Wintersday

Wintersday is the first day of the year in Tyria. Much like Christmas and New Year's Day in many parts of the world, Wintersday is a day deep in winter that marks the celebration of the new year and the spirit of giving. In the world of Tyria, it's not all warm and fuzzy though... There is a conflict between Dwayna, the goddess of life, who wishes this day to be a day of giving and warmth, and Grenth, the god of death and cold, who wants this day to be a reminder of his cold grasp over mortals.

Human lore indicates that whenever the spirit of one god triumphs over the other, the new year is shaped with this triumph. If the day was a day of giving and joy, then Dwayna triumphs and spring comes early. If Grenth triumphs then winter's cold embrace lasts longer into the new year.

During the Wintersday festivities, many activities take place around the major cities of Tyria. Please see the Wintersday 2007 for details.

Wintersday falls on the 1st day of the Season of the Zephyr on the Mouvelian Calendar.

Special events

 * Wintersday 2005
 * Wintersday 2006
 * Wintersday 2007
 * Wintersday in July 2008

Trivia

 * Wintersday draws from a number of sources, including the real-world holidays of Christmas, New Year's Day and Groundhog Day, as well as the first half of How the Grinch Stole Christmas!.
 * On July 18th, 2008, ArenaNet started an event called "Wintersday in July" where players have access to the Snowball Arena and monsters drop Wintersday-themed items. This is a reference to an American marketing campaign: Christmas in July.