Resources Holidays Heathen Calendar

Heathen Calendar

Summary

The first attempt at constructing a Norse Pagan holiday calendar followed the Wiccan Wheel of the Year. Why? Because Wicca was, at the time when the calendar was first being developed, regarded as an accurate if not properly “norsified” reflection of pre-christian Paganism. Wicca had 12 holidays based on their “Wheel of the Year” model. If you come from the Wiccan tradition, you’ll probably feel pretty comfortable transitioning to most practices of Norse Paganism because many of us took the Wheel of the Year and filed the serial numbers off.

Where did Heathen Holidays come from?

Modern Heathenry got the first calendar from the Wiccan Wheel of the Year

The first attempt at constructing a Norse Pagan holiday calendar followed the Wiccan Wheel of the Year. Why? Because Wicca was, at the time when the calendar was first being developed, regarded as an accurate if not properly “norsified” reflection of pre-christian Paganism. Wicca had 12 holidays based on their “Wheel of the Year” model. If you come from the Wiccan tradition, you’ll probably feel pretty comfortable transitioning to most practices of Norse Paganism because many of us took the Wheel of the Year and filed the serial numbers off.

Most people practiced this way and just started adding on holidays to that like “Feast Days” to honor “Heathen Heroes.”

Inevitably, disagreement ensued

As is the case often in Heathenry, some disagreed, and some disagreed vocally.

Debates raged and sometimes got silly. There is a famous standing grudge between groups as to how long Yule is. Decades long grudge.

The Wheel of the Year, while actually a pretty good approximation, wasn’t cutting it from the perspective of historical accuracy. Heathens hit the books and found that the Wheel of the Year didn’t quite match up to the accounts of actual practice (insofar as there were any) and so the calendar was adjusted.

And it’s still being tweaked, adjusted, argued over and debated to this very day. Though, for the most part, each of us have figured out a calendar of our own. Just be aware that the calendar we present to you isn’t going to be the final word nor is it going to be the only calendar that you’ll see people use.

“Yay! Two Christmases!”

It’s best to approach Norse Paganism with an open mind and the thought that celebrating another Holiday that you may not personally recognize is never a bad thing. Holidays are some of the most fun times we have as Heathens, and we love to celebrate life, good food and good company.

If someone celebrates Yule at a different time than you (you celebrate at the Winter Solstice and they celebrate at Midwinter), you don’t have to argue about who is right and who is wrong–you can just celebrate Yule at both times. If you celebrate Sigrblot and someone else doesn’t and instead celebrates Litha, then you can do both. That’s ok!

Polytheism isn’t just about having more than one God, it’s about allowing for multiple possibilities of valid religious experience. Just because it’s not your way doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the wrong way.

Heathens celebrate seasonality and locality (Celestial vs Terrestrial reckoning)

Celestial reckoning is where you figure holidays based on events happening in the sky. Equinoxes, Solstices, positions of planets… that kind of thing. Terrestrial reckoning is where you figure holidays based on events happening on the ground: plants emerging, animals showing up, sounds of birds… that sort of thing.

For someone in Minnesota, Spring comes a lot later than it does for someone in Florida, even though the celestial reckoning might be the same.This means the “signs of spring” that people need to see before they celebrate something like Ostara or Sigrblot (which was timed based on when the winter ice went out of the bay and ships could set sail) will necessarily be later for one than the other.

And think about how different it is in the Southern versus Northern hemisphere! For those in the global south, the seasons are reversed! Our Winter Solstice is their Summer Solstice and so on.

This is why some Heathens will, instead of doing it based on a “first full moon after this celestial event,” will change to a “first full moon after this terrestrial event.” So instead of “we have Ostara on the full moon after the Vernal Equinox” a group may change it to “the first full moon after the emergence of the first green bud on the apple tree.” And we just adjust for generally when that terrestrial event happens.

This is the essence of Celestial versus Terrestrial reckoning of holidays, and you don’t have to exclusively use one or the other. You can do both!

You will see that some Heathen groups call the same Holidays by different words

Some Heathens celebrate “Harvest” and others celebrate “Hausblot.” Some Heathens celebrate “Mother’s Night” and others celebrate “de Eewische Yeeger.” These differences are mostly cosmetic, and you’ll see that the holidays are celebrated in similar structural ways across the whole set of religions. One group might sing a song in Deitsch and another might sing a song in Old Frisian but they’re both singing songs, if you see what I mean.

How do you celebrate Holidays in Norse Paganism?

Each holiday has its own feel. Heathens love celebrating the seasons: the colors, the aromas and the sounds. Many Heathens enjoy hosting holidays, or attending them, and people gain reputations for being good Hosts and great Guests. “Oh, you HAVE to go to Yule at Rob’s house!” or “Oh, you know you have to invite Hannah!”

Most holidays we celebrate with great gusto: with amazing food, music, dancing, games and conversation.

Often holidays will have an offering, a feast and then conclude with a Symbel.

Do you have to perform a Blot at every Holiday?

This depends on the individual, but generally speaking: no. You are not required to perform a Blot at every Holiday. However, Sigrblot, Winternights and Yule were all attested to have been times when Blot was performed. Those were the three “big Blots” that Snorri mentioned in the Hiemskringla Sagas.

There are other Blots mentioned in Snorri, “Disablot” and “Alfarblot” which most Norse Pagans now take to mean “Offering to the women ancestors” and “offering to the male ancestors.” Disablot typically happens on “Mother’s Night” which is the Winter Solstice and Alfarblot is done at Winternights.

What about other offerings? Do I have to do one of those all the time too?

Different Heathens have different ideas of when to offer, what to offer and to whom. Offerings to Ancestor spirits may take place on days that are significant to a particular family or a particular revered Ancestor (Grandma’s birthday, for example). Many Heathens incorporate the Ancestor spirits into every ritual and set aside a special offering from the feast to them. If you’re celebrating a Holiday with other Heathens, this offering is usually done by the Host to their own Ancestor spirits, and so is often done as a separate private ritual.

You might offer to your house spirits on the day you moved in, or the day you performed your land-claiming ceremony. You might offer to the spirits of the land at different times of the year as well depending on the peculiarities of the land around you.

There might be a certain tree or plant which draws your eye, and you can reckon what the land spirits are doing based on the state of the plant. There also may be animal activities you notice around you that indicate the state of things. Those differences are perfectly normal and it’s how we naturally grow into our own practice, which will necessarily be different from someone else.