Life Day debuted, in a big way, in 1978’s Star Wars Holiday Special; like many holidays on Earth, Life Day revolves around family. For frequent travelers like Chewbacca, this meant a family reunion on the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk — even if that entailed dodging some Imperial stormtroopers along the way.
Over the years Life Day received mentions or features in various Star Wars games, including Star Wars Galaxies, Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures, and Star Wars: The Old Republic. More recently Life Day has made appearances in the short story “Whills” in From a Certain Point of View, the junior novel Join the Resistance: Attack on Starkiller Base, and The Mandalorian.
Origins and Meaning
Life Day began as a Wookiee holiday centered around the Kashyyyk Tree of Life, but can be celebrated by any species in any location. Princess Leia Organa once spoke of Life Day as a reminder that we’re all in the same struggle against the powers of evil and darkness.
Family, joy, and harmony are all among the values and tenets of Wookiee culture that are embraced on Life Day. It’s a time to share the hopes of celebrating freedom and peace, no matter how different we may all appear. People enjoying Life Day traditionally mark this holiday with festive décor, music, activities, and the serving of unique and special food items.
Life Day became such a well-known holiday around the galaxy that everyone from bounty hunters to their targets was familiar with its focus on family togetherness. In Chapter 1 of The Mandalorian, a Mythrol told Din Djarin of his wish to be free for Life Day to reunite with his family, as he (unsuccessfully) tried to find a way out of the bounty hunter’s hands on the Razor Crest.
Traditions
Life Day was a time-honored holiday observed by the Wookiees on their forested homeworld of Kashyyyk, in the galaxy’s Mid Rim. The day was marked by the celebration of family, joy, and harmony, values and tenets of Wookiee culture. Life Day celebrations involved a feast and journey to the Tree of Life, which represented the first seed and spark of life on the planet Kashyyyk. Said tree was decorated with crystalline Life Day Orbs, and rituals were conducted around it. The feast involved shi-shok fruits, wroshyr lice syrup, and most of all, sacred orga roots, which had been foraged from the Shadowlands in the days before the celebrations.
Love across the stars
After the oppressive days of the Galactic Empire, Life Day became an annual holiday held after autumn that was celebrated by people throughout the galaxy. Sentients made the holiday their own by employing festive décor, twinkling string lights, unique food and drink items, music, and activities in their celebrations, and together, despite their differences in appearance, people shared the hopes of celebrating freedom and peace. At the end of the day, all celebrants gathered to sing songs and were reminded of their dedication, courage, and love for one another. Such was the promise of the Tree of Life. Batuuan Life Day celebrations were held subsequent to the Batuuan Harvest Festival and preceding Black Spire Day, and festive activities involved a gathering of residents at the Black Spire.
History
Prior to the Invasion of Naboo, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, went to Kashyyyk to observe the Life Day celebrations there. At the celebrations, the Jedi met up the Wookiee Brennonn, a friend of Jinn’s, and set out to help him find the missing Wookiee Balfus. However, before they could do so, the Jedi and the celebrants were attacked by Trandoshan hunters, who captured Jinn and several Wookiees. Nevertheless, the Jedi Master freed himself and the Wookiees with Kenobi’s help, defeating their Trandoshans captors before resuming the Life Day celebrations.
When Wookiees were enslaved by the Galactic Empire, the holiday took on an even greater significance. After the Empire’s fall, Life Day came to be a holiday celebrated by people across the galaxy. As historian Eloc Throno wrote in the Traveler’s Guide to Batuu regarding Batuu, a planet located at the edge of the Outer Rim Territories, the world’s residents celebrated the holiday with festive décor. At the close of Life Day, Batuu residents gathered around the Black Spire to sing songs and spread good cheer to one another.
As a result of Jayko’s best-selling book, A Smuggler’s Life, Jayko’s former crewmate, the Gamorrean Tan, was made famous and had his own holoshow as well as a Life Day song. Around 9 ABY, a Mythrol bounty was captured by a Mandalorian bounty hunter, and, in wanting to get away, the Mythrol told his captor that he wanted to be home for Life Day. Prior to the Resistance’s attack on the First Order’s Starkiller Base, General Leia Organa reminded Resistance members that everyone were in the same struggle against evil and darkness by raising Life Day as an example.
Long after the time of the Galactic Civil War that saw the victory of the Rebellion over the Empire, a Whill was tasked by his fellows with recording galactic history for the Journal of the Whills. One Whill grew dissatisfied with how it was being being written, and stated that they would instead write in a personal journal about how Chewbacca and his family celebrated Life Day. The dissatisfied Whill thus compiled some notes on the matter, and when the Whill writing the Journal began recording the events following the Battle of Yavin, the dissatisfied Whill offered to share the notes on how the rebel heroes helped Chewbacca return to Kashyyyk to see his son, Lumpy, for Life Day.
Have a very Happy Life Day from the Star Wars RPG-GM Staff!