
Norse Pagan Holidays in the Modern Day
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Norse Pagan Holidays: A Complete Guide to Ancient and Modern Celebrations
Norse pagan holidays are a rich mix of ancient traditions and modern reconstructions, honoring seasonal changes, ancestral spirits, and the Norse gods. While some of these holidays are attested in viking age sources, others draw from Scandinavian folk practices or similar pagan customs across Europe. We can't be sure that some of them were practiced during pagan times, but they have been adopted by modern pagans in some way.
This article provides an overview of 13 Norse pagan holidays that are marked on our calendar for sale here, their history, and how modern Norse pagans celebrate them today. If you're asking, "When is the next Norse pagan holiday?" or looking for a detailed pagan holiday calendar for 2025, youre in the right place.
For our article on the historical Norse Holidays from the sources here.
And for a full breakdown and explanation of every part of our calendar, see here.
1. Vetrnætr (Winter Nights): The Norse New Year
- Date: Full Moon in October
- Significance: Marks the start of the Norse New Year
- Duration: 3 days
Vetrnætr, or Winter Nights, is one of the most well-documented Norse pagan holidays in historical sources like the Heimskringla and Ynglinga Saga. This festival marked the start to winter and was filled with rituals for prosperity, good luck, and connection to ancestral spirits.
Vetrnætr Traditions:
- Sacrifices for a Good Year: Animals like cattle were sacrificed to ensure survival through the harsh winter.
- Ancestor Offerings: Food and drink were left on graves to honor the spirits of the departed, a practice that persisted even after Christianization.
- Álfablót/Dísablót: Offerings were made to elves (álfar) and female ancestral spirits (dísir), honoring the thin veil between the worlds. These blots are also attested at other times of year according to the sources.
- Utíseta: A meditation ritual where practitioners “sat out” on burial mounds to wake the dead and commune with spirits
- Trick or Treating: Children dressed as spirits or birds to collect offerings for the ancestors graves(an early version of modern Halloween traditions). Note that his tradition comes recorded long after the viking age in rural Scandinavia.
2. Advent: The Pagan Roots of Christmas or Solstice Traditions
- Date: November 27 or December 1
- Significance: A time of light, warmth, and preparation for Yule
While Advent is now associated with Christianity, many of its customs have clear pagan origins. For example:
- Hanging Wreaths: Circular wreaths represent the sun’s cycles and the promise of its return.
- Baking Pastries: Spherical desserts like kringle or kransekake symbolize solar cycles and abundance.
- Decorating Evergreen Trees: The evergreen tree reflects eternal life and was adorned with red decorations, symbolizing vitality. This was done in later on folklore and tradition expecially in the Sami North of Scandnavia.
Advent highlights the continuity between Norse holidays and later traditions, blending Christian adaptations with pagan roots.
3. Vetrsólhvarf (Winter Solstice): The Rebirth of the Sun
- Date: December 21
- Significance: Marks the return of the sun and light
The Winter Solstice was a vital turning point for ancient peoples, symbolizing rebirth and survival. While modern pagans sometimes conflate it with Jól (Yule), historical sources distinguish them as separate events. We actually have no sources attesting Yule on the solstice until the 1600s, but ancient Greek cartographer more than 1000 years before documented a grand celebration at the winter solstice which appears to have lived on in rural folk tradition.
Winter Solstice Traditions:
- Lighting Bonfires: Bonfires on hills symbolized the signaling sun’s light.
- Lussekatter (Saffron Buns): These golden buns celebrated solar cycles
- Yule Logs: Burned with runes carved into them, symbolizing protection and warmth
- Household Nisse Offerings: Gifts left for house spirits, ensuring their favor through the cold months.
This celebration focused on renewal and survival during the year’s darkest days.
