Ceremonies are a way of life for the Six Nations people. Tradition holds that the Creator has given the Six Nations many ceremonies and customs to bring them closer to their natural environment. Ceremonies -- like the Sap Ceremony, the Moon Ceremony, the Strawberry Ceremony, and the Midwinter Festival -- are all practiced to show thankfulness to the Creator.

The Midwinter Festival is an important Six Nations celebration of renewal. It is a six-day event beginning at dusk when the Pleiades are directly overhead (usually around the New Year). The purpose of the festival is to celebrate the struggle between Teharonhiawako (Holder of the Heavens) and Sawiskera (Mischievous One); it is an opportunity to give thanks to the Creator and hail the new solar cycle. At the beginning of the festival, the participants extinguish all household fires and then rekindle them. Many other traditional Six Nations ceremonies take place during the Midwinter Festival: the Great Feather Dance, the Drum Dance, the Ceremony of Chanting, and the Great Betting.

One of the most important components of the Midwinter Festival is dream renewal and dream sharing. Everyone gives thanks for the dreams that have provided them with guidance in the previous year and they discuss dreams they have difficulty understanding.