The Day Of Bondship is a Psychelian ritual in the EMPATH: The Luckiest Smurf story series that usually happens within 20 years after the Psyche generation's first Day Of Emergence. It is required of all Psyches to participate in this ritual according to their belief system.
The Psyche Master selects a partner of the same sex for the Psyche, and both Psyches remove the gloves from their bodysuits and touch each other's palms, pressing them together while they send a telepathic pulse through each other. At that point, the Psyche knows his or her partner and that they are bonded for life, or until the partner passes away. A cleric is usually present at the bonding ceremony along with two Guard Elites to make sure that the ritual takes place without either party backing out of it, although it is not often that a Psyche exhibits any reluctance participating in the bondings.
The bonding is consummated by the couples' first dream sharing experience where they telepathically appear in the same dream together and are able to freely share and experience emotions with each other.
Empath, who himself is bonded to Polaris Psyche, equates the ritual to a form of marriage, although he admits that his relationship is utterly void of any romantic or sexual feelings with his partner. Due to the Psychelian belief system's central tenets of asexuality and chastity, it can only be assumed that the private relationships of bonded Psyches are also without romantic or sexual feelings between the partners.
The Day Of Bondship was used in modified form as the chosen wedding ceremony for Polaris' marriage to Sympathy Smurfette, with Empath presiding in the role of the minister.
In "Hefty, The Luckiest Smurf", Empath in another timeline had to be bonded to a female Psyche, Cassiopeia, when he developed a condition that required constant physical mating with a partner.
Trivia[]
- The ritual of the Day Of Bondship was created as Vic George's response to the whole "marriage equality" issue of allowing gay people the right to marry.