Vildagin

Upon Vildagin he sleeps in the silver light of the moon, leaving us for a moment to rest. To think upon our year past, take a moment in the peaceful dark to mourn those now with our Lady. It is the soft mercy of quiet, when time does not pass for a single day.

Vildagin (lit. Sunrest Day) is the most important festival of the Forjorni people; it is observed on the Winter Solstice of each year. The festival observes the sleeping of the sun god Arveghan, an interpretation of the Divine Arven, and mourns the death of those who passed in the year preceding. Life in Forjorn is hard, and the Vildagin is one of the few chances for rest and celebration that its people have.

Festivities

On Vildagin, less than two hours of sunlight touch the island and the people of Forjorn traditionally gather in the Hall of Ice for the darkest portion of the night. There, they observe prayers for the good luck of the deceased and make small offerings to Arveghan and The Lady, the Forjorni goddess of death. A period of contemplation and silence is observed in darkness.
Following this, a great fire is lit and the mourning burn wood carved with the names of their lost relatives. This is believed to release their souls for reincarnation. The Forjorni then commence the celebration of their lost friends lives and the Awakening of Arveghan.
The Awakening consists of a raucous, rowdy celebration in which as much noise as possible is meant to be made. This is intended to wake up the sleeping sun god. Traditional music is played and most of the tribe is expected to participate in dances and singing, accompanied with liberal consumption of alcohol.
Children conceived on Vildagin are considered to be more likely to have a lucky life and many children of their own. It is also widely believed that time does not progress during Vildagin, and so the day is never counted towards one's age.