↟ All Hallows’ Eve – A Scandinavian tradition with ancient roots from the Germanic Old Norse Alvablot ↟

Today, 30th to 1st of November is All Hallows’ Eve here in Sweden, Scandinavia and we have entered the time of the Æsir. At All Hallows’ Eve, we honour our forefathers and those who’s not by our side anymore. Alvablot and specifically Samhain, which both associates much with Halloween, is two quite similar traditions, both from Europe, but with different origins. Samhain is Celtic, and Alvablot is Germanic Old Norse.

On this day, Native Scandinavians goes to the graveyards to lit candles – a beautiful way to honour our ancestors and loved ones who has passed away. All Hallows’ Eve is based on the same type of honoring as our Germanic Old Norse tradition called Alvablot – a very old tradition originally from Sweden, which occurs at full moon in December due to thirteen new moons this year.

The dates for when the Germanic people held blóts changed annually according to the phases of the full moon. This year, we have a rare occurrence with thirteen new moons. The original Yule is always celebrated on the full moon, after the new moon after the Winter Solstice. Alvablot is always two full moons before Yule. Therefore, Alvablot this year occurs on the 5th of December. More about Alvablot in an upcoming post.

Pleasant & Honourable All Hallows’ Eve 🕯