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Quviasukvik (; "Christmas"), is the first day of the year according to
Inuit Inuit (singular: Inuk) are a group of culturally and historically similar Indigenous peoples traditionally inhabiting the Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America and Russia, including Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwe ...
. The festival of the New Year is celebrated by Inuit, Yupik,
Aleuts Aleuts ( ; (west) or (east) ) are the Indigenous people of the Aleutian Islands, which are located between the North Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea. Both the Aleuts and the islands are politically divided between the US state of Alaska ...
, Chukchi, NunatuKavummiut and the
Iñupiat The Inupiat (singular: Iñupiaq), also known as Alaskan Inuit, are a group of Alaska Natives whose traditional territory roughly spans northeast from Norton Sound on the Bering Sea to the northernmost part of the Canada–United States borde ...
. The feast originally derives from traditional Inuit religion but in modern times, it has Christian influences.


Timing

The Quviasukvik festival starts on
Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas, the festival commemorating nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. Christmas Day is observance of Christmas by country, observed around the world, and Christma ...
and ends on January 7. This festival celebrates the coming of the new year and the sea goddess, Sedna and the transferring of spirits for good luck in the new year. During these days, many traditional customs are displayed. Due to Christian influences,
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
was considered a new year to the Inuit which gave the festival its name.


See also

* Angakkuq * First sunrise


Notes

*This would only apply in those areas where the sun rose on December 24. Many
circumpolar peoples Circumpolar peoples and Arctic peoples are umbrella terms for the various indigenous peoples of the Arctic region. Approximately four million people are resident in the Arctic, among which 10 percent are indigenous peoples belonging to a vast nu ...
live above the
Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the northernmost of the five major circle of latitude, circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth at about 66° 34' N. Its southern counterpart is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circl ...
, experience
polar night Polar night is a phenomenon that occurs in the polar regions of Earth, northernmost and southernmost regions of Earth when the Sun remains below the horizon for more than 24 hours. This only occurs inside the polar circles. The opposite phen ...
, and thus have no sunrise on December 24. For example the Copper Inuit who lived in the Umingmaktok area () did not see the sunrise between (approximately) December 12 and 29


References

{{Christmas Festivals in Alaska Festivals in Nunavut Festivals in Greenland Festivals in Russia New Year in Canada New Year in Russia New Year in the United States Shamanistic festivals Cultural festivals in Canada Cultural festivals in Greenland Cultural festivals in Russia Cultural festivals in the United States Winter traditions Inuit mythology December observances Observances on non-Gregorian calendars Inuit culture Winter in Canada Winter events in Greenland Winter in Russia Winter in the United States Shamanistic holidays Indigenous festivals in Canada Christmas in Canada Christmas in Denmark Christmas in the United States Indigenous peoples days