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and Observances
This amalgamated calendar is based on information from The Asatru Alliance and The Troth. Similar to how Wiccans "call down the moon" once a month, Asatruar generally hold regular monthly blots. Sometimes, a Day of Remembrance is used for this purpose although the DoRs are largly based on cultural/historical heritage, not spiritual aspects.
Januray 9th January Full Moon (or Friday between 19th and 25th) This holiday began the Old Norse month of Snorri. It is still observed in Iceland with parties and a mid-winter feast. It is, of course, sacred to Thor and the ancient Icelandic Winter spirit, Thorri. On this day a blot is dedicated to Thor; he who protects us from the Rime-Thurses. It is a time to get to know the other Gods as it is winter's coldest month and a time to be by a warm fire. February New Moon (or the 2nd) This is a festival of fertility and beginnings, of the planted seed and the plowed furrow. Many Asatruar celebrate the wooing by Freyr of the Maiden Gerdr; a symbolic marriage of the God of Fertility with the Mother Earth. In much of Northern Europe, grain cakes were offered for the soil's fertility and Father Sky and Mother Earth were invoked to that end. This holiday also generally honors all Goddesses and the Disir; the female ancestor spirits who bring blessings of fertility as well as important lessons. This is a good time to recall outstanding women in one's family line. For those of you who garden, this is the time to plant seed indoors to later be transplanted into the spring garden. One way to mark the day is to meditate upon your dependence on the soil. February 9th February 14th Folk etymology has led to this day being called 'Feast of Vali' in modern Asatru. Actually, St. Valentine has no demonstrable associations with Vali, nor to the thinly disguised Pagan Lupercalia rites which take place on this day. Nevertheless, many Heathens make blessing to this god at this time and generally enjoy the day. Many use it to celebrate the death of Hodr by Vali, avenging son of Odin. It is considered a late winter festival related to the triumph of the sun over the dark days of winter. Noting the familial tie bewteen Vali and Odin, it is held as a celebration of the family and Asatruar exchange cards and gifts with loved ones just like everybody else. It is also a time for the renewal of marriage vows and an occasion for marriages/handfastings. March 9th March 21-23rd Named for the early Goddess of Spring, Ostara the white-clad maiden, this festival marks the end of Winter and the beginning of the season of rebirth. Today many honor Frigga, Freya and Nerthus. Libations of mead are poured onto the Earth. Personally, I like to think of Idis-thing as the birth of a new green earth and Ostara as her coming of age. Conveniently enough for me, i can then see May Day as her wedding day. March 28th April 9th April Full Moon (or 19th) April 25th April 30th (May Eve) Walburg was an iconic wise woman and Seid worker (a witch, in the vernacular) who was later transmogrified somehow by the Christians into a saint. Nevertheless, even after this happened people remembered that this night was a holy night for wise women. Thus, Christians were taught to fear it, and them. In Heathenry, this night is one of mystical power as it comes on the eve of May Day, the greatest of the fertility holidays. It was (and still is) used as an occasion for future-casting and other mystical rites. Many choose to reflect on Freya's sinister side, on Hel, and on Frigga; those Goddesses who harbor the dead. It is rather the inverse of the bright fertility and exuberence to come on the morrow and a reminder that life is a cycle. May 1st A summer festival, the celebration of the mystical union with the land, honouring of Freyr and Freya. Dances around the May tree; bonfires on hills. The May Pole/Tree brought from the woods to the town symbolizes that the fertility of nature shall be brought to the town community. A very archaic aspect is ritual sex on the fields. This has later been moderated. ;-). The meaning behind the original act is to transfer the human fertility to the fields. Many of the traditions for spring festivals have a young man and woman in the center, exemplary for the human community. May 9 June 9th June 20th The summer solstice was second only to Yule in importance to the ancient Northmen. It is also a time for general merriment and, in the Scandinavian countries, many of what we know as the traditional May Day rituals, such as May Poles and Morris Dances, were celebrated at Midsummer rather than in May. This was the traditional time for holding the Allthing in ancient times, so the day is dedicated to Tyr, the God of Justice and Order. As we pass through the longest day and the shortest night of the year, it is also approriate to meditate on the good things of life. Asatruar remember "Balder the Beautiful" at this time and also honor the Sun (Suna) itself. July 9th August 1st Freyfaxi marked the beginning of the harvest in Iceland. Dedicated to the God of the harvest, it was a time for celebration with horse races, martial sports, and of course a Blot to Freyr and a feast. Thor, as hallower and defender of the fields, is also honred as is his fair wife Sif whose golden hair reminds us of the corn. Traditionally, three stalks of the first grain are bound together into a sheaf and kept as an amulet of fortune. Oftentimes, this sheaf, bound by a wise woman, was left in the field as magical protection for the crop. The penultimate sheaf is kept for the Yule feast. The last