{"id":27780,"date":"2025-06-19T10:44:10","date_gmt":"2025-06-19T08:44:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/?p=27780"},"modified":"2025-06-19T10:44:14","modified_gmt":"2025-06-19T08:44:14","slug":"why-do-we-hold-the-summer-blot-in-july-and-not-at-midsummers-eve-or-at-the-summer-solstice-in-june","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/en\/why-do-we-hold-the-summer-blot-in-july-and-not-at-midsummers-eve-or-at-the-summer-solstice-in-june\/","title":{"rendered":"Why do we hold the Summer Bl\u00f3t in July \u2013 and not at Midsummer\u2019s Eve or at the summer solstice in June?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In today\u2019s Sweden, many people associate \u201cMidsummer\u201d with the bright June evening when we dance around the maypole, eat pickled herring, and celebrate the summer. It\u2019s a beautiful and living tradition \u2013 but it is not the same as the old Norse midsummer. In the pre-Christian calendar, the midpoints of the year didn\u2019t fall on the solstices, but in the middle of each half-year. And that\u2019s where the difference begins.In earlier times, the year was divided into two semiyears: the Summer semi-year and Winter semi-year. Summer began roughly around what we now call April, and winter around September or October. These seasonal shifts were marked by celebrations such as Winter Nights and the Victory Bl\u00f3t. But the midpoints of these halves were also important. Midwinter \u2013 the true midwinter \u2013 was celebrated in January or February, when winter was at its deepest. In the same way, midsummer fell in the middle of the Summer semi-year \u2013 in July, when nature was in full bloom, the fields began to ripen, and life was abundant. <\/p>\n\n

When Christianity came to the North, this way of dividing the year remained for a long time. It wasn\u2019t until the calendar reform of the 18th century that midsummer was moved to today\u2019s date in June, aligned with the summer solstice \u2013 the sun\u2019s highest point in the sky. A new term was even coined for it: \u201cthe midsummer solstice.\u201d It became practical to tie festivals to the movement of the sun rather than the rhythm of the semi-years, especially within the Christian liturgical calendar. At the same time, the winter solstice in December began to be called \u201cmidwinter,\u201d and likewise a new word was made up: \u201cthe midwinter solstice.\u201d At the Nordic Asa-Community, we seek to reconnect with the older way of understanding the year. We celebrate the Summer Bl\u00f3t in July, to follow the old Norse tradition of when it is truly midsummer. Our bl\u00f3tcalendar follows the pre-Christian lunisolar calendar, where both the sun and the moon play important roles \u2013 just as in many pre-Christian cultures. This means our bl\u00f3ts are held at on a specific full moon, keeping us in tune with the cycles of nature and the seasons. <\/p>\n\n

But \u2013 you might wonder \u2013 did they really hold a midsummer bl\u00f3t back then?It\u2019s hard to say. There are no clear sources showing that midsummer (in July) was a recurring festival in the same way as midwinter. The midwinter bl\u00f3t \u2013 often referred to as the heathen Yule \u2013 is mentioned in several sagas and accounts, as are Winter Nights and the Victory Bl\u00f3t. Midsummer is not as frequently mentioned in that context.Still, some scholars have raised the idea that since midwinter was celebrated with a bl\u00f3t at the midpoint of the half-year, it may have been similar at midsummer. The rhythm of the year was built on balance \u2013 light and dark, growth and rest. There\u2019s also a story about a Christian king in Norway who once asked some heathen farmers to show how a bl\u00f3t was performed, and this is said to have taken place during the summer. But we don\u2019t know whether it was around midsummer (July), the summer solstice (June), or if it was even tied to a fixed feast \u2013 it might simply have happened then by coincidence. So it is not confirmed that a specific Summer Bl\u00f3t occurred in the same way as other well-attested bl\u00f3ts. <\/p>\n\n

Even so, the Summer Bl\u00f3t in July is for us an important time to hold ritual. It is a time when we feel the strength of nature, when warmth, growth, and community reach their peak. By holding the bl\u00f3t right then \u2013 in the heart of summer\u2019s life \u2013 we connect with ancient ways of thinking about the passage of the year, while also creating a living tradition in our own time. <\/p>\n\n

And that is why we invite all of you to attend the Summer Bl\u00f3t.We live in a time when much is dissolving, when everything must be new, fast, and ever-changing \u2013 and that is when we need something firm, something deep, something real. The Summer Bl\u00f3t is an expression of just that: a powerful act in which we unite old and new, in which we live our faith in harmony with the seasons, with nature, and with our Nordic heritage.Join us. Be part of the renewal. Help carry our traditions into the future. <\/p>\n\n

