#varblot

[feldgeistchen]

Várblót / Spring Equinox Altar Cloth

For my very first várblót / spring equinox celebration, i want to make a special altar cloth runner that i can lay on top of my usual altar cloth for the celebration.

Here's the cross stitch pattern i made (feel free to use it yourself if you'd like :) (it's about 280 x 140 stitches)):

I decided to use motives that represent abundance, prosperity, and fertility (from a more nature-based viewpoint). I also wanted to have loooads of flowers. The overall design and the patterns are all taken from old traditional German embroidery patterns from the 16th to 18th century. Here are all the sources:

the animals are from a German pattern book from 1760 (some of the flowers are from there as well)

the top and bottom border are from a Swiss pattern book from 1600

the left and right border and one of the flowers are from a pattern book from ca. 1596

some of the smaller flowers are from a pattern book from 1608 and from a pattern book from 1604

(Now, unfortunately, the fabric and embroidery floss are still on their way and with only 6 days to go until the spring equinox, i'm 99.9% sure i won't finish it in time. But that's okay, i'll work on it throughout spring and then i'll have a finished product for the next spring equinox)

[freyjas-light]

Held my spring celebration, or Vårblót, the other day. It was the first time in a while I've had the energy to really put towards the gods. I spent the day hiking through the woods, spring cleaning the garage, baking cookies, and ended with the first bonfire of the year. I used this day to celebrate the Vanir and the landvættir. The landvættir had a strong presence today, and seemed to enjoy the festivities. I'm hoping to start feeling rejuvenated again so I can put more energy back into my craft

[mannazandwyrd]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Nordic Animism (@nordic.animism)

Really appreciated the academic evidence of *Ostara as a correct reconstruction of a name of a goddess of spring, as explained by Mimisbrunnr’s Joseph Hopkins, in the caption of this post by @nordicanimism - and thought it was worth pointing to here given the Tumblr discourse about Eostre for the past month or so. Click through to check it out.

Hope you’re all having a great long weekend and enjoying your Eostre / Varblót / Sigrblót celebrations!

[feldgeistchen]

My Germanic Pagan Celebrations

Disclaimers: 

-> these are the celebrations that I personally celebrate. I personally prefer celebrating on equinoxes, solstices, and the dates in the middle of these events, but many other pagans have other preferences or set dates

-> there are also other pagan celebrations that I personally do not take part in but which other pagans might find important. Also, I do not celebrate Samhain, Imbolc, Mabon, and the like, since these are more Irish / Celtic pagan celebrations (though many of the following celebrations are on the same day and carry a similar meaning as these holidays)

Disting / Charming of the Plow:

This day celebrates the overcoming of winter and the revival of nature. It is also called the ‘charming of the plow’ and marks the beginning of the agricultural year and celebrates the hope for spring and a bountiful growing season. 

I celebrate Disablót / Disting at the halfway-point between winter solstice and spring equinox. In 2023, this day fell on the 3rd of February.

Várblót / Spring Equinox:

This day celebrates the return of the sun since as of this day, the days will be longer than the nights. Thus, sun symbolism and sun gods play a big role on this day. It also marks the beginning of spring and therefore has a strong connection to fertility and agricultural themes and the gods connected to these themes. 

I celebrate várblót on the day of the spring equinox, so usually around the 20th of March.

Mayfest / Majblót:

This day marks the half-way point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice and it celebrates the end of the colder half of the year and the beginning of summer. It also celebrates the greening, blooming, and blossoming of the plants around us.

I celebrate this holiday on the day that marks the half-way point between the spring equinox and summer solstice. In 2023, this day fell on the 5th of May.

Summer Solstice / Midsummer:

This day is the longest day of the year and celebrates the return of the sun and its light and warmth, life, fertility, and the potential for a good harvest.

This celebration is on the day of the summer solstice, so usually around the 21st of June. 

Freyfest / Freysblót / Freyfaxi:

This day marks the half-way point between the summer solstice and the autumnal equinox. It celebrates the first harvest of the year (usually the grains) and the collection of the fruits of our labours this year. Frey, the god of fertility, is especially celebrated on this day.

I celebrate this holiday on the day that marks the half-way point between the summer solstice and the autumnal equinox. In 2023, this holiday falls on the 7th of August.

Höstblót / Autumnal Equinox:

As of this day, the days will be shorter than the nights. Therefore, this day celebrates the end of the light and warm season, and the preparation for the upcoming dark and cold months. It is also seen as the second harvest festival, where we celebrate the bountiful summer and stock up for winter. 

I celebrate höstblot on the day of the autumnal equinox, so usually around the 23rd of September.

Vetrnætr / Winter Nights:

This day celebrates the end of summer and the beginning of winter. It is the last of the three harvest festivals of the year where we celebrate the end of the harvest season and everything it brought us, and prepare for the harsh winter that is coming.

