Dance of the Deer

Dance of the Deer or Cernenon is a festival that takes place in the northern kingdoms of Skjol and Highfjall and sometimes Isgerdia, from Korvos 17th to 24th. It is considered a part of the old northern religion, called Truarbog.

Cernenon is a Low Northern word, a combination of the word "cern" meaning deer, "a" meaning of, and "non" meaning to dance. A literal translation is "Dance of [the] deer".

History
Cernenon has been practiced in the North for a long time, first being recorded around 1632 A.E. The ceremony is a part of the 'lost' religion Truarbog, which was an animistic religion brought to the North from Nordures. The festival was probably started sometime before the unification, though was not mentioned until much after.

Little is known about the early practiced festivals, other than that they were held in winter. Several masks have been recovered and attributed to the festival, such as the Red Horned Mask from near Forsberg.

Modern Festivities
The Cernenon is technically illegal under the Joint Northern Accord, however it is still widely practiced in Skjol and Highfjall, without the religious connotations.