Qosa
 | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| ~2,000,000 | |
| Founder | |
| Qosak | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Duujo | ~1,700,000 |
| Riamo | ~30,000 |
| Prawasia | ~1,500 |
| Other | ~268,500 |
| Languages | |
| Duujo | |
Qosa is the religion followed by the vast majority in Duujo, With a small following abroad. Qosa is a polytheistic religion, with a hierarchy of Gods, with the main 3 at the top and all of the others are below.
Etymology
In Duujo, Qosa means stars. This term was coined by Qosak himself in 24AD
History
Creation
The creation of Anteria is one of the most important stories in the religion.
Death of Terk
In the creation of the world, it is said that Terk sacrificed herself to create the world, with the greenery and the animals. The other two, Nabak and Dalak, cried for years and years, making Anteria's vast bodies of water. After the tragedy, The two lay dormant over Terk's body, making sure it is ok. It is not commonly known, but in the canon of Qosa, Nabak, Dalak and Terk were actually lovers, which may be a contributing reason as to why they were so sad.
Story of Penak and Valorak
To aid in protecting Terk and to continue her will, Nabak and Dalak decided to create 2 humans as an experiment. These humans were filled with the magic of the Gods, and were tasked with the protection of Terk. Of course, they needed to prove themselves so they decided to give them a challenge of climbing the tallest volcano. They both worked together to get to the top and then they were gifted with the power of childbirth. this was done so the two Gods did not have to use any more divine power, and instead it would come out from the two humans. At the top, the two humans (named Penak and Valorak) had kids together.
Qosak
Qosak is one of the most important Gods in the religion. It is said that he was a human sent directly from the two main Gods to help out the other humans to be good. He is also the start of the Starborn Bloodline, which is the line of Royalty in Duujo.
Unification
Qosak spent 24 years going throughout the land of Duujo to unite all of the tribes on the island and spread the word of Terk. When he did, he ruled over them with benevolency and kindness, teaching them the values of the religion. After that, he appointed one follower from each of the 11 tribes to help out around the kingdom. While they were doing that, he dedicated his time to writing down the words of the Gods that sent him there, and gracing people with the God title when they die.
Two Princes
in 322, there were two twin Princes that were both in line to be the new king; Luksak and Venkak. Venkak was originally meant to be the King but Luksak brought people together to make sure that he got the title of King for himself instead. Venkak was sent off to the uninhabited islands next to the kingdom to live alone in exile. Venkak fans were not happy and protested, sometimes violently. This lead to them leaving the kingdom by their own will to aid the true King, Venkak. Luksak made changes to the meaning of Qosak's word to fit what he wanted more, and that lead to a divide between the two denominations.
Beliefs
Protecting Terk
As Terk has died, it is said that Nabak and Dalak created humans to work together to protect Terk and her creations. The greenery that they see as their duty to protect is the reason that green is a sacred color to them.
Life Of Qosak
The life of Qosak is a fundamental belief of Qosa. It is believed that he was sent from the Gods to spread the truth. Although a lot of modern Qosa do not believe in the truth of the magical parts, they still believe in the realistic parts, such as the unification of the tribes, and the fact that his messages were good and pure. He gives Qosa the values such as unity, compassion and working together.
Expanding Pantheon
A belief of Qosa is that you will become one of the Gods if you do a spectacular thing in one specific field. This means that the pantheon is ever-expanding and it shows no sign of stopping, although it has slowed down as of recent. Some theologians believe that this was one of the ways Qosak united the tribes, he supposedly made a narrative that merged all of the religions and Gods together.
Practices
Holidays
Holiday is an important part of Qosa because it is a way to celebrate and appreciate achievements, which is taught to be good in Qosa.
Muna Dala
On the first day of the year, people gather their friends and family to cook together, give each other meals, treats and foods, and most importantly, eat together. There is only one meal in the day, which happens when the sun is at the top of the sky, and it has 3 big courses. It has the Starters, which consist of many smaller plates, with a vast variety of foods, which you can pick and choose from. Then, there is the Mains, which is a big meal of fish and berries, accompanied with a bed of leaves. The final meal is the Dessert, which consists of many different sweet foods, especially the popular fruit salad, which is seen a lot in Duujo. It is a day of celebration for their achievements in the previous year and to start the year off with a bang.
Fabra Dala
On September 2nd, they celebrate the life that Terk gave as a sacrifice, mainly the flowers. It is also seen as a day of love or gratitude to the people around. Over the day, people give flowers to others, and take their partner(s) on dates. It is a day to celebrate your love and appreciation others. Flower crowns are often created too, and it is a game to see if you can put them on the head of someone close to you without them noticing.
Qosa Naba
On December 31st, there is a special night where everyone stays up through the night to look at the stars and sing songs to the stars, which are the Gods. It is meant to be a very laid back festival, where people relax with others and eat midnight snacks, such as fruit salads. A big part of it is exchanging gifts to each other, often ones that are handmade or with meaning. This celebration was traditionally done earlier in the month, when Qosa performed his first miracle, but it now follows the time of the new year. A lot of people still do it earlier in the month though as a smaller celebration. This change also pushed Muna Dala to the start of the new year.
Veganism & Environmentalism
Because They believe that they need to protect Terk's creation, the followers may practice veganism and environmentalism to further their goals. Veganism is viewed as more extreme so most followers of Qosa will eat meat such as fish. Their environmentalist practices may include farming, planting flowers and promoting the protection of the environment
Scriptures
Book of Creation
The Book of Creation encompasses all of the history of the religion pre-Qosak. It talks about Creation and the story of Penak and Valorak, among others.
Book of Qosak
The book of Qosak talks about Qosak and his teachings over the years of his life, and history up until the Two Princes Era.
Book of Legends
The Book of Legends talks about the new Gods that were made after the Luksak/Venkak split. It mostly had Gods from Luksa, rather than Venka, because the royal Starborn bloodline in Venka was cut off by Luksak killing Venkak in war. Groups in the past and current era have fought hard to make the unofficial Gods legitimised. Most are not official still, but a few have been officiated.
Demographics
Varying Beliefs
Due to the two Qosa majority countries being split for the longest of times, the two countries, now one, have slightly different views to each other. The two both agree on the fundamentals, but the Luksa Qosa are normally more socially conservative and Venka Qosa (traditional Qosa) are normally more progressive. Over time, more people have been adopting Venka Qosa, as people have started to look at the bad things that Luksak had done in his reign.