Óðinshof District

​In January, we gather to celebrate the passing of Jól and the beginning of another wonderful year. As the name suggests, this is also a Blót to mighty Þórr. The Blót to the friend of man is followed by a large feast, full of joy and good memories. High Sumbl follows the feast, where bright words are spoken and good gifts are given. 

During the month of March, the Folk gather to celebrate the Ásynja of the dawn, Lady Austra. Her arrival brings the earth back to life as flowers bloom and animals awaken from hibernation. Her holy tide is celebrated by enjoying the outdoors, praising the fertility she brings every year and the idea of dawn in general. The Folk honor Austra with Blót, asking her for continued blessings of fertility and new beginnings in our lives. Following Blót, there is a feast, which is followed by High Sumbl.

Sumarmál, Old Norse for “summer time,” is celebrated in the month of May. The Folk gather to celebrate the continued fertility of the earth and give Blót to Holy Freyr, asking for fertility of the Folk and continued blessings in general. This is followed by a dance around the Maypole with all of the gathered Folk, and the event typically closes with a feast and Sumbl. 

Sigrblót, meaning “victory sacrifice,” is celebrated in July. This is a celebration of our previous victories, but also a time to ask Lord Týr for further victory in our endeavors as summer comes to a close and winter gets closer. This holy tide is celebrated by sharing our victories and accolades, praising Lord Týr with a sword dance or similar feat, giving Blót to him, and then sharing in High Sumbl with the Folk. 

As Miðgarðr’s warmth wanes in the month of September, Ásatrúar come together to celebrate Haustblót, or the harvest festival. This holy tide is both celebration and preparation- we celebrate the many blessings of the Æsir as the last harvest is brought in, and we pray to Lord Ullr to help us prepare for the coming winter. This event is marked by a Blót to Lord Ullr, where hunting weapons and work tools are blessed, as these are used to keep food on the tables of our families. This is followed by a feast, often made up of autumnal or wintry foods, and the event is ended with High Sumbl. The ancestors’ round is especially powerful at all of the winter events, due to the veil between worlds becoming thinner. 

Einherjablót, or Feast of the Einherjar, is a late autumn holiday revolving around the fallen warriors of our Folk and the Einherjar specifically. This holy tide is in November partially to coincide with the American holiday of Veterans’ Day, but also because of the veil being thin between the worlds. Blót is given to the All-Father and his warriors in Valhalla, this is followed by a feast and Sumbl, where all of the warriors of our Folk are honored and their courage is recognized and appreciated. 

In February, we celebrate both the masculine and the feminine while preparing to work our will on the world in the new year. Blót is given to Holy Freyr, to ask for success in our ventures and fertility in our Folk. We take this time to “charm the plow,” blessing our tools and digging the first symbolic furrow of the season. High Sumbl follows this, where the Ásynjur are especially honored.

The digging of the furrow represents masculine energy, while the charming of the plow represents feminine energy, just as our women compliment and support our men as they work their will in order to provide for the Folk. This is also a time where the tools of our industry (whatever that may be for each of us) are blessed for the coming year of accomplishment.

In April, after Austra has brought the flora and fauna back to bright life, the Folk gather to celebrate Nornanótt—the night of the Nornir. This holy tide puts emphasis on the divine feminine, giving Blót to Holy Freyja and honoring her magic. This celebration is often done in the evening hours, as the Folk burn fires to sacrifice items that we no longer have need of; something of a “spring cleaning." Nornanótt is an excellent time to reflect on the blessings woven for us by the Nornir, and to raise a horn to those blessings during Sumbl.

Miðsumar, or Midsummer, is considered the high point of the year for many of our Folk. Celebrated in the month of June, when Sól is in her full glory, around the time of the summer solstice. This holy tide is centered around the worship of Baldr and his brightness, as well as the joy of the season. At our Hofs, Blót will be given to Baldr, and a sunwheel will be lit before the Folk. The Æsir are thanked for our previous victories, and then the event is closed with a powerful three rounds of Sumbl among the Folk. 

During the month of August, the Folk gather to thank Holy Freyr for the many blessings given to us since Dísaþing in February. The name Freyfaxi comes to us from a story about a horse who was sacrificed to the god of the world. There is a Blót held in Holy Freyr’s honor, a feast, stories told of his deeds, and High Sumbl. 

Vetrnætr, or Winter Nights, takes place in October and is a celebration of the ancestors. During the colder months, the veil between this world and the next is thin, and our ancestors are closer than in the summer months. This holy tide is often celebrated during the evening, and is marked by giving Blót to the Alfar and Dísir—the male and female ancestors. This ritual is followed by a feast and High Sumbl, where our ancestors are especially praised over the horn. 

Jól, anglicized as Yule, is our midwinter celebration and one of the most well-known holy tides in Ásatrú. There are 12 days of Jól, from December 20 through December 31st. Each day, our Folk are encouraged to light a candle in honor of a different virtue — steadfastness, justice, etc. Most of our Folk gather for Jól on the first or last of the 12 days, although personal devotion and celebration takes place on all 12 of these days. At our Hofs, the Folk gather to decorate the Jól tree, exchange gifts, give Blót to the Æsir in general in thanks for the blessings of the year, share in a grand feast, and toast to the past and future in three rounds of High Sumbl.