Skip to main content

Norse Holiday's

 



Here are the different holidays in the Norse wheel of the year that we know of:

Þorrablot: or Husband’s day, it was celebrated on the first day of Þorri in honor of all husbands and fathers. It was held in honour of Thor and of course, the winter spirit of Thorri.

Góublót: also known as “Wife’s day”, it took place on the first day of Góa in honor of all mothers and wives. It’s also a celebration of the end of winter.

Sigrblót: the first day of Harpa. A day to celebrate the beginning of Summer and the victory of light over darkness. Offerings to Freya were made during this festival.

Mid-Summer: a common festivity in many cultures, it was the celebration of light, fertility and music.

Alfarblót: the first day of Winter. It celebrates the last harvest of the year and it’s also associated with the goddess Freya. This festivity was celebrated in the privacy of each home, as opposed to the others and it was lead by the women of the house.

Jól or Yule: a festivity associated with the Wild Hunt and Odin and the predecessor of the modern Christmas celebrations in northern Europe.

Dísablót: the exact day of this celebration is unclear, some sources say it was held at the beginning of winter, others at the end of it or it might have been celebrated on both, actually. This festival honored all the female figures: the disir (the female spirits of protection and fertility), goddesses, ancestors and other female figures of the Norse lore.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Crispy Norwegian Potatoes

  INGREDIENTS * 1 cup butter, divided * 2 cups coarsely chopped onion * 3 lbs. potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ inch chunks (8 cups) * 4 cups sliced (¼ inch rounds) carrots * 2 teaspoons salt * 1 ½ teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper * 1 teaspoon nutmeg INSTRUCTIONS 1. Set the oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9 inch by 13 inch ovenproof glass baking dish with vegetable spray. Set aside. 2. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. 3. Melt ½ cup of the butter in a Dutch oven or heavy bottomed casserole over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. 4. Add potatoes, carrots, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Cook 1 minute, stirring with a wooden spoon. 5. Remove to prepared baking dish. 6. Add enough boiling water to cover vegetables. Cover with foil and place in oven. Bake about 40 minutes, or until vegetables are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. 7. Remove from oven. Drain vegetables in a colan...

Norwegian Porridge (Risgrøt)

  INGREDIENTS 3/4 cup white (medium grain rice) 1 1/2 cup water 2 1/2 cups whole or 2% milk 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon honey 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 1 teaspoon kosher salt 2 teaspoons vanilla extract cinnamon powder for topping dried cranberries for topping butter for topping 1. In a medium size pot, add rice and water and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a gentle simmer, cover and leave for 10 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed. 2. Add 1/3 of the milk, stir, cover and leave until the consistency thickens. Add a little more milk every time the porridge’s consistency thickens – approximately every 5-10 minutes or so. Repeat until all the milk is used, porridge is thick, and rice is tender. The entire process should take 45-55 minutes. 3. Add butter, honey, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract and stir well. 4. Turn the heat off and serve porridge in bowls topped with a small pat of butter (optional), a little cinnamon powder and dried cranberries.

Norwegian Butter Sauce (Sandefjordsmor)

  INGREDIENTS * 2 lemons, juiced  * ½ cup heavy cream * 5 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes * Salt to taste * Cayenne or white pepper, to taste * 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley DIRECTIONS 1. Place lemon juice in saucepan over medium heat; simmer until lemon juice reduces to less than a tablespoon and almost disappears, 4 or 5 minutes, being careful not to let it burn. Quickly add cream; whisk to combine. Continue to cook until cream reduces and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 5 or 6 minutes. Reduce heat to low. 2. Whisk in 2 or 3 pieces of cold butter, stirring until butter melts before adding more. Add 2 or 3 more butter cubes. (If cream mixture cools too quickly, the sauce may break.) Continue adding butter a few pieces at a time until all butter is emulsified into the cream, 8 to 10 minutes. Add salt, cayenne or white pepper, and 2 generous tablespoons chopped parsley. Whisk until well blended. Keep sauce warm until ready to use.