Observed on

28 Days after the Autumn Equinox

Observed by

Scandinavian

Country of Origin 

Scandinavia - 700s

Celebrations/Customs

Animal Sacrifices, Feasting, Costumes, Trick-or-Treating

Similar/Related to:

Halloween, Samhain

Key Points / Halloween Connection

- Three-day Scandinavian holiday that was very similar to Samhain

Brief Bio

Vetrnætr, or Winter Nights, was an ancient Norse celebration held in late October that marked the transition from autumn to winter and the beginning of the Norse new year. Similar to modern Halloween, Vetrnætr featured feasting and honoring ancestors, as the time was believed to have a thinner veil between the living and the dead. The festival involved animal sacrifices (blót), communal feasts, and offerings to gods like Odin, and in some instances, children would go door-to-door for gifts in a practice resembling trick-or-treating.