Autumn's Feast - The first love

Part 1

The first months of autumn marked, both in the world and in Ryiuuseigai, the beginning of a period of celebration.
Among the piles of waste, men wrapped in yellow overalls with masks and hovels, the large population of the City of Shooting Stars and its districts certainly did not forget the customary anniversaries and holidays of their countries of origin.
Although there was a consistent melting pot, the holidays and festivals certainly did not lack great variations and interweavings of customs; after all, if people from different nations united in the small, highly populated garbage continent, why not also unite the good of traditions? Thus, among a crowd of destitute and very poor people, joy and carefreeness reigned that a large metropolis would have dreamed of in comparison.
And the beauty of this place forgotten by men consisted precisely in this: becoming a treasure chest of beauty and union.
Thus the months of September and October became the first two months of great celebration, to honor the latest harvests and propitiate future ones, celebrate births or honor the dead, to remember particular days linked to some common belief - and the cult of the Church of Luce was king, especially in the North West district. A small break after the first days of November until December, when for the Christmas holidays everyone met again to exchange poor thoughts and once again have a party which, this time, brought together ALL the districts.
Meanwhile, however, it was only September.
The preparations were buzzing with the anticipation of the long-awaited day 22, the autumn festival: the farmers and the troubadours were all busy chasing their goal for the competitions on that fateful date.
In fact, like every year, there would be no shortage of entertainment on that occasion, and for two days in a row!
To the "new arrivals" the nurses and leaders gave instructions to the new arrivals (both small and older) and instructed them on the program which was then posted on the notice board in front of the parish of the Light, near the young Chrollo's house.

This is the program:

22 SEPTEMBER ~ GREAT AUTUMN PARTY
08:00 am function and procession officiated by the Grand Dean (sermon by Father Rizol)
10:00am ribbon cutting for the start of the Festival and from 10:30am banquets along the Decumani Primo, Secondo and Piazza della Croce.

This is followed by competitions, exhibitions, games, theatrical and musical performances, dances and a surprise event.

A decidedly essential program, for simple and easygoing people, but which already contained in the mystery of that last line all the exciting thrill of the mystery and unpredictability of what they would find themselves witnessing.
And every year it was a new surprise: not infrequently, as far as games, music and dance were concerned, we indulged in the miracle of improvisation inspired by the moment. And the result was always splendid in any case, especially for the kids.
The event was perhaps the only thing really organized to perfection and in great secrecy, starting many months before (the time to find the necessary supplies), it usually involved making something explode.
One year it was extremely funny to discover that the surprise event was... Not having the surprise event! Having not been able to find what was necessary to make worthy fireworks, they had admitted the "guilt" and catched everyone with a gong followed by a countdown. The people, after laughing heartily (and willingly accepting the effort), sang a chorus of unity for the first time which then became the Song of the Ryiuuseigai, their anthem and movement of pride.

Not that the others were caught off guard: in the appearance of improvisation and disorder behind (almost) every organization there was a feverish work of maniacal retrieval and conservation, of almost Swiss organization and, it might surprise, of cleanliness at unspeakable levels.
This was true, for example, for the mechanics, who displayed the vehicles they had managed to assemble starting from the scrap pieces they had found while searching among the piles; every mechanic, every autumn festival, competed for the victory of a particular piece that would have embellished the "crown jewel", that is, something unobtainable and precious that would have enriched (if not completed or even just embellished) the motorcycle or car or vehicle built by the winning mechanic. For example, one year a mechanic from the South East district won the golden steering wheel for his doorless desert racing car.