\/ Nordic Asa-community<\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Sweden today, many people associate \u201cmidsummer\u201d with the bright June evening when we dance around the pole, eat herring and celebrate summer. It’s a fine and living tradition – but it’s not the same as the old Nordic Midsummer. In the pre-Christian calendar, the midpoints of the year were not at the solstices, but at the midpoints of the halves. And that’s where the difference starts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":27782,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1416],"tags":[1005,1006,1009,1495,1059,1011,1010,1268,1491],"class_list":{"0":"post-27780","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-info-en","8":"tag-asatro-en","9":"tag-blot-en","10":"tag-hedendom-en","11":"tag-midsummer","12":"tag-nas-en","13":"tag-nyheter-en","14":"tag-nordiska-asa-samfundet-en","15":"tag-sommarblot-en","16":"tag-summer-solstice"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Why-do-we-hold-the-Summer-Blot-in-July.jpg",1280,800,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Why-do-we-hold-the-Summer-Blot-in-July-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Why-do-we-hold-the-Summer-Blot-in-July-300x188.jpg",300,188,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Why-do-we-hold-the-Summer-Blot-in-July-768x480.jpg",696,435,true],"large":["https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Why-do-we-hold-the-Summer-Blot-in-July-1024x640.jpg",696,435,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Why-do-we-hold-the-Summer-Blot-in-July.jpg",1280,800,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Why-do-we-hold-the-Summer-Blot-in-July.jpg",1280,800,false],"td_0x420":["https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Why-do-we-hold-the-Summer-Blot-in-July-672x420.jpg",672,420,true],"td_80x60":["https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Why-do-we-hold-the-Summer-Blot-in-July-80x60.jpg",80,60,true],"td_218x150":["https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Why-do-we-hold-the-Summer-Blot-in-July-218x150.jpg",218,150,true],"td_324x400":["https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Why-do-we-hold-the-Summer-Blot-in-July-324x400.jpg",324,400,true],"td_696x0":["https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Why-do-we-hold-the-Summer-Blot-in-July-696x435.jpg",696,435,true],"td_1068x0":["https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Why-do-we-hold-the-Summer-Blot-in-July-1068x668.jpg",1068,668,true],"td_100x70":["https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Why-do-we-hold-the-Summer-Blot-in-July-100x70.jpg",100,70,true],"td_265x198":["https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Why-do-we-hold-the-Summer-Blot-in-July-265x198.jpg",265,198,true],"td_324x160":["https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Why-do-we-hold-the-Summer-Blot-in-July-324x160.jpg",324,160,true],"td_324x235":["https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Why-do-we-hold-the-Summer-Blot-in-July-324x235.jpg",324,235,true],"td_356x220":["https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Why-do-we-hold-the-Summer-Blot-in-July-356x220.jpg",356,220,true],"td_356x364":["https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Why-do-we-hold-the-Summer-Blot-in-July-356x364.jpg",356,364,true],"td_533x261":["https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Why-do-we-hold-the-Summer-Blot-in-July-533x261.jpg",533,261,true],"td_534x462":["https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Why-do-we-hold-the-Summer-Blot-in-July-534x462.jpg",534,462,true],"td_696x385":["https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Why-do-we-hold-the-Summer-Blot-in-July-696x385.jpg",696,385,true],"td_741x486":["https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Why-do-we-hold-the-Summer-Blot-in-July-741x486.jpg",741,486,true],"td_1068x580":["https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Why-do-we-hold-the-Summer-Blot-in-July-1068x580.jpg",1068,580,true],"woocommerce_thumbnail":["https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Why-do-we-hold-the-Summer-Blot-in-July-300x300.jpg",300,300,true],"woocommerce_single":["https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Why-do-we-hold-the-Summer-Blot-in-July-600x375.jpg",600,375,true],"woocommerce_gallery_thumbnail":["https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Why-do-we-hold-the-Summer-Blot-in-July-100x100.jpg",100,100,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Nordiska Asa-samfundet","author_link":"https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/en\/author\/nordiska-asa-samfundet\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"In Sweden today, many people associate \u201cmidsummer\u201d with the bright June evening when we dance around the pole, eat herring and celebrate summer. It's a fine and living tradition - but it's not the same as the old Nordic Midsummer. In the pre-Christian calendar, the midpoints of the year were not at the solstices, but…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27780","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27780"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27780\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asa-samfundet.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}