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

Let’s break it down

When it comes to the dating of Álfblót, Bede, Sorenson claims it occurs during:

- The full moon after Vetrnætr;
- During Gormanuthr (Gore Month for slaughter month); and,
- During the Anglo-Saxon Blood Moon.

This originally had most of us believe that Álfblót occurs on the full moon after Vetrnætr.

However, more recently Dr. Andreas Zautner published a theory that Álfblót takes place during Vetrnætr, thus questioning a previous theory by the foremost expert in pre-Christian calendars, Dr. Andreas Nordberg.

What was the insight that led to this ground-breaking conclusion? Dr. A. Zautner agrees that major blóts occur on full moons. Where his work splits is when he shows that the months begin on the new moons. This keeps the dating of Vetrnætr, Jól and Sigrblót the same, but moves Álfblót to the same day at Vetrnætr.

The theory of new moons marking a new month is not a new theory. In fact, many ancient civilizations following lunisolar calendars started a new month on a new moon.

If the months begin on the new moon, this would shift the months up by about two weeks, moving Gormunthr to October-ish instead of November-ish, which makes one of three sources align with Zautner’s theory.

...

Álfblót is said to be a private gathering and the only time strangers are not welcome (society of good hosts and what-not). Sources of Álfblót only mention it as a Swedish Heathen tradition in Uppsala - it’s not mentioned anywhere else. Like Vetrnætr, Álfblót is a time to give revererance to the ancestors.

Could Álfblót be a Swedish tradition for Vetrnætr? Is it separate?

What do you think?

...

To learn how to celebrate Álfblót and Vetrnætr, head over to https://www.pagankids.org/post/alfblot