One of the few formal religious holidays in honor of the goddess Desna. It is held on both the summer and winter solstices, as the longest and shortest nights of the year. Followers gather at dusk and light enormous bonfires and hold feasts, watching the sparks and embers float out into the darkening sky. When only embers remain, sand mixed with ground gemstones is thrown into the air . At this point it is common to make proclamations of love and friendship and of promised journeys to come. The twinkling of the sand is thought to mirror the night sky and demonstrate Desna’s witnessing of these pronouncements.
First Reference: Chapter 49
Other Notable References: Chapter 50 (Part 2)