A holiday in Golarion, marked on the last night of the calendar year. On this night, it is believed that the ghosts of those who died during the previous year manifest in the homes they lived in during life. And though some might consider the chance of seeing the shade of a dearly departed loved one to be a blessing, the Night of the Pale is typically not a time for happy reunions, for these ghosts, according to tradition, do not return this night out of love for those they left behind, but out of darker compulsions: lingering jealousies, unfinished arguments, a simmering need for revenge.
This holiday is celebrated, in many communities around Avistan, by a feast—the food sometimes even prepared with a graveyard theme. This feast helps folks make some light of their fears while sharing good company with similarly nervous neighbors, spreading a little bit of light and warmth out into the world, hopefully placating the recently departed. And then the feast typically ends early enough to give participants time to return home and decorate their doors and windows with salt—to ward off evil spirits—and then to hide in their bedrooms until dawn.
Also, every Night of the Pale there are stories of disappearances, often those caught out after midnight. Whether these vanishings are the result of folks taking the opportunity to run away from home, or the result of wild animals, other mundane dangers… or vengeful spirits carrying off their victims… the truth of each story depends upon the circumstances.
First Reference: Chapter 136
Other Notable References: Act IV Interlude Part 1