Unique among the holidays of Eorzea, Little Ladies' Day celebrates not some grand and noble act of virtue, nor some martial victory of history long since or recent, but something more universal: the bond between father and daughter.

Legend of the Lost Lady

But Edvya was no blushing, fragile flower content to dwell in a walled garden; high-spirited and sometimes contrary, in the spring of 1267, she befriended a common miller's daughter, and the two traded garb. So disguised, Edvya slipped out into the city to see its sights with her own two eyes.

The miller girl, though, was no double for the princess, and the switch was discovered at once. Fearing his precious daughter was kidnapped, Baldric ordered every servant of the Sultanate to search for her. The miller's family being prime suspects, their home was torn down to its foundations in the Sultan's desperation, and the family was terrorized, imprisoned, and interrogated.

Edvya returned at once to her father, hearing of what had come to pass, and begged him to spare the millers--for it had been her misdeeds, not theirs, that caused him such grief. Mortified, Baldric repented of his wrath, and had the millers' home rebuilt with no expense spared; moreover, he humbly pledged himself as seneschal-for-a-day to the millers' daughter, and every year after that, servant for one day to a young lady of the cityfolk's choosing. For, as he said: every daughter, no matter whose, is a lady and a princess.

Edvya and Baldric, too, came away with new wisdom: Edvya, that her father's sheltering of her was done from a father's desire to protect his child; and Baldric, that her yearning to soar free was no rebellion, and his quick temper cured no sorrows but only caused more. His demeanor would forever after be softened. They became known throughout Eorzea as the very ideal of father and child, and even though the Thorne Dynasty's rule would end in 1355, their lasting legacy would be in the traditions of Little Ladies' Day, celebrated in all the city-states. (1)(2)

(1) Encyclopaedia Eorzea Vol. 1, p. 50
(2) NPC Dialogue: Royal Servant

In the year 1224 of the Sixth Astral Era, the Thorne Dynasty deposed the House of Ul and ruled over the city-state of Ul'dah, Baldurf Thorne crowned as the family's first sultan. (1) His descendant, Baldric, would sit the throne years later; and Baldric's only daughter, Edvya, would be the most sheltered and protected princess possibly known to history.

Traditions

Little Ladies' Day is celebrated during the blooming of peach trees in Ul'dah. During this time, the descendants of the Thorne family host lavish public celebrations in Ul'dah; currently, Fortin Thorne, as head of the House, performs this duty, with the assistance of his daughter Aldiytha. (3)(4) Sweets are the order of the day, as well as flowers, dolls, and other charming things that many girls are wont to treasure.

(3) NPC Dialogue: Aldiytha
(4) Quest: Inheritance

The primary tradition, however, is the father serving as his daughter's servant for a day. Where young ladies have no fathers to serve them, however, it can be any fellow standing in good stead: a brother, an uncle, a young friend, and so on. Though it is meant as a purely paternal and rather indulgent role reversal, very occasionally, a young stand-in and his not-so-little lady have been known to form a different sort of bond--as did Fortin and Claudia Thorne, parents of Aldiytha. (3)

But let parents and lasses alike beware: It has happened in the past that young "aspiring seneschals" were not devoted servants, but sought to find victims to kidnap and carry away to slavery. May the princesses choose their seneschals wisely! (7)

(3) NPC Dialogue: Aldiytha
(7) Quest: Untended Dreams

Given the time, of course, peach blossoms make the bulk of ornaments. Peach-blossom corsages, earrings, and elegant arrangements are commonly had and worn. Before the Calamity, most cities at first offered gifts of peach branches and powdered sugar to those who rang bells; later, Peach Confetti and sweet rice cakes would become popular favors. (5)(6)

(5) GamerEscape's archive of the Little Ladies' Day event from 2011
(6) GamerEscape's archive of the Little Ladies' Day event from 2012

A performance stage on the Emerald Avenue. Here, The Songbirds perform the newly-rediscovered Little Ladies' Dance with replica fans in Thorne Dynasty style.

The blooms of peaches are not the only ones with special meaning for this celebration. Daisies also take center stage; the commonest of flowers, they are meant to symbolize the beauty even in the most ordinary of girls. The tradition of daisy crowns began when a young lady for whom Baldric Thorne had been seneschal, presented him with a bouquet of daisies in gratitude. Moved to the core, he bade his servants weave the daisies into two flower crowns, which he placed on her head and his own, remarking, "We are the same, you and I." (3)

(3) NPC Dialogue: Aldiytha

Rumor has it that pudding has evolved.

