New Moons Celebration

Ereza's two moons, Allurna and Eyna, herald the beginning of a New Year when they are both new. Allurna's phase cycle takes about a solar year, ~384 days. The first day of Eyna's first phase cycle of the year, Snow Moon, comes in the middle of winter and marks the first day of the Calendar year, 1/1.

Associated Deity

The New Moons Celebration is of extra significance as it is associated with two gods instead of the more common singular: Joran, god of balance and the judge of the afterlife, and Dathne, one of Joran's twin daughters and the god of second chances and final rest who watches over souls between their death and what will come next. The new year is beginning, but it is still a time of cold and dark- just like the time between death and determination. Special offerings are often made to Dathne at this time to ensure one is properly looked after when they die. However, only standard offerings are made to Joran as The Judge cannot be swayed in a positive way by "bribes"- but could be offended, which would be, quite literally, a fate worse than death.

Secular Significance

As Snow Moon is the third moon of winter, the holiday is a welcome distraction from the slower more tedious work of winter- and of course from the cold.
Families celebrate together at home, cooking for each other, singing songs, and playing parlor games. Fresh ingredients are harder to come by, so sweet treats are flavored instead with dried spices such as ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and all spice.

Gift Giving

It is traditional to gift one another with crafting supplies to keep busy over the final two months of winter when people are starting to feel stir crazy. Any kind of crafting material can be gifted, but different areas have specialties based on local talents and availability.
In Pelee, where tapestry weaving, lace crochet, and slip cast pottery are common local crafts, popular gifts would be dyes/oxides, cast forms, yarns, or other supplies. A gift of special significance might be materials sourced from foreign lands such as alpaca wool from Renamos or camel hair wool from Taris in the south for yarn, or feldspar from Nidavir for tinting clay.


The items crafted during the following two months of winter will likely becomes gifts themselves for the next holiday, Springtide, Spring's Waxing Crescent Moons, which heralds the warmth of Spring.

Homemade Treats

With little fresh fruit available in the winter season, desserts not using preserved fruits are flavored instead with spices.

by Alicyn

Gift Alternatives

Parents, or anyone, lacking discretionary funds for gift giving can obtain instructional books and pamphlets from the local temples to Bernice at little to no cost.

by Alicyn