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Author Topic: How do you celebrate Winter Nights?  (Read 4375 times)

Friendly_Viking

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How do you celebrate Winter Nights?
« on: October 17, 2016, 10:32:35 am »
Hello All!!

I am curious how your all celebrate winter Nights. I am new to Asatru and this is my first Winter Nights and am not sure how to celebrate it.

Thank you!

Megatherium

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Re: How do you celebrate Winter Nights?
« Reply #1 on: October 17, 2016, 09:26:50 pm »
Quote from: Friendly_Viking;197599
Hello All!!

I am curious how your all celebrate winter Nights. I am new to Asatru and this is my first Winter Nights and am not sure how to celebrate it.

Thank you!

 
My local Heathen community has a ritual in late September with a blot and sumbel. For me, that is the most important event as my family is not Heathen, and there is therefore no real celebration in my home. I do make offerings to my ancestors and the dead in general around late October. And though it's not winternights, I celebrate the shit out of Halloween.
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Elding

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Re: How do you celebrate Winter Nights?
« Reply #2 on: October 18, 2016, 10:42:50 am »
Quote from: Friendly_Viking;197599
Hello All!!

I am curious how your all celebrate winter Nights. I am new to Asatru and this is my first Winter Nights and am not sure how to celebrate it.

Thank you!

Personally, I usually don't. It does not resonate with me much since... well, now we have artificial lights :P My group tend to celebrate at the solstice, which sort of takes some of the point away from the Winter Nights, and then there's the Alvablót and All Hallows if you follow those... I don't feel the need for yet another autumn holiday.

But I can make simple blóts of course. I like the idea of feeding wildlife during the winter season, so you could do stuff like put out hay for the deer or place a birdfeeder somewhere if you have the land. If you don't have the land to do that, or if the winters where you live are not cold enough to really warrant it, you could donate food to animal/homeless people shelters. Hospitality is a big part of wintertime, keeping each other out of the cold.
« Last Edit: October 18, 2016, 10:44:21 am by Elding »
Out in the woods, and I\'m not alone, but the sun\'s quickly going down!
There! In the trees! Something stalking me! Stop walking around!
\'K, just be cool, don\'t be such a fool! There is nothing at all to fear...
... other than the trees and the night and a beam of light, and the breathing in my ear...
[/I]

Friendly_Viking

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Re: How do you celebrate Winter Nights?
« Reply #3 on: October 18, 2016, 11:08:41 am »
Quote from: Megatherium;197617
My local Heathen community has a ritual in late September with a blot and sumbel. For me, that is the most important event as my family is not Heathen, and there is therefore no real celebration in my home. I do make offerings to my ancestors and the dead in general around late October. And though it's not winternights, I celebrate the shit out of Halloween.

 
Love it! I do celebrate the shit out of Halloween as well. Thank you for the reply!

Friendly_Viking

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Re: How do you celebrate Winter Nights?
« Reply #4 on: October 18, 2016, 11:09:23 am »
Quote from: Elding;197638


But I can make simple blóts of course. I like the idea of feeding wildlife during the winter season, so you could do stuff like put out hay for the deer or place a birdfeeder somewhere if you have the land. If you don't have the land to do that, or if the winters where you live are not cold enough to really warrant it, you could donate food to animal/homeless people shelters. Hospitality is a big part of wintertime, keeping each other out of the cold.

 
That is a great idea.

hraefngar

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Re: How do you celebrate Winter Nights?
« Reply #5 on: January 05, 2017, 10:13:39 pm »
Quote from: Friendly_Viking;197599

I am curious how your all celebrate winter Nights. I am new to Asatru and this is my first Winter Nights and am not sure how to celebrate it.

 
There are about three different  though somewhat related themes going on in Winter Nights.

First, lore tells us there was a blot to the disir, or the female ancestral spirits.

Second, other sources tell us there was a blot to Freyr as harvest god, for the last harvest.  

Finally, it is the start of the Wild Hunt, and while Odin is more properly honored at Yule, some people do give him a nod at Winter Nights.  

I am fortunate to live within driving distance of several kindreds. One festival is dedicated to Ing-Freyr, another kindred's to the ancestors/disir.   I personally may make an offering to Odin.

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