The Seneca year is marked by celebrations of Thanksgiving in which people acknowledge all things that make life possible on earth, including the grasses, water, winds, thunder, shrubs and trees, birds, animals, sun, moon and stars, as well as the people, the earth, and the Three Sisters—corn, beans and squash. These festivals are times to celebrate these and other life forces as the work of the Creator and the Four Beings. The ceremonial year begins with the Midwinter festival, a time of renewal lasting nine days that stands at the center of Seneca ceremonies. After Midwinter, the Seneca acknowledge in turn the Maple, the Sun, the Thunderers, the Seeds, the Strawberry, the String Bean, the Green Corn, and the Harvest as Ceremonials of Thanksgiving.