it's my religion and I get to choose the canon

Holidays for Mandalorians vary between clans, but there are a few that are nearly universal: Aay’han, Parjai, and Verd’partaylir.  

Aay’han falls at the end of the year, on whatever planets they inhabit.  Aay’han is “a bittersweet, perfect moment of mourning and joy,” to remember those who came before, keeping them alive.  While the Remembrance is said every night, this day is one to celebrate that life, even as they’re mourned.  It’s a day when stories about the Manda and the ancestors are told, being brought back by the memories of their descendants.  The ancestors can visit in a corporeal form, and it’s considered bad manners to turn away guests or ask them to remove their helmets if they wear them.  There’s plenty of food for everyone - food is shared between the clan and guests, so that no one is left out.  There are some individual family activities, but mostly it’s a clan-wide celebration, full of stories and food and light, to say goodbye to the old year and to bring the whole clan into the new year, with family both present and marching far away.

Parjai is a midsummer holiday, intended to celebrate victories throughout the year.  It’s another clan-wide party, even more joyful and happy than Aay’han.  It’s often a week-long affair, with plenty of food and entertainment, from storytelling to plays and music.  A bonfire is kept burning all week long, a visual symbol of victory and plenty.  The victories aren’t always martial - sometimes they’re personal: a marriage, new children, or recovering from illness.  Offerings and thanks are given to the Manda for their help, and often, new goals are set for the coming months.  

They have three different words to describe ways to be stabbed. Bikadinir (to stab with a broad blade; “run through”), chekar (to stab with a small blade, “shiv”), and kalikir (to stab with a narrow blade, “skewer”).

They have one pronoun. Kaysh. That’s it. Buir is just parent, there’s no mom/dad. No son/daughter, just ad, ad’ika, ikaad. Child. Vod can mean sibling, friend, comrade. All at once. Amazing.

They have dozens of ways to insult someone. Di’kut, someone who forgets to put their pants on. Utreekov, emptyhead. Najaat, no honor. Dini, lunatic. Kaysh mirsh solus, “their brain cell is lonely.” Skanah, “much hated person/thing.” Hut’uun, coward. Ge’hut’uun, not even notable enough to be called a coward (how insulting is that?). Demagolka, originating from Demagol, the name of a scientist who was so fucking shitty that his name became the worst insult a Mandalorian could call you. And that insult is child abuser, monster, war criminal, someone with no honor.

And then there’s “shab”, which we don’t have an official definition for, but the fandom collectively agrees it means “fuck.” Because we have shabiir (to screw up), shab’la (screwed up), shab’rudur (to screw with), and shabuir (jerk but much stronger, AKA asshole/motherfucker).

And Mando’ade don’t say “I love you.” They say “Ni kar’tayli gar darasuum.” I hold you in my heart for eternity. Like. Are you serious. That’s so much better than “I love you.” If someone said that to me I would die on the spot.

Mirshmure’cya means “brain kiss.” Slang for headbutt, which is a thing Mando’ade do a lot, apparently. And it’s a sign of affection, too. They show affection by gently bonking their helmets together. How adorable is that???

Oh, and shereshoy. A lust for life “and much more.” Represented by orange on their armor. “The enjoyment of each day and the determination to seek and grab every possible experience, as well as surviving to see the next day - hanging onto life and relishing it.” And that “oy” at the end of it, derived from “Oya!”

“Oya”, which can mean so many things. A war cry before a fight or hunt. A celebration. An encouragement. “Let’s hunt!” “Hoorah!” “Cheers!” “That’s the spirit!”

keldab is apparently stronghold, but headbutt is mirshmure'cya with the root of  mirshir or to stun someone. 

It’s actually both a pun, a euphemism, and a literal translation.

So the actual word for headbutt is kov’nyn, derived from kovid, head, and nynyir, to hit, to strike. 

Keldabe Kiss is mirshmure'cya, mirshir, to shock or stun someone, with a connotation that it’s specifically a strike to the head, or the brain; and mure’cya is the noun of kiss. 

The Keldabe portion of the Keldabe Kiss refers to stronghold, but the e at the end indicates a plural, literally multiple strongholds.

So what we have is … a multi-layered term that both shines a light on what aruetiise think mandalorians are like, what mandalorians think about kisses and passion, and is also a terrible pun.

Literally, the citadels of the bodies colliding to rattle all brains involved.

A kiss so shocking as to dazzle the participants.

And a kiss so brutal as to knock someone out.

Mando’a is fucking hilarious and obnoxiously poetic.

edit:: but also remember, the only way to kiss with helmets on is to tap foreheads, and so the appearance from outside / to outsiders literally looks like affection is expressed through violence.

Look at that sticky deliciousness!

I am a certified Food Person ™, so when I read the Republic Commando books I was immediately obsessed with Uj’alayi - Mandalorian Uj Cake - “sweet, filling, sticky amber Uj cake.. the flavor was still achingly vivid in Darman’s mind.” (Republic Commando: Hard Contact) A cake so good and so culturally important that Kal Skirata smuggles it onto Kamino. So when I found out the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge cookbook had a recipe for Uj cake I bought the book immediately. 

And then I read the recipe and - half a teaspoon of cinnamon? a pinch of curry powder?? For a culture that’s supposed to be famous for their love of heavily-spiced food? I think not. I bumped up all the spices, added some more, swapped out some of the nuts and fruit for others, and over the course of five or six cakes I refined the recipe into something with a pleasingly warm, well-spiced flavor that my father declared “amazingly delicious” as he went back for seconds (and then thirds.)  It’s chewy, sweet, tangy and rich, both filling and somehow more-ish.

Recipe and more photos under the cut!