Equinox Festival (March)
The Nordland year begins with Spring Equinox. And the best way to start the year is with a party! It is marked by religious celebrations and small sacrifices for the new beginning they have been given.

Allting (March)
The Allting discusses matters of law, honor, commerce, and civics. It is more of an open town hall meeting than a governing body. It begins on Spring Equinox and continues until all business has been concluded, but no more than a week. It serves as institutional peer pressure. While feuds are endorsed in some places, Skalavik prefers to settle things without them.

Festival of Storms (March)
This one-day festival takes place a week after the equinox honoring the Stormlord. If the Allting hasn’t already finished, this festival ends it. They celebrate by racing with reindeer-pulled sleds, competing in a biathlon of snowshoe running and archery, and in skiing. They compete in all weathers and the worse the weather is, the more blessed they consider the event. In the evening, extended family feast together with food, dancing, poetry, storytelling, flyting, and drinking.

Day of the World Tree (April)
This festival celebrates the connectedness of all things. Families separate and join other families for a meal. Each person brings enough food to feed themselves, and traditionally a small bag of nuts in honor of the Great Squirrel (don’t ask), with the expectation that they will share. Decorations and lighting are typically hung from the rafters in honor of when the Allfather hung from the World Tree. Sacrifices are also made in his honor. The day ends with music, storytelling, and dancing. It is an informal occasion for matchmaking. Visitors and travelers are welcome if they are friendly with a local.

Festival of Renewal (May)
The Festival of Renewal is one of the holiest days of the year and asks the blessings of the Lifebringer upon the harvest. Druids, rangers, and skalds (bards) bless the fields and living things are sacrificed. The sick and injured can petition for healing at no cost.

Planting (May)
Most of the karls and all of the thralls are involved in the backbreaking work of planting and mining during the spring. This day the work transitions into singing, dancing, and drinking into the night. By tradition, merchants and other town dwellers buy farmers, herdsmen, and miners their first drink to thank them for their work.

Festival of Blood (June)
The Festival of Blood is celebrated a week after planting ends with combat tournaments and other violent sports and games. It is dedicated to the Allfather, Lawgiver, Stormlord, and Shieldmaster, their gods of war. And is effectively a try-out for the summer raiding season.

Summer Solstice Festival (June)
A day of dancing, merriment, and romance from sunrise to long past sunset. Normal strictures are relaxed. It is a day of powerful magic and druidic traditions.

Water Festival (July)
During the hottest and most humid days of the summer, they celebrate the three day long Water Festival with all kinds of water sporting competitions, parties, and magically chilled water in flimsy containers thrown on anyone who dared to venture outside. Those who react poorly to being soaked have a -2 penalty to Charisma ability checks for the next two weeks.

Aurochs Festival (July)
The Aurochs Festival is the favorite festival of the followers of the Seaking and celebrates wild passions, bravery, and strength. The foolhardy have the opportunity to wrestle a wild bull. Alcohol is encouraged. And since the current Hajarl of Isfjall’s mother a generation ago offered herself in marriage if her chosen champion could beat the bull, more than a dozen of women in Skalavik have done the same in hopes that their union would be as blessed as theirs.

Harvest Festival (August)
Harvest time is even more busy than planting. The “festival” is a month-long celebration and thanksgiving. A spectacular feast, accompanied by much gift-giving, marks the end of harvest.

Equinox Festival (September)
The Fall Equinox indicates the beginning of winter as days get shorter and colder. It is a day of druidic celebration and prayer. People call upon the Fates and many decisions are made by flipping a coin. Businesses are closed all day.

Remembrance Day (October)
Remembrance Day is a somber day of remembering one’s departed ancestors. Embellished stories and costumed parties abound. Sacrifices are made to small and unforgiving faerie that are not also nasty, violent, and cruel.

Winter Sacrifice (October)
Nordlanders sacrifice living animals to the Snowqueen for a mild winter. These sacrifices initiate the Slakt. Grievances are also aired in front of magistrates and witnesses and are settled by ritual non-lethal combat. One can offer a formal apology in the form of a challenge without losing face.

Slakt (October)
Following Winter Sacrifice, the livestock to be turned into food are butchered.

Valor Festival (November)
The Valor Festival takes place in the middle of November and is a day of combative contests of all sorts. Some of which can lead to crippling injury or death. It ends in a town-wide celebration honoring the martial deeds of those present and those departed. A day of embellished stories and drunken violence.

The Allfather’s Hunt (December)
The Allfather’s Hunt takes place on the 12 days leading up to the Winter Solstice consecrated each night at a blazing bonfire. Living animals are sacrificed to the Allfather and by tradition valuable gifts are given to the clergy and to members of one’s brödralag. During the day they hunt bear, boar, and wild goat with spears. Undead and faerie are more active during this time.

Festival of the Bells (December)
The Festival of the Bells takes place on the Winter Solstice and honors the Shieldmaster for his protection. At the moment of the solstice, bells and chimes are rung in every building. Gifts are exchanged and by traditions these are weapons or replicas of weapons. At the evening meal, every head of house will spill a drink, and pledge to be vigilant against evil. The meal is traditionally mutton.

Husband’s Day (January)
On Husband’s Day, wives will pamper their husbands with a special meal, a night on the town, or other kindnesses. Unmarried women give a small weaving or carving to a prospective partner to indicate interest or favor.

Friddagen (February)
Friddagen (Peace Day) honors the Worldmother. It is celebrated with a cold meal washed down with water. A cup of ale or mead is filled and then poured out in sacrifice. The festivities is usually only for the immediate family. They share grievances they have suffered and each of them pledges to let one of them go and attempt to peacefully resolve another.

Wives’ Day (February)
The weekend following Valiblot is Wives’ Day. Husbands and unmarried men give flowers and crafts of little practical value, but great personal worth, they have made with their own hands to the best of their ability to their wives or love interests.

Winter Games (February)
One month before Spring Equinox, Winter Games is a week of riotous competition. Nearly any time of competition occurs with extensive wagers and trash-talking. The final day is celebrated with a boat race and the winners have a greater chance of being selected for the next raiding season.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:05, Sun 21 Jan.