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Ásatrú holidays

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In Asatru (Germanic neopaganism), various publications identify a number of holidays, to some extent based on medieval references to sacrifices observed in historical Norse paganism or reconstructions of an early Germanic calendar, but frequently also inspired by the "Wheel of the Year" popular in Wicca, and sometimes also based on ad hoc innovation, e.g. the various "Days of Remembrance" introduced by The Troth.

Contents

As a minimal consensus, the three great seasonal blots mentioned in Ynglingasaga are recognized by practically all adherents. These are: Winter Nights (in October, in some Icelandic sagas identified with Dísablót ), Midwinter (some time in December or January, often identified with Yule) and Sigrblot (some time in summer). Beyond this, the modern Icelandic festival of Þorrablót is sometimes considered a "pagan holiday".

Suggestions for rituals suited for these various holidays were published by e.g. Edred Thorsson, A Book of Troth (1989) and by Kveldulf Gundarsson, Teutonic Religion (1993). James Chisholm (1989) published a suggestion for Ostara

The following are examples of seasonal festivals as listed by notable adherents of American Asatru.

Asatru Free Assembly

The seminal organization of American Asatru was Asatru Free Assembly, founded in 1974 by Stephen McNallen. The first attempt to provide a "Germanic" version of the Wiccan Wheel of the Year was made by McNallen in desktop-published documents between 1975-1976.

The name "Yule" coincides with the Wiccan Wheel as the name has been taken by Wicca from the Germanic tradition in the first place. McNallen's "Summer Finding" later came to be popularly called Ostara both in Wicca and in Asatru. For the remaining items (other than "Midsummer"), McNallen sought to replace the Gaelic name used by Wiccans with a Germanic-inspired alternative.

Puryear

Puryear (2006) constructs an "eight-spoked Yule, also called achtwung", also paralleling the eight holidays in the Wheel of the Year in Wicca, but with slight differences to McNallen's 1970s version: Disting, Ostara, Beltaine, Midsummer, Hleifblot, Haustblot, Vetrablot, Yule. Of these eight names, Ostara, Beltaine, Midsummer and Yule coincide with the Wiccan "Wheel". The remaining four, Disting, Hleifblot, Haustblot and Vetrablot, correspond to Wiccan Imbolc, Lughnasadh, Mabon and Samhain, respectively.

Puryear (p. 186) mentions "Charming of the Plow" it as an "alternate name" for Disting, which he in turn identifies with the "midwinter sacrifice"

The Troth

The handbook Our Troth in its second edition, published by The Troth in 2006, likewise lists eight festivals: Yule, Þorrablót, Idis-Þing, Ostara (Sigrblót), Waluburg's Night, Midsummer, Loaf-Fest (Freyfaxi) and Winter-Nights (Alf-Blessing, Idis-Blessing, Frey-Blessing). These eight festivals are not, however, evenly distributed throughout the year as the Wiccan "Wheel of the Year". The handbook takes as its starting-point the statement in the Heimskringla on the three major holidays, Winter Nights, Yule, and Sigrblót (identified with Ostara), set in October, December and April, respectively. Midsummer is added as a fourth festival in the absence of Eddaic evidence because its popularity in modern Scandinavian folklore. The remaining four holidays are listead as the "lesser blessings". In addition, Our Troth cites a number of "Days of Remembrance" dedicated to various Eddaic heroes introduced by modern Ásatrú in the United States.

References

Ásatrú holidays Wikipedia