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The modern Icelandic festival of Þorrablót is sometimes considered a "pagan holiday" due to folk etymology with the name of the god Thor. [5] The name, while historically attested, is derived from Þorri which is not explicitly linked to Thor, instead being the name of a month in the historic Icelandic calendar and a legendary Finnish king.
The Midsummer maypole tradition dates from the Middle Ages, while the summer solstice celebration can be traced to Norse pagan times, when the culture revolved around the mystical natural world.
Modern pagan observances are based to varying degrees on folk traditions, regardless of the historical practices of world civilizations. [1] British neopagans popularized the Wheel of the Year in the mid-20th century, [ 2 ] combining the four solar events (" quarter days ") marked by many European peoples, with the four midpoint festivals ...
Major festivities include Midsummer, Christmas (Jul), Easter (Påsk), and Walpurgis Night (Valborg), Semel day. Many Swedish festivities are closely tied to the Lutheran Church of Sweden, although participation in religious services has declined in recent years.
Midsummer is a celebration of the season of summer, taking place on or near the date of the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere; the longest day of the year. The name "midsummer" mainly refers to summer solstice festivals of European origin.
Ready to party? The pagan celebration of the winter solstice is known as Yule, and it’s one of the oldest winter celebrations in the world. It simultaneously celebrates the shortest day of the ...
In France, the "Fête de la Saint-Jean" (feast of St John), traditionally celebrated with bonfires (le feu de la Saint-Jean) that are reminiscent of Midsummer's pagan rituals, is a Catholic festivity in celebration of Saint John the Baptist. It takes place on June 24, (St John's day). Nowadays it is seldom celebrated.
Moreover, there is the Christian Christmas celebration in memory of the birth of Jesus Christ. In the Old Norse sources the pagan celebration of Jul in the Nordic countries is often described as "to drink jul/yule". The central aspect of the pagan Germanic celebration of midwinter was to eat and drink well. To bake and to produce ale and mead ...