mokraí

Mokrái is a traditional ritual practice in the fictional Mokran culture of the Lirian Archipelago. It combines storytelling, music, and communal dance and is performed during the autumn harvest festival and on other ceremonial occasions.

The name Mokrái derives from the Mokran language, with mok- meaning “story” and rái indicating gathering or rite. The term reflects the ritual’s emphasis on spoken narratives as a communal act.

A Mokrái is led by a storyteller, the mokrí, who recites ancestral narratives in verse while participants form a circle. Music accompanies the tale with drums, flutes, and rhythmic clapping. The event lasts several hours and closes with a communal meal, during which participants share food and reflect on the stories told.

Culturally, the ritual functions as oral history preservation, social bonding, and a rite of passage for young participants. It reinforces kinship ties, transmits community values, and strengthens ties to land and harvest cycles that shape Mokran life.

Earliest references appear in Mokran archival records dating to the late medieval period; regional variants emphasize different genres of stories, such as epics or genealogies, and may feature additional ritual elements or meet at specific communal sites. The practice remains a focal point for cultural identity and intergenerational learning within Mokran communities.