Top 8 Viking Norse Germanic Holidays
Norse and Viking Holidays AKA Norhalla Holidays are featured below and you will be surprised how many traditions have links to our modern day celebrations. Most people don’t know that they came from the Vikings, Norse, and Germanic peoples.
Below is you will find a list of the “Top 8 Viking Norse Germanic Holidays” and is certainly not intended to be a comprehensive list The “Favorite significant and most popular” Viking Norse Germanic Holidays are included.
The Viking Norse and Germanic peoples had many fantastic Holidays!
Top 8 Viking Norse and Germanic Holidays:
Sunset of the Winter Solstice ( approximatly December 20th )
Credits for the article above go to www.Odinsvolk.ca to see full article go to this link: YULE (JOL) 20th December – January 1st
First New Moon in February
Credits for the article above go to www.Odinsvolk.ca to see full article go to this link: DISTING (Disablot) 31st January
Early Spring, Spring and Charming of the Plow Folk Rituals
Spring Equinox near MARCH 21
Credits for the article above go to www.Odinsvolk.ca to see full article go to this link: OSTARA (Ostara) 21st March
April 31st – May 1st
Viking fertility celebrations took place around April 30 and due to Valborg being declared a saint at that time of year, her name became associated with the celebrations. Valborg was worshipped in the same way that Vikings had celebrated spring and as they spread through out Europe the two dates became mixed together and created the Valborg celebration.
Credits for the article above go to www.Odinsvolk.ca to see full article go to this link: MAY EVE (Valpurgis) 30th April
Summer Solstice near JUNE 21
Credits for the article above go to www.Odinsvolk.ca to see full article go to this link: MIDSUMMER (Midsumarblot) 21st June
AUGUST 1st
Credits for the article above go to www.Odinsvolk.ca to see full article go to this link: FREYFEST (Freysblot) 31st July
Autumn Equinox near September 21st
Credits for the article above go to www.Odinsvolk.ca to see full article go to this link: FALLFEAST (Haustblot) 23rd September
October 31st
Credits for the article above go to www.Odinsvolk.ca to see full article go to this link: WINTER NIGHTS (Vetrnaetr) 31st October
Top 8 Viking Norse Germanic Holidays and lesser feasts or days or remembrance:
January 9 – Remembrance for Raud the Strong (a Norwegian chieftain whom Olaf Tryggvason killed for refusing to convert. The end of a metal horn was put down Raud’s throat; a poisonous snake was then put into the horn and the other end heated to drive it along…).
February 9 – Remembrance for Eyvind kinnrifi (whom Olaf Tryggvason tortured to death when he refused to convert, by putting a metal brazier filled with burning coals on his belly).
February 14 – Folk etymology has led to this day being called ‘Feast of Vali’ in modern Asatru. Actually, St. Valentine has no demonstrable associations with Vali, nor to the thinly disguised heathen Lupercalia rites which take place on this day. Nevertheless, many Heathens make blessing to this god at this time.
March 28 – Ragnar Lodbrok’s day, when we celebrate this famous Viking’s sack of Paris.
April 9 – Remembrance for Haakon Sigurdsson (Haakon the Great), one of the Jarls of Hladhir, a great defender of Heathenism in Norway during the brutal period of forced conversion to Christianity.
May 9 – Remembrance for Gudrod of Gudbrandsdal, whose tongue was cut out by the Norwegian king ‘St. Olaf’ (not to be confused with Olaf Tryggvason despite the similarity of names and methods. St. Olaf, otherwise known as ‘Olaf the Fat’ or ‘Olaf the Big-Mouthed’, was canonized for his efforts to convert Norway by fear, murder and torture).
This Norwegian martyr spoke out against the tyranny of the Christian fanatic Tryggvason, and urged others to resist him. For this, the king had his tongue cut out.
June 9 – Remembrance for Sigurd the Dragonslayer (known in German versions of the story as Siegfried).
July 9 – Remembrance for Unn the Deep-Minded, a woman who was one of the great chieftains of the Icelandic settlement.
July 29 – death-date of Olaf the Fat.
August 9 – Remembrance for King Radbod of Frisia, who, standing at the baptismal font, changed his mind and refused conversion when told that his place in the Christian Heaven would mean his separation from the souls of his ancestors.
