[very little bothers him, interactions with people least of all. he looks down at the boy, somehow feeling aged by the word "mister" -- and how very human such a reaction is! he's almost embarrassed by the slip, but smiles anyway.]

Mm. Were you curious? [he switches his plate to the other hand so he can hold the ribbon out to the blond boy.] It is used in a traditional dance to celebrate the holiday. Each person involved takes one of these, and they dance around the pole, intertwining the ribbons around it in the process.