About the upcoming Disablót. The Disablót is one of the most famous blót´s, and like the Midvinter blót/yule one of the most misunderstood blót´s. The Disablót did not take place at the beginning of February, but at the third month called Göja/Göje (today between around the end of February and mid-March). It was when the Swedes were Christianized that the Disting/Disablót was moved to the Christian holiday of the Candle Mass, which is at the beginning of February (today on February 2) and even today Disting market is organized. Disting/Disablót is mentioned by Adam of Bremen, according to him, this simply takes place in Old Uppsala in the month of Göje after the vernal equinox and all inhabitants of Svitjod (Sweden) had to participate, if they did not want to participate they had to pay a fine. The disablót is deeply rooted in the veneration of the Disir´s – a group of powerful female forces closely associated with destiny, fertility, protection, and the general well-being of the family and community. The Disir´s are central figures in the Asatru, they are linked to the Nornirs who determine our destinies but also to the fylgior´s, thus the Disir´s are revered in part as ancestral guardians who exert a profound influence over our lives. They watch over their kin, guarantee prosperity, offer protection and guidance through both everyday and spiritual challenges. But the disir´s are also associated with the Valkyries and the Vanadis Freya. The Disablót falls on the first full moon before the Victory Blót and lasts for one day/night. If you want to use the disting-rule, the Disablót is the third full moon after the first new moon after the winter solstice. The disting occurs every nine years with the same calculation. Every nine years the Disting was held. The event lasted for 9 nights, a market was organised, horse races, parties and, of course, the usual blót, etc. The market survived Christianisation and is still organised today, but around a Christian holiday. In the Icelandic sources it is mentioned that the Disablót was performed in connection with the holiday of Winter Nights, this is probably the Icelanders’ and Norwegians’ time for the Disablót while the Swedes held it in the spring. Find out more about the historical 5 blóts, when they are according to the pre-christian heathen lunasolar calendar, why we celebrate these blóts: https://asa-samfundet.se/en/holidays/

🇬🇧 text + link further down. 🇸🇪 Utförda Blot 2025: Blotlag Ymer höll Midvinterblot 11 Januari 2025. Ymer kallade till Midvinterblot den 11 januari. Det var en mörk och ganska blåsig kväll, men ändå otroligt vacker i skenet av fullmånen och lyktor i snön. Vi hann bara börja förbereda innan det blev uppslutning av deltagare, gamla som nya. Det var inte bara Uppsalabor, utan vissa hade åkt från Stockholm och Västerås, och andra hade åkt från Dalarna. Läs mer på: https://asa-samfundet.se/utforda-blot-2025-blotlag-ymer-holl-midvinterblot-11-januari-2025/ 🇬🇧 Blóts performed: Blót Kindred Ymer held Midwinter Blót on 11 January 2025. Ymer called for the Midwinter Blót on 11 January. It was a dark and rather windy evening, but still incredibly beautiful in the light of the full moon and lanterns in the snow. We only had time to start preparing before there was a turnout of participants, old and new. It was not only Uppsala residents, but some had travelled from Stockholm and Västerås, and others had travelled from Dalarna. Read more at: https://asa-samfundet.se/en/blots-performed-blot-kindred-ymer-held-midwinter-blot-on-11-january-2025/

This is a repost as we get closer...... Some history on the changing or standardizing of the Yule celebration. Hákon the Good (c. 920–961) was the son of Harald Fairhair, the first king of Norway, and was raised in England, where he converted to Christianity. When he became king of Norway, he sought to convert his people to Christianity as well, but this was met with resistance from the pagan Norse population. He worked to integrate Christian practices with traditional Norse customs to avoid conflict, which is where the idea of "moving" or adjusting the timing of Yule might come into play. Hákon the Good is known to have issued laws that required the Christian observance of certain Christian holidays, while also allowing Norse traditions to continue, including aspects of the Yule festival. One of his key moves was to decree that the feast of Yule should be celebrated at the same time as the Christian holiday of Christmas, which was closely tied to the Winter Solstice. This alignment helped to ease the transition for the Norse people, as they could continue celebrating at the same time as they had before, but now under a Christian framework. In this sense, while Hákon the Good didn't technically "move" the date of Yule (which already had Solstice associations), he helped standardize the timing of the celebration with the Christian observance of Christmas. His efforts contributed to the Christianization of the Yule festival, making it more in line with Christian customs while preserving key elements of the older pagan tradition. Dr. Andreas Nordberg: “The pre-Christian Yule feast occurs at the first full moon after the first new moon following the winter solstice, while the disting took place at the third full moon according to the same method of calculation.” (Jul, disting och förkyrklig tideräkning Kalendrar och kalendariska riter i det förkristna Norden Uppsala 2006, P.4)