September 9 – Remembrance for Hermann the Cheruscan, embodiment of German freedom, who kept Germany from being over run by the Romans and suffering destruction of their culture and language such as was experienced by occupied Celtic Gaul.
October 9 – Leif Eriksson Day – Remembrance for Leif Eriksson and his sister Freydis Eriksdottir, leaders of the earliest known European settlement in America.
October 28 – Remembrance for Erik the Red.
November 9 – Remembrance for Queen Sigrid of Sweden. Wooed by Olaf Tryggvason, the relationship ended sharply when she told him that she had no intention of leaving the gods of her fathers and he slapped her across the face. She was the chief arranger of the alliance that brought him down.
November 11th – Feast of the Einherjar, in which the fallen heroes in Valhalla, and in the halls of the other Gods and Goddesses are remembered.
November 27 – Feast of Ullr and Skadi, Weyland Smith’s Day celebrating the greatest of Germanic craftsmen.
December 9 – Remembrance for Egill Skallagrimsson, great Viking Age poet, warrior and rune magician.
February 9 – Remembrance for Eyvind kinnrifi (whom Olaf Tryggvason tortured to death when he refused to convert, by putting a metal brazier filled with burning coals on his belly).
February 14 – Folk etymology has led to this day being called ‘Feast of Vali’ in modern Asatru. Actually, St. Valentine has no demonstrable associations with Vali, nor to the thinly disguised heathen Lupercalia rites which take place on this day. Nevertheless, many Heathens make blessing to this god at this time.
March 28 – Ragnar Lodbrok’s day, when we celebrate this famous Viking’s sack of Paris.
April 9 – Remembrance for Haakon Sigurdsson (Haakon the Great), one of the Jarls of Hladhir, a great defender of Heathenism in Norway during the brutal period of forced conversion to Christianity.
May 9 – Remembrance for Gudrod of Gudbrandsdal, whose tongue was cut out by the Norwegian king ‘St. Olaf’ (not to be confused with Olaf Tryggvason despite the similarity of names and methods. St. Olaf, otherwise known as ‘Olaf the Fat’ or ‘Olaf the Big-Mouthed’, was canonized for his efforts to convert Norway by fear, murder and torture).
This Norwegian martyr spoke out against the tyranny of the Christian fanatic Tryggvason, and urged others to resist him. For this, the king had his tongue cut out.
June 9 – Remembrance for Sigurd the Dragonslayer (known in German versions of the story as Siegfried).
July 9 – Remembrance for Unn the Deep-Minded, a woman who was one of the great chieftains of the Icelandic settlement.
July 29 – death-date of Olaf the Fat.
August 9 – Remembrance for King Radbod of Frisia, who, standing at the baptismal font, changed his mind and refused conversion when told that his place in the Christian Heaven would mean his separation from the souls of his ancestors.
September 9 – Remembrance for Hermann the Cheruscan, embodiment of German freedom, who kept Germany from being over run by the Romans and suffering destruction of their culture and language such as was experienced by occupied Celtic Gaul.
October 9 – Leif Eriksson Day – Remembrance for Leif Eriksson and his sister Freydis Eriksdottir, leaders of the earliest known European settlement in America.
October 28 – Remembrance for Erik the Red.
November 9 – Remembrance for Queen Sigrid of Sweden. Wooed by Olaf Tryggvason, the relationship ended sharply when she told him that she had no intention of leaving the gods of her fathers and he slapped her across the face. She was the chief arranger of the alliance that brought him down.
November 11th – Feast of the Einherjar, in which the fallen heroes in Valhalla, and in the halls of the other Gods and Goddesses are remembered.
November 27 – Feast of Ullr and Skadi, Weyland Smith’s Day celebrating the greatest of Germanic craftsmen.
December 9 – Remembrance for Egill Skallagrimsson, great Viking Age poet, warrior and rune magician.
Credits for the article above go to www.Odinsvolk.ca to see full article go to this link: LESSER FEASTS: Days of Remembrance
Viking Norse and Germanic Holidays Links and Resources:
We will be adding more Viking Norse and Germanic Holidays links and resources below as we find them or as they are submitted to us, Enjoy!
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If you would like to learn more about famous Vikings you can visit this link: Famous Vikings