sheaf is left on the field for Odin's horse Sleipnir. August 9th September 9th September 21st The Autumn Equinox - Sept 21st - Winterfinding is often celebrated as the harvest festival of the year (or the second one if the kindred likes to celebrate Freyfaxi in August). Fertility Gods (Vanir) are usually invoked for their blessing upon the fields and the on-going harvest. Many honor Frey & Freya as well as Nerthus & Njord. As it is a harvest festival, a large feast of local fall crops is appropriate. It is a good time to reflect upon the labors of the past year and brace oneself for the coming of Winter. Count your blessings and harness your strength and confidence for the lean times ahead. October 9th Asatruar are proud of the fact that it was a Norseman who first settled in the "New World" and that he was seeking freedom, not gold or lands to conquer in the name of Empire. October 12th In the old Icelandic Calendar , Winter begins on the Satyr's day between October (Hunting) 11th and 17th . However, this holiday may move about in the calendar so as to occur when the seasons are noticably changing. Winter Nights also celebrates the bounty of the now completed harvest, but more importantly, honors the Alfs, Disir and Huldfolk. It also honors Odin and/or Perchta as leaders of The Wild Hunt (or Furious Host) which is thought to be beginning around now. The mood of Winternights is one of conserving resources against the scarcities of the coming cold season. This is the time of year when the animals which could not be fed through the coming winter were killed and the meat preserved. Usually at least one such animal was the subject of sacrifice with the kin eating the holy meat during feast. Libations of ale, milk, or mead are traditionally poured onto the earth as an offering. Apples may be offered to the Alfar. Hay may be given to Sleipnir, Odin's mighty steed thus marking the kindred's home as one that welcomes and respects the Furious Host. October 28th Honoring the stalwart founder of Greenland , and father of Leif , the founder of Vinland. Erik remained loyal to Thor even when his wife left the Gods and refused to sleep with her heathen husband . November 11th The chosen heroes who sit in Odin's Hall are the Einherjar. This Day is set aside for honoring those heros and kin who gave their lives for Family and Folk . Lift a horn to heroes of our faith, of your own blood, and your personal heros. If you have friends of relatives who died in battle , visit their graves today . Some Asatruar in the USA use Nov. 11 (Armistice Day) for this DoR while others prefer May 30th (Memorial Day). November 27th Many Asatruar in the USA use the national Thanksgiving holiday to honor our Gods and Goddesses of the hunt (it is deer hunting season in many parts of the country). We thank them for a successful hunting season with a blot and also bless/honor those who hunt to support the family. Weapons are dedicated on this day to Ullr. Some also take advantage of the family-oriented secular holiday to honor their personal ancestors. At my home, we set an extra place at the table and leave it empty so that any ancestor who wishes may join us for the feast. This is a great time for telling tales handed down through the family. Still other Asatruar refer to this holiday as "Weyland Smith's Day" and uses it to honor that great Germanic craftsman as well as those artists and artisans around us. December 9th Egil was a paradox of a man whose God was Odin, the great resolver of paradoxes and riddles. The blood of berserks and shape-shifters ran in his family. His lust for gold and for fame was insatiable. Yet he was passionately moved by the love of his friends and generously open-handed to those who found his favor. The same brain that seethed with war-fury also composed skadic poetry capable of calming angry kings. There is much to be learned from studying his Saga.
As the night before the Winter Solstice, this is the time when the New Year is born. We honor the beginning of the Sun's return and the breaking of Winter's spell. Traditionally, this night belongs to Frigg, the mother Goddess and mistress of home and hearth. Celebrations center around the wife or mother of the family as she symbolically cleans the house in preparation of Yule festivities, invites both the living and the dead to join the party, and bestows blessings and gifts on her family and friends. Mother Night Parties follow a special blot and ceremony where the house is lit with candle light. Sometimes, this includes a Yule Wreath of four candles, the decorating of an evergreen tree with sunwheels, and the lighting of the Yule Log. I am especially fond of Mother Night as it was the the first Heathen holiday I ever celebrated. December 31st This culminates the traditional twelve days of Yule. Traditionally, it is the night of the greatest feasting. This will usually include some form of pork; pigs were a common winter meat source and were sacrificed at this time, also the boar is a sacred animal of Frey. Golden apples are another treat and symbolize the youth and vitality of the new year. A vigil is held from dusk until dawn so that all kin may acknowledge the passing of the Wild Hunt and honor the rising sun of the new year. The vigil is a festive one and includes a long sumbel, story-telling, song, etc. Oaths sworn on this night, usually on Frey's boar or the hammer of Thor, are particularly holy. Words during sumbel are said to bear great weight and power. It is a time to count blessings, take stock and lay a course for the future.
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