I would point out that the sheer number of these folk traditions and considering how widespread they are shows that the ideal of conducting certain actions depending on the course of the moon was a deeply ingrained tradition with Northern Europeans that goes back centuries and it cannot be denied that these traditions are Northern in origin. More of these traditions included the following:

Full and Waning Moon:
- On the waning moon if one was sick and faced it he/she would pray, "As though decreasest, let my pains diminish."
- It was considered a bad omen that the master of the house die during the waning moon. It was believed that the whole family would fall away.
- Fruits that grow below ground should be sown on the waning moon.
- Winter crops should not be sown with the moon stands at the idle (third) quarter.

New and Waxing Moon:
- Approaching the lessoning of sickness from a different direction one could face the new moon and say, "May what I see increase, and what I suffer cease."
- The Esthonians believe that death at the new moon is unlucky.
- Fruits that grow above ground should be sown on the waxing moon.

It seems that, for the most part, the quarter phases did not matter too much. There are very few traditions concerning the half or quarter moons. It seems that like the year and days of the Northern European the moons course was divided into two main phases. The moon was considered either in the increase or the decrease with the full moon being considered part of the decrease and the new moon being considered part of the increase. It is possible that, since the full and new moons last 3 to 4 days that the first few days of the full moon were considered part of the new or waxing cycle and the last few days part of the full or waning cycle. The same would have applied to the new moon. (506) The names for these two cycles was ný and nið. Ný signified the new and waxing cycle while nið signified the full and waning cycle. (507) Grimm supports the idea that the first few days of the full moon would have been considered part of the waxing cycle. (508)

Nights Before Day

That Northern Europeans told time by nights instead of days in confirmed by Caesar in his Gallic Wars. (509) Their calendar of feasts were always fixed by nights instead of days. (510) Each day/night proper began with what we would consider the previous evening. For instance Thursday, using the method of pre-Christian Northern Europeans, would have began the previous evening. Day always followed night and in our lore it was night (Nott) who have birth to day (Dagr). Following, I would like to give a list of the Old Norse day names and month names that I will present for use with reconstructed Northern Way calendar.

Day names

Month Names

Oct. 14th - Nov. 13th - Winter Finding (1st winter month)
Nov. 14th - Dec. 13th - Frost Moon
Dec. 14th - Jan. 13th - Jól
Jan. 14th - Feb. 13th - Thorri
Feb. 14th - March 13th - Barren Moon
March 14th - April 13th - Single Moon
April 14th - May 13th - Summer Finding (1st summer month)
May 14th - June 13th - Eggtide
June 14th - July 13th - Midsummer
July 14th - August 13th - Haymaking
August 14th - Sept. 13th - Double Moon
Sept. 14th - Oct. 13th - Harvest Moon

These month names are based on the actual Old Norse names for the month or for the blót feast that was held during that month. The Old Norse months began on what was the middle of modern months. Following are my reasons for using the names I present here for the month names.

Winter Finding: The Old Norse word for this month is gormánuðr. (mánuðr = month) This month was considered the first winter month and it is on Oct. 14th that the blót-feast, Winter Finding is held. For this reason I choose Winter Finding as the name for this month.
Frost Moon: The word month is derived from the word for moon. Given the importance Northern Europeans placed on using the moon as a guide for time I thought it appropriate to use the word moon in the month names instead of the word 'month.' The Old Norse name for this month was frermánuðr. Frer means frost so the direct translation of this month name would be Frost Month or Frost Moon.
Jól: The choosing of the name for this month is easily explained as the great Feast of Jól (Yule) falls in it. The Old Norse name for this month was hrútmánuðr or 'Ram-month.'
Thorri: The Old Norse name for this month as Þorri (Thorri) named after the descendent of a giant.
Barren Moon: The Old Norse name for this month was gói which meant roughly 'barren.' Other sources call this month 'hunger month.'
Single Moon: The Old Norse for this month's name was einmánuðr or 'single-month.'
Summer Finding: Like Winter Finding the beginning of this month, the blót feast of Summer Finding or Sigrblót was celebrated. It was the first month of Summer.
Egg-tide: The name for this month is a direct translation of the Old Norse name for it, 'eggtíð' (eggtide).
Midsummer: During this month the great feast of Midsummer or Sun's Wending is celebrated. The Old Norse name was sólmánuðr 'sun-month.'
Haymaking: The Old Norse name for this month was heyannir which is translated as 'hay-making season' or 'haying season'.
Double Moon: The Old Norse for this month was tvímánuðr or Double-month.
Harvest Moon: The Old Norse name for this month was haustmánuðr which is translated as Harvest-month.

Modern Practice

Introduction

Now that we have examined the practices of the pre-Christian and Viking Age North the question some might ask is why should we seek to emulate them in their religious practices? The simple question is because we at Northvegr Félag consider ourselves to be a reconstructionist tradition. The more detailed answer is that we believe when we make the extra effort to go through the same motions our ancestors did we establish stronger connections with our ancestors. The Christian religion has cut us, as a people, off from the flow of othr that flows from our ancestors to us and from us to those who will follow in a great ring. By reclaiming the way of our ancestors we work to reopen that flow that has lain fallow for a thousand years. By conducting the blót (strengthening) we open our ears to the whispers of the our ancestors and to the whispers of our gods and goddesses. We seek to emulate their actions to strengthen the bonds between ourselves and our ancestors and our gods and goddesses.

The next question then is how do we take these practices and incorporate them into our modern day practice. How each of us honor our ancestors and the Regin is a deeply personal issue. It is not one that should be dictated. Only each person can decide for themselves what is the proper way to honor the ancestors and the Regin. So what I present here are suggestions; suggestions based on the lore we have left to us and on personal practice and experience. I have labored very hard to present as many legitimate sources from the lore as possible so that each person can read them and decide on their own how they should be used. The most important thing is that you DO. How you choose to strengthen the bonds of kinship with your ancestors and the Regin is not as important as DOING it. I cannot stress that enough. So read on and please feel free to contact us with your ideas and observations. I am fully aware that I may miss an important observation and would be glad to hear about it if I have. It is, above all important, that the reader will take what I have presented here and use it to strengthen the bonds between themselves and the their ancestors and the Regin.