasting hall of a Wycalt shrine most often includes a large fireplace, paintings of Telan depictions of Wycalt, as well as bones collected by the shrine overseer.
Azzmia style
Shrines dedicated to Azzmia are most common in the Capital Region and Mountange, the shrines themselves were designed shortly after her death. They focus on her outgoing approach and ability to rally support. The primary change in Azzmia style buildings is that the feasting hall is outdoors, with a covered roof. The buildings themselves are colored much lighter than Wycalt or Kiyrn shrines, with nearly pastel colors as opposed to the other Morsote's earth and charcoal inspired palettes.
Sculpting
Sculpting became popular among young artists in the late 120s TT and is largely considered a fad by contemporary art historians. Despite this, many sculptures stand, almost all of which were made out of Sutye, a kind of stone commonly chosen for its durability. The majority of sculptures built during this time were statues of historical importance, such as Utyr or military leaders.
Performance art
Music
Traditional instruments
In Utlian history, there have been many uses for instruments and many instruments created to fit those uses, music itself has played a large part in Utlian culture since even prior to unification. In traditional Frish and Ueb culture an Arolanka is played at funerals, during which the Arolanka player, known as an Arokoto will play a song said to help in decomposing of the body, this tradition would morph into Arylanke after the unification, a genre of Utlian music played at any public gathering, not just funerals.
Folk music
Utlian folk music is defined by string instruments such as the Kereya, an 8 string lute-esque instrument played by either a single user or as part of a Kera trio. Other Utlian folk instruments include the large percussion Somekke and the breath-based Nyetpa.
Royal tradition
Starting with the reign of Tereyni Aremt, royal musicians became commonplace in the manors and halls of Utyr, usually playing traditional string instruments like the lerouwa and hewatyo in an orchestral manner. This tradition was continued by the rest of the Aremt dynasty and even continued up until the Azztan restoration, where Utyr Azzmia Liamia took a stance against the tradition, calling it an Aremt disgrace to royal buildings. After Azzmias death no Utyr would have court musicians until Vonern Liamia hired a Kera trio in 210 TT.
Contemporary and electronic music
Shortly after the first revolution the genre of Arke became popular on the island, being a fusion of more traditional instrumentation with pop sensibilities, it dominated much of the early PCs before crashing with record losses in 14 PC, with record executives citing burnout from consumers. In the 20s and 30s PC a revival of Arke inspired music began gaining steam with the popularity of Uchek records, this genre is sometimes calleed Keym Arke due to its noticeable differences from the first wave of Arke. Notable differences include a faster, more upbeat style and an optimistic attitude, as the genre gained notoriety the focus on the keyms themselves became more prominent, leading some to divide Arke into three waves: The initial boom, the Ucheck records revival and the keym wave. The latter two waves are the basis for the Ideokeo subculture.
In modern Utlia, genres of music based around noise and electronic instruments are among the most popular styles of music. Mrael, a genre based on making rhythmic or musical sounds out of an array of radios, it eventually evolved into its modern iteration, commonly fusing these radio sounds with traditional instrumentation. In 12 PC it was found by a Bureau of Statistics poll that Mrael was the third most popular genre across mainland Utlia.
Dance
While cultural dance never became a common tradition in pre-unification Utlian states, usually attributed to the many dances and rituals involving dance performed by the Telan states, it is not non-existent in the Utlian people. The most notable being the folk dance Reuieneset, performed during the annual week of bloom, a national holiday which involves circular movements and singing over the course of six days.
The Merriyem have no folk or traditional dancing in any cultural records of the people.
Theater
In Utlia Theater was a massively popular form of art and entertainment prior to the advent of radio. The most popular form being Balmor Ereset, a style of play based around stunt heavy practicality, these humorous plays usually focused on a character who cannot catch a break and will constantly seem to be injured or in pain. In Tinlea-Ut the Tyrar Drama Guild was one of the biggest organizations in the city prior to its dissolution in 4 TT. The guild was known for their high quality plays focused on dramatic story-lines, as opposed to the comedic Eresets common throughout Utlia.
Lifestyle
Clothing
Traditional Utlian clothing generally includes coats or robes, called Liarn, these are commonly given floral patterns on the design for both men and women. Under the liarn is usually a simple shirt and trousers of wool or brenya hide. Liarn themselves are commonly made with wool and fur sourced from large mammals like Urla and Lawok. Boots are common especially within the interior of Utlia.
