The First Snow
Celebration of the changing of the seasons and the beginning of winter!
It is good to teach a child the passage of time by showing them the direct changes that nature and the giants bring about for the world and for our reality. To show children the difference between summer and winter, between chill and frost, between snow and slush, those are the key things that assert what reality is and how the advancement of time will impact them no matter what manner of longevity their siring may have brought about for their genetics.Children are usually the ones watching the skies for the first real snowflakes. Spending weeks getting up early to check for overnight snows, watching the clouds and trying to predict if the day would be interrupted by a sudden flurry, or staying up late to see that first real snowfall. As soon as it hits, they become the center of attention as Puddle-Jumpers and get to find little treats and gifts that might be hidden in clumps of snow or in their new or adjusted winter clothes. However, no matter how many puddles are jumped and piles of slush are splashed through, the holiday isn't officially celebrated until the "First Footprint"; that specific amount of solid snow that retains a footprint without dissolving into mush. Usually, once a child finds this first footprint they are rewarded with their winter clothes for the season. Depending on how far north the city is, The Autumn Feast might happen as late as days after the First Snow. Indeed, many Renan cities have adopted specialized growing methods which aim to ignore the seasons, but this doesn't mean that they can be ignored by everybody else. While the summer might only last a few weeks in the farther reaches near Moldatun, there is still a significant amount of time where there is a lack of snow on the ground.
Preparations
While the First Snow is mainly an event for children and the young, the things that need to be done before it are still important for the majority of the northern populations. Things like breaking down fragile equipment, bringing in sensitive livestock, stuffing spare insulation throughout houses and other important chores before the chill of winter finally sets in. For the children, the preparation time is used to teach them the dangers of staying out too long in the cold, of getting caught out in blizzards and of wearing wet clothes in such temperatures.Participants
The First Snow is a familial event, predicated primarily on parents teaching children about the advancement of the seasons and how to recognize the various dangers of colder weather. Children that accompany their parents as such are labeled as "Puddle-Jumpers" for the fact that the children are tasked with forming the 'First Footprint' of the year. Generally many puddles of icy-slush will be stomped through in their excitement before they finally find a crunchy enough piece of snow to leave their first footprint in to mark the official beginning of winter.Furthermore, even should a child have already grasped the concept of time, the safety issues aligned with the lowered temperature acts as a valuable tool for instilling the ideals of mortality into a child. Let them see the grasses die, let them see the final leaves wither, and let them know, that they too will wither in time. But not before they grow into their green years of youth and freedom. We must persevere to carefully not overreach our teaching of young minds by overburdening them with things that they find too difficult to grasp.
Origin, Spread and Significance
The more northern portions of Ithungsida place more value in the first point of winter. This means that the First Snow is celebrated in Renai and KravMaw, but the majority of the continent doesn't have any specific practices that align with the celebration.
Gods Associated or in direct support of this holiday include:
Firn, the Chilled Halfling
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