4. Jól (Yule): A Festival of Peace and Prosperity
- Date: Full Moon after the Winter Solstice
- Significance: Celebrates fertility, peace, and the Norse gods
Jól, one of the most significant Norse pagan holidays, is well-documented in sagas like Ynglinga Saga and Haakon the Good’s Saga. It was later co-opted into the Christian Christmas celebration. This is something we know very much about according to the viking age sources.
Jól Traditions:
- Sacrifices to Freyr: To ensure a good harvest and fertility.
- Feasting and Mead Drinking: A three-day celebration filled with joy, feasting and drinking.
- Gift Giving: Symbolizing generosity and strengthening kinship ties.
- Swearing Oaths: Binding promises made during this sacred time.
For our full breakdown of Yule and the sorces, see our article here.
5. Sigrblót: Welcoming the Summer Season
- Date: April Full Moon(6 moons after Vetrnaetr)
- Significance: A sacrifice to Odin for victory and success
In the Norse calendar, the year was divided into two main seasons: summer and winter. Sigrblót marked the start of summer and included sacrifices to Odin for victory in battles or personal endeavors. There are only 2-3 sources mentioning Sigrblot(Ynglinga Saga and Olav Tryggvassons saga), so it is quite mysterious. But we know at least the purpose and date for this event.
6. Sumarsólhvarf (Summer Solstice): Celebrating Abundance
- Date: June 23
- Significance: Honors fertility and the height of summer
The Summer Solstice is a time to celebrate nature's peak fertility. This is another holiday not attested anywhere in the Norse medeival sources. But many parts of the Swedish Midsommar or Norwegian/Danish St. Hans Aften celebrations can be clearly tied to much older pagan customs. Modern celebrations incorporate traditions like:
- Bonfires and Herb Offerings: Herbs like mugwort are burned for protection.
- Flower Crowns and Midsummer Poles: Symbols of fertility and abundance.
- Midnight Swims: Representing a deep connection with nature.
7. Haust Jafnsnátt (Fall Equinox): Harvest and Balance
- Date: September 22
- Significance: Acknowledges the balance of light and dark
The Fall Equinox was a time to reflect on the harvest and prepare for winter. Traditional practices include:
- Gathering Mistletoe: For future rituals, symbolizing fertility and protection.
- Bonfires: Representing the transition into darker days.
- Games and Competitions: Echoing ancient seasonal festivities.
Other Notable Norse Pagan Holidays:
- Hélhestr/Fastelavn (February): A pre-Lent festival filled with feasting and masks, celebrating the thinning veil between worlds. This was an old holiday practiced in rural Scandinavia that has paralells to Karneval, Mardi Gras or Fasching
- Dísablót (March): A sacrifice to female spirits for protection and renewal. This is attested by a first hand account from the viking age by historian Adam of Bremmen.
- Vár Jafnsnátt ("Spring Equinox"): This is actually not attested among the Norse sources but in the Anglo-Saxon pre-Christian sources as Ostara/Eostre. This is the origin of our modern Easter celebrations. Many modern pagans celebrate this on the equinox.
- Walpurgisnacht/Valbjörgsnâtt: May 1st-Although a relatively modern celebration that is followed best in Germany, it has roots in much older traditions with clear connection to ancient pagan custom such as lighting fires and making loud noises to scare away the bad spirits.
- Skóklafallsdagr (June 8): Marks the end of planting and sowing seasons. This is an old rural Scandinavia tradition that likely evolved into the Pinse/Pentecost celebrations of the same time.
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Háustblót ("Harvest Sacrifice"): Full moon in the Autumn. This is attested as being a part of the Vetrnaetr or Yule celebrations in the Norse sources. However, it would be practiced around the time of the harvest depending on the local climate of the farming communities.
Pagan Holidays 2024 Calendar: When Is the Next Norse Pagan Holiday?
If you’re looking to plan your year around Norse holidays, check out our full pagan holiday calendar for 2025. It includes dates for all major celebrations, along with detailed descriptions of their history and traditions.
https://norseimports.com/collections/norse-pagan-calendars-viking-holidays