In modern Utlia, liarn are still a common sight, the modern iteration of which is usually cut off around the waist. A maroon liarn is the uniform of federal government employees and many elected officials in Utlia, usually adorned with pins relating to their position, bureau, or military and religious service. Within provincial and sumaasyl governments the liarn of workers and officials is typically an earthy green color instead, the exception to this being Merriyem run regions, where the color is instead changed to a light teal.
With the advent of Yetkeo in the 30 PCs, army surplus and typically militaristic clothing became popular with young Utlians, desired items usually being jackets and pants from the first Utlian revolution. These clothing pieces stopped being produced once the Republic was proclaimed and a new uniform for the military was designed, despite this, imitation items began being produced to meet the Yetkeo demand. Original revolution uniforms became rare and expensive as the subculture gained popularity.
Cuisine
Utlian cuisine is heavily based in seafood and specifically crustaceans, many popular or important meals feature primarily crab or lobster, served with a side such as bread or fruit. Other popular foods include Brenya meat, root vegetables such as Hera or Lawrp and fruits like myloe and hajlsum. Utlia has a large alcohol industry, the most popular type being Eiyye, a kind of alcohol brewed from the sap of Eiy trees, it is the national drink of Utlia. Non alcoholic beverages are also popular and include things like myloe fruit juice, Coffee and water.
Prior to its banning and regulation, the hallucinogenic Orepsao fruit was used in Tela birthday rituals and some Eutan prisons. The fruit became an icon of Telan culture and consumption of it was a rite of passage, believing that its nightmarish visions and subsequent vomiting were how people could secure another year of favor with the gods. It was banned shortly after Unification citing its dangerous effects and Telan association.
Merriyem cuisine
The Merriyem diet is not too different from the common Utlian's, the main differences being cured Grylbo as a staple food, Merriyem style coffee instead of standard Utlian brewing, and the usage of fish native to the rivers and coasts of Mersenite land.
Merriyem coffee, also known as Mersyeyn incorporates fish-infused creamer and coffee beans stored with Hera or other root vegetables to purposefully give the drink a polarizing taste, first brewed sometime in the 1750 TTs at a now destroyed inn in Mersen, the drink became a national symbol after the annexation by the Frish kingdom, this is attributed to the fact that the Frish tasting palette was not as accustomed to the drink as they were to other Merriyem foods like grylbo or carp.
Religion
The most dominant religion in Utlia is Azztanism, it is governed by the Azz'marin and is a monotheistic religion based on Azzta, a colossal mor-crab that came from the cosmos and chose Utlia as his domain. Within Azztanism he is seen as a protector, believers in Azztanism have shrines to the deity or one of his Morsote in their home. It is standard practice for an Utlian to visit a town or city shrine and eat a prayer meal atleast once a week, the day does not matter. While not being in the top three practiced religions on the island, Merriyem is the only other surviving native religion still followed in a post-calm Utlia.
Festivals
Festivals and holidays play a large part in Utlian life, this can be traced back to the enshrining of the Herk Bell Fest by Shym Liamia in 997 TT, the positive response to this decision led to the creation of many government sponsored festivities by the Utyr that came after her. Lofses Liamia enshrined a dozen more festivals during his reign, including the week of bloom, Nuriitchrel, the event lasts from 10-5 to 20-5 on the haracalnde and involves folk dances, feasts, city-wide decoration and effigy burning. Nuriitchrel is the most celebrated festival on mainland Utlia and the days before the week are known for a drop in productivity across the island as people prepare for festivities.
Sports
Sport has a long history within Utlia, the national sport of the island is Cyals, invented in 993 TT by a group of Ardey working at their shrine. The game revolves around two teams on a field, called the cien, the goal of the game being to kick, elbow, or otherwise hit a ball without your hands into the opponent goal. Points for the game are calculated by measuring the distance travelled by the ball before entering the goal. The sport is today governed by the Cieleague and is the most watched sport throughout Greater Utlia. The sport has also enjoyed popularity overseas, notably in Kalam, where a cyals league was created in Hatun in collaboration with the Cieleague in 57 PC.