These are some pictures from my 2020 trip to Gamla Uppsala, Sweden. In the 3rd century AD and the 4th century AD and onwards, Gamla Uppsala it was an important religious, economic and political centre. Early written sources show that already during prehistory, Gamla Uppsala was widely famous in Northern Europe as the residence of Swedish kings of the legendary Yngling dynasty. #uppsala

Håga hög, Uppsala

Some history on the changing or standardizing of the Yule celebration. Hákon the Good (c. 920–961) was the son of Harald Fairhair, the first king of Norway, and was raised in England, where he converted to Christianity. When he became king of Norway, he sought to convert his people to Christianity as well, but this was met with resistance from the pagan Norse population. He worked to integrate Christian practices with traditional Norse customs to avoid conflict, which is where the idea of "moving" or adjusting the timing of Yule might come into play. Hákon the Good is known to have issued laws that required the Christian observance of certain Christian holidays, while also allowing Norse traditions to continue, including aspects of the Yule festival. One of his key moves was to decree that the feast of Yule should be celebrated at the same time as the Christian holiday of Christmas, which was closely tied to the Winter Solstice. This alignment helped to ease the transition for the Norse people, as they could continue celebrating at the same time as they had before, but now under a Christian framework. In this sense, while Hákon the Good didn't technically "move" the date of Yule (which already had Solstice associations), he helped standardize the timing of the celebration with the Christian observance of Christmas. His efforts contributed to the Christianization of the Yule festival, making it more in line with Christian customs while preserving key elements of the older pagan tradition. Dr. Andreas Nordberg: “The pre-Christian Yule feast occurs at the first full moon after the first new moon following the winter solstice, while the disting took place at the third full moon according to the same method of calculation.” (Jul, disting och förkyrklig tideräkning Kalendrar och kalendariska riter i det förkristna Norden Uppsala 2006, P.4)

Some history on the changing or standardizing of the Yule celebration. Hákon the Good (c. 920–961) was the son of Harald Fairhair, the first king of Norway, and was raised in England, where he converted to Christianity. When he became king of Norway, he sought to convert his people to Christianity as well, but this was met with resistance from the pagan Norse population. He worked to integrate Christian practices with traditional Norse customs to avoid conflict, which is where the idea of "moving" or adjusting the timing of Yule might come into play. Hákon the Good is known to have issued laws that required the Christian observance of certain Christian holidays, while also allowing Norse traditions to continue, including aspects of the Yule festival. One of his key moves was to decree that the feast of Yule should be celebrated at the same time as the Christian holiday of Christmas, which was closely tied to the Winter Solstice. This alignment helped to ease the transition for the Norse people, as they could continue celebrating at the same time as they had before, but now under a Christian framework. In this sense, while Hákon the Good didn't technically "move" the date of Yule (which already had Solstice associations), he helped standardize the timing of the celebration with the Christian observance of Christmas. His efforts contributed to the Christianization of the Yule festival, making it more in line with Christian customs while preserving key elements of the older pagan tradition. Dr. Andreas Nordberg: “The pre-Christian Yule feast occurs at the first full moon after the first new moon following the winter solstice, while the disting took place at the third full moon according to the same method of calculation.” (Jul, disting och förkyrklig tideräkning Kalendrar och kalendariska riter i det förkristna Norden Uppsala 2006, P.4)

In Gamla Uppsala (Old Uppsala) just a stone's throw from the royal mounds is the restaurant Odinsborg. In 2021, NAS/NAC handed over an Odin statue to Odinsburg, the statuette is made by the National Blót Responsible Thommy Vähäsalo. The statue is right at the entrance to the restaurant. Btw, all members of NAS/NAC have a 25% discount at Odinsborg upon presentation of a valid membership card.

Gamla Uppsala

Gamla Uppsala