Halloween and Vikings

 Many have asked why some people who follow an old Norse spiritual path recognise Halloween. My answer is that we create our own traditions from enjoying Halloween growing up, and then choosing a spiritual and religious equation. Some turn their backs on Halloween and link it to both their childhoods and towards a different belief. I personally recognise the time of year as lowering of the veil. It doesn't matter if Heathens and Odinists still love Halloween. There is a similar theme across old pre-Christian religions. 

Shadow Girl says: The Norse people had a different type of celebration to Samhain/Halloween but can still be recognised as spooky. There was a big rite called Alfablot, which means "Sacrifice to the elves". People would give food offerings to ghosts and nature spirits. They respected the spirits of the dead and thanked their ancestors for giving them life, so they honoured ancestral dead and believed they visited this time of year. Much food was prepared and a place was reserved at the table for the spirits. There were more rites including Disablot and Winter Nights, both of which celebrated spirits. 

Storm Valkyrie responds: Disablot was another celebration this Autumn that honoured certain magical female spirits called the Disir, often with food such as cakes and drinking mead. Some celebrated this during mid-October and it lasted three nights, but others made a Spring time version called Disting. There is also Winter Nights, or Vetrnaetr, who saw this time of year as the very start of winter. It was very big on feasts and festivities. It involved much eating and drinking, as well as respect towards the dead, as they celebrated spirits and gave thanks to the gods. Both Spring and Autumn equinoxes have seasons of ancestral worship and beliefs in spirits/ghosts and the paranormal becoming more stronger. Today we've got Halloween, or Samhain, and others like Day of the Dead during Autumn. And then in Spring there is Beltane, Walpugis Night and Easter. 

Shadow Girl: Ancient people recognised the two equinoxes as a period of equal hours, day and night, so they found this time important to celebrate the spirits. It's seen as a special time for balance, almost the two different equinoxes are periods in time that are mirrors of one another. Dark and Light. 

Storm Valkyrie: It's believed to connect to rebirth with the sun itself changing. In Greek mythology, the goddess Persephone returns to the Underworld and we experience Autumn, then Winter. When she returns to the Earth again, Spring appears and then Summer. It's seen as a balance and an explanation for the shifting seasons. Also this was extremely important in agriculture, when farmers planted their crops. Autumn has always been a time of gathering food for the winter months ahead. Be well and enjoy!

Storm Valkyrie and Shadow Girl