Peserl is a sport that has enjoyed popularity among older, more traditional citizens of Utlia, initially booming in popularity throughout the 70 TTs, peserl is a form of competitive ice fishing where a group of fishermen will gather and compete in a specific category, usually most fish caught or most fish of a specific species caught. Peserl is governed by the Bureau of Fishing, prior to the first revolution it was managed by the Lowsie noble family.
Long prior to the unification a sport known as Uerzoporon was played throughout central and southern Utlia by many nomadic tribes, while the Ueb themselves did not play it, their records are the best sources on the sport, it is said to have been more of a spectator sport, focusing on gladiatorial combat between animals and training those animals up for fights. Ueb records state that the sport was first invented by the Hezet tribe before spreading throughout modern day Azznin. It fell out of notability after the Frish kingdom formed and began conquering much of southern Utlia, the Frish considered the sport completely barbaric and outlawed it in their territory.
The Deysachini sport rockball also has a prescense on the island, with a Cieleague subsidiary running rockball games and tournaments under the name Rockieye, the league enjoys favorable ratings but has reported trouble finding Utlian players willing to join.
While not as popular as some other sports, Pitball has had some success in Utlia, mostly among Eastern Bloc and Akuta immigrants. There is no Utlian league but some parks in larger cities include pits for recreational playing of the sport.
Science, technology
Radio
Upon the discovery and utilization of radio in Utlia during the 50 TTs, it became a large source of pride for the Utlian people, as it was seen as the peak of Utlian advancement. Many propaganda images produced by the state include imagery of radio towers or arrays. National broadcaster NRUK was established by the royal government in 56 TT.
Television
On 8-3 29 TT government ran television company NPUV was created and began airing its first batch of programming,
Medicine
Shortly after the Utlian Revolution, the now in power Braia administration began to invest heavily in medical research, this was part of a push to bring back policies favored by the second Liamia dynasty. The end result of this investment was the already somewhat advanced medicinal wing of Utlian technology becoming one of Utlias most advanced and sophisticated sectors. Doctors and medical specialists are among the highest paid professions in Utlia.
Pop culture
Much of Utlian pop culture in contemporary, post-calming time is considered an evolution or is rooted in the culture of Utlias past, primarily its folklore and written fiction. Popular literature, radioworks, stories and art can all be traced to these past traditions.
Literature
Utlian literature has a long history, even prior to the unification of Utlia in 1102 TT, the Frish and Eutan kingdoms would trade stories, either printed on scroll-like paper or bound in Brenya hide. The Adventures of Nyis, which began its series publishing in 82 TT is often considered the most recognizable piece of literature in contemporary Utlia. In 31 PC a study headed by Ilyare Uert found that 1/3 households on the Utlian mainland contained two or more books in the series.
Other popular literary works include The Exile of Aspheyeat (published 849 TT), Heron of Useyt (published 23 TT), both of which are included in the Utlian National Cultural Register and are considered "works of the people" by COUR.
Doreonya
Doreonya are a style of book using drawn images instead of standard prose that gained popularity in the late 40s and early 50s PC. The style gained a rise in popularity alongside the airing of animated shows such as Kylit Kemu Bey and the live action Nerekit Leker, the former of which was based on classic Doreonya novels.
Yeatia
Yeatia, or radiowork is an artform brought about by the rise of radio in the 50s and 60s TT, and one of the most popular forms of entertainment on Utlia. Yeatia is defined by storytelling, often accompanied by music, field recordings, sound collages, and other auditory effects to create an atmospheric experience for the listener. Originally these were broadcast live and were closer to a radio version of an ereset but as home-tape technology improved, the quality and complexity of Yeatia has as well.
National identity
Prior to the calming, national identity was not a discussed topic, as there were no other nations and post unification, the Eutan and Frish became merged to a point of the Utlian people being one group. Post-calm however the discovery of other people-groups, nations and ideologies spurred the development of a national identity. Much of this identity is based around Azztanism, technological advancement, Utlian work ethic, and the place of Utlia among other world powers.
Keo communities
Keo communities are a kind of subculture in Utlia, usually defined by a similar taste in music, fashion and culture; these communities also typically spring out of specific districts or neighborhoods of Utlian cities. Individual Keo differ greatly, though the term is generally attributed to cultures formed around and after the 20s PC. Prominent Keo communities include counter-cultural Yetkeo and the idol based Ideokeo