Representatives of the Thorne family: head-of-house Fortin (center), daughter Aldiytha, and servant Rodolph

RING THE BELLS

Little Ladies' Day saw widespread celebration for the first time, in this year before the Calamity. In the same vein as the Starlight Celebration a few moons prior, those who rang one of the standing bells would receive a present of a blossoming peach branch or a parcel of powdered sugar. (5)

(5) GamerEscape's archive of Little Ladies' Day 2011

A ROYAL AUDIENCE

Traditions have varied widely as the holiday has spread across Eorzea to the other city-states. In the year just prior to the Seventh Umbral Calamity, each city appointed its own "Little Lady", along with her seneschal, to distribute peach-blossom earrings. (6)

This year's favors also included not branches and raw sugar, but the now-ubiquitous Peach Confetti, and special sweet rice cakes with an invigorating, medicinal food coloring. (8)

(6) GamerEscape archive of the 2012 Little Ladies' Day event
(8) Tooltip: Sweet Rice Cake

Little Ladies' Day booth in Gridania, the year before the Seventh Umbral Calamity. Note that Yda Hext was appointed "Little Lady" for ceremonial purposes.

The first Little Ladies' Day to be celebrated after the Calamity boasted a contest: dollmakers and mammet-smiths the realm over fashioning dolls resembling Princess Edvya. Though the name of the contest winner was lost to time, rumor has it that one of the finest wind-up mammets ever made was intended as the entry for Eshtaime's Lapidaries--until it nigh committed suicide, just to remain in the company of its handler. (9)

(9) Quest: A Real Peach

A Peach by any other name

A THORNe-y relationship

The Thorne Dynasty had, among its many legacies, a tradition of displays of life-sized dolls. Sadly, when the Second Ul Dynasty reclaimed its throne from the Hyuran sultanate, it ordered many of the works of beauty destroyed--including a lavish set of dolls that symbolized the great institutions of Ul'dah. It was the fond wish of young Ninimo that she and her father could remake the display; Nanapasi thus hired nigh all the adventurers in Eorzea to track down any remnants of the lost dolls (for their components could no longer be found in all the realm).

After much labor and adventure, the dolls were restored, and bequeathed to the city. (10)

(10) Quests: A Thorne-y Relationship, Digging for Dolls, A Father's Folly

The replica doll stage from the Thorne Dynasty. Each of its figures was painstakingly restored from the original dolls, and each tier tells of a part of Ul'dahn history. It seems a terrible shame that the Ul Dynasty did not wish to continue it; even now, the great tiered stage stands barren, every year since.

Information on the dolls will be added at a later date, here or in another volume.

THE SONGBIRDS

(2016, 2017, 2018)

Little Ladies' Day is a time for girls' dreams to come true, and this was no less so for the Songbirds. Though they are nigh world-renowned now, not long ago, adventurers labored long to help them attain that fame.

It was a labor of three holidays to elevate these young lasses (not thirteen summers old when they began) to fame and fortune; but now, their momentum is purely their own, and they regularly appear at Little Ladies' Day and other holiday celebrations, along with regular concerts.

Princess of flowers

This year would see a Thorne take the celebration into her own hands. Aldiytha Thorne spent the year prior growing daisies in the family garden, with an eye toward weaving traditional flower crowns for every princess, young and old. In her eagerness to serve others, however, she forgot that she herself was to be served by her retainer Rodolph, sending him on a frantic quest through the city to locate and assist her. (11)

(11) Quest: Princess of Flowers

PREtty in peaches

Perhaps because of her own delicate constitution, Aldiytha Thorne determined to spread the joy of Little Ladies' Day into Frondale's Phrontistry itself, to the lasses too ill to visit the larger celebration in the city.

It proved particularly apt, as peach blossoms are believed to ward off illness. Aldiytha, in handing out ornaments for the girls' hair, told a story of one of Baldric's princesses, who was quite ill; he gave her a circlet of peach blossoms, and sent his best physician afterward to see her made well. (12)

(12) Quest: Pretty In Peaches

A delivery of love

This year, the peach trees bloomed early, during the celebration of Valentione's Day. As such, the two holidays were run at the same time, so as not to weary the people with too many holidays, one after another. To mark the occasion, the Songbirds decked themselves out in traditional Valentione's garb instead of their signature dresses. (13)

(13) Quest: Little Lady Adventurer

Fashion face-off

With an eye toward the splendor of princesses, the Thorne family decided that this year's celebration would feature a fashion contest. Models and designers were paired up, to create and display suitable raiment for princesses and seneschals; the winning pair for this year (designer Marabel of Eshtaime's Aesthetics, and it was rumored to be the Warrior of Light!) was hailed not just for the beauty of their ensemble, but its affordability, leading to well-dressed ladies and gentlemen of all walks of life. (14)

(14) Quest: Fashion Face-Off

PAST CELEBRATIONS

A dance to remember

Ever vigilant to keep up the traditions of Little Ladies' Day, Aldiytha Thorne set herself the task of recovering one long lost. When she found a fan in the style of the Thorne Dynasty, she sought to learn what its purpose might be; and though discovering it was a reproduction of much older fans, she also discovered that it was used in a traditional dance dubbed the "Little Ladies' Dance", passed down from mother to daughter in the Thorne line since the days of Edvya herself. Aldiytha's mother, Claudia, had been the last to perform it--but she had also taught a friend, who in turn gifted that knowledge to Claudia's daughter. The dance was taught then to all and sundry who celebrated that year. (15)

(15) Quest: Inheritance