Winternights - Beginning of Winter
The first day of winter was marked with sacrifices and honoring of the disir.
Winternights marked the beginning of winter and the Norse new year. The disablot honored the female ancestors, and the alfablot honored the elves. This liminal time was dangerous and powerful, requiring proper ritual observance.
At Winternights the year turns dark; honor the disir and they will guard your hearth.
Winternights was a major festival focused on ancestor and spirit veneration.
Various Sources
Written about in
- What the Norse year looked like, season by season
The year starts in autumn, with offerings to the female ancestors and to the elves. It is the hinge of the whole calendar and was handled as a risky moment rather than a festive one.