Nimsy Night is a holiday that takes place on the summer solstice, the shortest night of the year. Owls welcome back the darkness, for after Nimsy Night, the nights grew steadily longer until Founder's Night. It was also the time to usher in the warmest months of the year when prey is most plentiful and flying the most pleasant.
Celebrations[]
Everything is decorated with the color green. The leaves of maples, oaks, and sycamores were a bright vibrant shade at this time of year, so owls string them together to make garlands and wreaths to place over hollows and nests. These are said to bring good luck. Some owls even dye their primaries green in celebration. The best known ritual was the picking of the herbs, as ancient owl superstition said that healing herbs were at their most potent on the shortest night of the year. Therefore, herbs were picked on this night to dry and use throughout the year.
At the Great Tree, the time of Golden Rain was when chaw practices were cut short to give the owls more time to enjoy themselves. They look forward to the coming of Nimsy Night because it signals the coming of a more leisurely schedule. They also have the unique tradition of hosting a snail bake. Coals were buried among the stones on the shoreline to heat them up and fresh seaweed and live snails were gathered. The snails were thrown onto the stones, followed by the seaweed and a few herbs. Then the whole thing was covered in sand for an hour or two to trap the heat. Afterwards, the snails were dug out and eaten. Raw snails were usually unappetizing but they were a delicacy when cooked this way.
- Date: June 21 every year