Blessings for Midsummer
Wow, check this out! Two posts in the same month?!?! What is going on? Well, I'll tell you!
Midsummer is what is going on!
Today marks the first day of Summer for this year. The summer solstice, Midsummer day, Litha and any number of names that I haven't discovered yet. I recently got to visit a Midsummer festival at the Scandinavian Cultural Center in my city and it was great fun. There are tents for each Scandinavian country to show off wears and information. There is a 'Viking Village' put on by a local reenactment group, and awesome food! I had the pleasure of watching little Vikings make a raid on the Sweden tent and demand a ransom of candy before heading back to the village. Midsummer is a holy day in many pagan religions and I wanted to pay it some mind.
As I said in my last solstice post, I do not profess to be all knowing of the rights rituals and traditions of Midsummer celebrations, but I am going to give a bit of an overview of what I have learned through some quick research. Note, most of it will be based in the Norther Traditions rather than several of the pagan traditions. So, here it is:
Midsummer in the Norse pagan tradition is a time of happiness, enjoyment and the coming of summer. It is the longest day of the year and often celebrations go long into the short night. Midsummer is second only to Yul in the Northern Tradition. There is often a raising of a Maypole early in the day. This is thought to be both or either a phallic symbol to honor the fertility of the crop season, or as a representation of Yggdrasil (The World Tree) and it's connection to all. Before it is raised, the maypole is decorated with greenery and flowers, then put into place. There is often dancing that goes on while this is happening and after it is raised. This is mostly a fertility ritual. Sadly I missed the raising of the maypole at the festival I attended, but it was a lovely one. There is also a feast with the usual meat and bread and early fruits and greens etc. A 'Blot' or sacrifice can be preformed in honor of Baldur, as it is said that it was on Midsummer that he was killed and taken to Hel. There may also be a sacrifice of pig for Freyr in hopes of the coming abundance of the harvest in later months.
Midsummer is considered a fire celebration. Bonfires are often lit and jumped through (I don't know what it is with people and jumping through fires on solstices and equinoxes). Corn dolls, and wooden ships are burned in honor of Baldur. Even the act of kindling a fire is part of the ritualistic part of midsummer.
This particular midsummer is extra special because it also falls on a full moon. The moon, and lunar phases are quite important in many pagan practices, however I haven't found much reference as to how they are important in Norse paganism. As far as I know it is mostly linked to the mystical side of the religions. Full moons are good for magic, and such things. Apparently this only happens every 70 years, so this is a once in a life time occurrence. Pretty cool if you ask me!
So there it is, midsummer in the Norther Tradition as best I know it! Stay tuned for something different, I'm going to do a rune casting and interpretation soon. Hopefully I won't procrastinate and leave it for months.
For now, blessings to all the pagans, heathens, Wiccans, and otherwise. Have a beautiful Midsummer/Solstice and revel in the full moon!
Cheers
Sláinte
Skol
Midsummer is what is going on!
Today marks the first day of Summer for this year. The summer solstice, Midsummer day, Litha and any number of names that I haven't discovered yet. I recently got to visit a Midsummer festival at the Scandinavian Cultural Center in my city and it was great fun. There are tents for each Scandinavian country to show off wears and information. There is a 'Viking Village' put on by a local reenactment group, and awesome food! I had the pleasure of watching little Vikings make a raid on the Sweden tent and demand a ransom of candy before heading back to the village. Midsummer is a holy day in many pagan religions and I wanted to pay it some mind.
As I said in my last solstice post, I do not profess to be all knowing of the rights rituals and traditions of Midsummer celebrations, but I am going to give a bit of an overview of what I have learned through some quick research. Note, most of it will be based in the Norther Traditions rather than several of the pagan traditions. So, here it is:
Midsummer in the Norse pagan tradition is a time of happiness, enjoyment and the coming of summer. It is the longest day of the year and often celebrations go long into the short night. Midsummer is second only to Yul in the Northern Tradition. There is often a raising of a Maypole early in the day. This is thought to be both or either a phallic symbol to honor the fertility of the crop season, or as a representation of Yggdrasil (The World Tree) and it's connection to all. Before it is raised, the maypole is decorated with greenery and flowers, then put into place. There is often dancing that goes on while this is happening and after it is raised. This is mostly a fertility ritual. Sadly I missed the raising of the maypole at the festival I attended, but it was a lovely one. There is also a feast with the usual meat and bread and early fruits and greens etc. A 'Blot' or sacrifice can be preformed in honor of Baldur, as it is said that it was on Midsummer that he was killed and taken to Hel. There may also be a sacrifice of pig for Freyr in hopes of the coming abundance of the harvest in later months.
Midsummer is considered a fire celebration. Bonfires are often lit and jumped through (I don't know what it is with people and jumping through fires on solstices and equinoxes). Corn dolls, and wooden ships are burned in honor of Baldur. Even the act of kindling a fire is part of the ritualistic part of midsummer.
This particular midsummer is extra special because it also falls on a full moon. The moon, and lunar phases are quite important in many pagan practices, however I haven't found much reference as to how they are important in Norse paganism. As far as I know it is mostly linked to the mystical side of the religions. Full moons are good for magic, and such things. Apparently this only happens every 70 years, so this is a once in a life time occurrence. Pretty cool if you ask me!
So there it is, midsummer in the Norther Tradition as best I know it! Stay tuned for something different, I'm going to do a rune casting and interpretation soon. Hopefully I won't procrastinate and leave it for months.
For now, blessings to all the pagans, heathens, Wiccans, and otherwise. Have a beautiful Midsummer/Solstice and revel in the full moon!
Cheers
Sláinte
Skol
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