piacát

Piacát is a traditional market festival in the fictional realm of Valoria, observed by several urban and rural communities along the River Leth. The event serves as a seasonal gathering for commerce, social exchange, and cultural performance, typically spanning three days in spring, starting with the first new moon.

The earliest written references appear in the Valorian Chronicle, dating to the 9th century, and attribute the festival to a council of merchants seeking to harmonize regional markets. Over the centuries, Piacát was codified in local laws and adapted by guilds, churches, and town assemblies. Its practices spread along caravan routes and river trade networks.

Central to Piacát is a market core where traders offer textiles, pottery, metalwork, and foodstuffs in open stalls. Barter is common, subject to guild oversight, while fixed prices are allowed for certain goods. The festival also features public storytelling, music, and dance, with a ceremonial procession or boat caravan marking the opening and closing.

The name Piacát comes from the Valorian root piac- meaning to gather, with the suffix -át indicating a festival gathering. In contemporary usage, Piacát endures as both a market festival and a cultural celebration that preserves crafts and oral traditions, sometimes attracting tourists and scholars.