I celebrate this holiday on the day that marks the half-way point between autumnal equinox and winter solstice. In 2023, this day falls on the 6th of November. The vetrnaetr are often celebrated for 3 days.

Winter Solstice / Midwinter / Yule:

This day celebrates the shortest and darkest day of the year. It celebrates the hardest and darkest part of winter that has been overcome and the return of the sun and its light and warmth. 

I celebrate yule on the day of the winter solstice, so usually around the 21st of December, and yuletide on the 12 days following it.

.

[feldgeistchen]

My Várblót / Spring Equinox 2023

This year will be my first várblót/ spring equinox celebration!

This day celebrates the return of the sun since from this day, the days will be longer than the nights. Thus, sun symbolism and sun gods place a big role in the celebration. It also marks the beginning of spring and therefore has a strong connection to fertility and agricultural themes and the gods connected to these themes.

So here are some devotional things i want to do that day:

Firstly, when reading up on várblót and spring equinox celebrations, i stumbled upon something that really stuck with me: on these blóts and celebrations, you thank the gods for your abundance and learned skills by giving back some of it (e.g. cooking something, sewing something, etc.). This means that something handmade always has more value as an offering than something you bought. That's why i want to do loads of handmade things and offer flowers from my garden and give back to the bees, butterflies, and birds that live around me:

i want to collect a little bouquet to put on my altar 💐

i'll buy some seeds and plant a few plants and flowers (mainly veggies for personal use 🍅🥬, but also flowers for the bees 🐝 and butterflies 🦋 in my garden); maybe even in the form of seed bombs that i'll spread around the city

i'm currently designing an embroidery pattern for a special altar cloth with spring motives based on old traditional German patterns 🧶 (i was inspired by @pagan-stitches' projects)

i'm probably going to bake something with honey and lemons 🍰

i'll also try a recipe for some non-alcoholic mead 🍯

i'm also thinking of pressing some flowers to make glass lanterns with tea lights inside them for my altar 🕯️

i might also make some diy bird feeders 🐦

All the materials i'll be using/needing:

hand-picked flowers for the bouquet

seeds (tomato, cucumber, bell peppers, different flowers for pollinators, etc.) + plant pots + soil

embroidery pattern + floss + fabric

recipe for cake or cookies + ingredients

recipe for non-alcoholic mead + ingredients

hand-picked and pressed flowers + glasses/jars + transparent glue

stuff for the bird feeders (small plant pots + string) + bird seeds

[thorsvinur]

Hi, so a friend and I are both heathen, but we're fairly new to the practice, and it's just the two of us, so I was wondering how to go about the celebration around this time of year? I can't seem to find a solid answer on what each celebrations entail, and was hoping you could clarify. Thanks very much

Apologies for the delayed reply. If you’re looking at Norse celebrations, the most solid one I can give you is Sigrblót. It is attested in Heimskringla (Ynglingasaga, specifically) as having been one of the three primary sacrifices during the year for the Swedes which were initiated by Óðinn (this doesn’t include Dísablót, which is also mention later). The name literally means “Victory Sacrifice”, and it is said to have occurred at the onset of summer every year. The beginning of the summer half of the year on the Old Icelandic calendar, being based on lunar cycles, moved around relative to the Gregorian calendar, but was usually around mid to late April by our reckoning.

If you are okay with looking at modern practices as well, there are two that I can add which would be Várblót (the Sigrblót link I gave above also goes over this) and Majblot. Várblót means “Spring Sacrifice” and occurs at the beginning of spring, but is often thrown in with Sigrblót since they are very close to one another on the calendar. Majblot, however, is specific to Swedish Forn Sed and is celebrated on May Eve, also commonly known as Valborgsmässoafton (Walpurgis Night). Though most of Scandinavia doesn’t really celebrate Walpurgis, it did spread to Sweden from the south along with Finland, and over time it became more secularized to the point where it has become more of a cultural celebration around the beginning of summer rather than a Catholic holiday as its roots suggest. This is basically the focus of Majblot, and in conjunction with Valborgs people often celebrate with bonfires, music, barbecues, etc. If you want to read more about Walpurgis Night from a Heathen perspective I have written about that as well here, but the more we look into its roots the more it seems we are better off leaving it as it is, which is pretty much secular anyway as I said before. Either way, even if it’s a bit late I hope this helps you and your friend for this and future years to welcome the return of summer!

Äring och fred

[thorsvinur]

A happy Vårblot/Várblót and Segerblot/Sigrblót to all who celebrate them! I am looking at doing my actual blot this coming Tuesday, as it is the first day where I don't have class or other things going on. However, it all still works. My blot will focus on success in starting my career as I graduate with my Bachelor's degree this June. I will probably find a good quality ale for an offering as well.

[hedendom]

Vårblot

Hail to the gods, Hail to the dísir, Hail to the vættir, Hail to the ancestors, Hail to all heathen kith and kin!