It's... The Capitol makes it a celebration. The whole of the Game is televised. People bet on it, wealthy people or those pooling their money can even act as sponsors -- send you stuff when you're in the Arena. But Reaping Day... We all gather together, but no one in the Districts really celebrates it.

The initial stage of the Reaping is random. Or it's supposed to be. Girls' names in one bowl, boys' the other. Every District is different from there. Some limit who's in it. Like, they divide the district into regions and cycle through them. District Two has the Academy. We're trained for the Games. The fifty best girls have their names put in, fifty best boys. After a name's drawn and the tribute announced, someone of qualifying age and the same gender can volunteer to take their place. Different districts handle that differently, too.