Nalujuk Night
Inuit festival
Nalujuk Night is a festival marked by Inuit communities in Nunatsiavut on 6 January to commemorate the end of Christmas. Believed to derive from a combination of Inuit religious traditions and Christianity brought to the area by Moravians in the 18th century, older members of communities dress up as Nalujuit (sing. Nalujuk), beings that emerge from the sea ice to reward good behaviour and punish bad behaviour.
Etymology
The term "nalujuk" comes from the Inuktiut term for "heathen" and "non-believer" and has been used as a term to describe people who are ignorant or uninformed. Its plural form, nalujuit, was also used to described Christian mummers operating in Labrador following the arrival of Moravians. Among non-indigenous communities, the celebration is sometimes referred to as Jannies' Night.
Folklore
Nalujuk Night is believed to have started during the eighteenth century, following the arrival of Moravians in Labrador. Oral traditions state that the Nalujuit represent the three wise men who visited Jesus following his birth; it has been theorised that this story merged with the Inuit story of Suporgoksoak, a spirit who controlled wildlife and determined if people were worthy of receiving its bounty, as well as elements of the story of the water deity Sedna. Nalujuit have been compared to bogeymen in other cultures. Parents will often threaten their children that Nalujuit will "get them" on 6 January if they do not behave during the year.
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