Holytides and the Cycle of the Moon

I have given a lot of thought to the cycles of the moon and lunar calendars. We know that the pre-Christian Anglo-Saxons and other Germanic Tribes lived their lives by the cycles of the sun and the moon. We know that the months started and ended on the full moon and not the new moon. Contemporary written evidence shows us that the moon was used determine months in pre-Christan England.

 The ancient English people […] reckoned their months by the course of eh moon, just as they were named from the moon just as they were named from in Hebrew and Greek. Accordingly, they called the moon móna, the month was called mónaþ.

– Bede, De Mensibus Anglorum

The archeological and written evidence that exists today shows us that t the sun, moon, and solstices all played a role in the everyday lives of the pre-Christian Anglo-Saxons as well as their religious lives. The religious celebrations or holytides were placed throughout the year not by a calendar date for a lunar, solar, or seasonal cycle. Let’s faces it these were farming people. If they had not planted their crops at the right time of the year, we would not be here today!

As modern Heathens, we have placed our Holytides on the Gregorian Calendar introduced by Gregory XIII in 1582 to correct an error in the Julian calendar, introduced in Rome in 46 BC. by Julius Caesar. Most Heathen/Asatru organizations have set calendar dates for holytides and observances. It is a modernization and not something The Ancestors would have recognized.

Example of Date Driven Asatru

The placing of Heathen holytides on the modern calendar is flawed in many ways. First, when doing so we should have just placed them on the same dates as the modern Christian holidays. Lets face it many of these were moved to usurp pagan holidays anyway. On top of that, we would at least get them off from school or work! Let’s take Yule for a moment. Most Heathens hold Yule as a 12-day holytide and begin Yule on the 20th of December… that could be a Monday and I have to work. Bede sates that Yule started on the 24th of December and lasted 3-days. Here’s a novel idea…usurp Christian and make it Heathen again. Keep the Heathen in Yule I always say…. My point is that back in the 1970s the Asatru founders just had to be different and it stuck with us. Thus, we have holytides all over the calendar and as Heathens we have to find ways to make that all work.

Now let me throw a wrench in the works. The moon… If we decide to use the moon as a way of keeping the Tides, then we would still be in a place were a Holytide is on a Tuesday. The suggestion is that some, if not all, holytides of the pre-Christian Heathens were held by the full or new moon. Some Heathens do this. I know a few who use the Solar and lunar cycles for all rituals and celebrations.

Here is the historical evidence. We know that the pre-Christian Anglo-Saxons used the moon and the sun for timekeeping. They had names for the months and the days of the week. We know that the sun and the moon were sacred and used in the placing of holytides on their calendar. We also know that there were regional variations within pre-Christian England and that the holytides, the rites associated with them, and what phase or cycle of the moon or sun were used were different from community to community. Although, they all shared common aspects, they were different. We know this from the archeological evidence and the Sagas. In modern practice, we have used modern thought and method to place the holytides.

Reconstructionist Heathens have found it difficult to reconstruct the timing of holytides in the modern world. I am somewhat of a reconstructionist, however I am open to negotiations on this. At Hammerhof we have gone through some changes and modified our Holytides. We have made Yule a 3-day celebration rather than a 12-day one and Yule begins on 3-days before the Winter Solstice (usually 20th of December). What this means is that we either take time off or modern schedules or work around them. Most of our holytides correspond with a seasonal, lunar, or solar event, which in some instances have a calendar date as well. I feel as if a lot of Heathens at this stages of the game are doing the same thing. However, not all are.

Thera re movements to takeback, takeover, the Christian holidays or to place the new Heathen holidays on the modern calendar. I have heard of a few movements trying to petition government to recognize Heathen holidays as days off. I’m not too hopeful on that front. Again, historically we know these tings varies and if you were a Heathen in England your holytides might be at different times than a heathen in Scandinavia just due to climate. All-in-all it is really up to the individual or individuals on how and when you want to hold the tides.