WUFFACYNN
Anglo-Saxon Calendar
A Year with Wuffacynn
The Calendar of our Anglo-Saxon forefathers embraced the dichotomy between the lunar year and the solar year. The monthly division of the year centred upon the Lunar passage, which results in a basic twelve month year fitting closest to the solar year.
The lunar cycle being at odds with the solar calendar meant that flexibility to allow periodical realignment was a necessity to maintain seasonal harmony of the two annual cycles. This was overcome by an occasional thirteen month (intercalary) year. This ensured harmony between both lunar and solar year.
In considering the year we must also take into account the mindset with regard to the seasons of the year. Currently we view a four season year (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall/Autumn), this would not have been the case in Anglo-Saxon England. In common with most of Northern Europe during this period a two season year (Winter, Summer) would have been the norm.
Bede, in his ‘de temporum ratione’ gives us an insight into the calendar of the Anglo-Saxon era. It is this calendar that we in Wuffacynn follow for our Blotar/feasts. Following, you will read about this calendar and how we observe the seasonal changes and celebrations. It must be pointed out before we go forward that the calendar as presented by Bede was not a definitive calendar for these peoples during this period. England was made up of seven kingdoms. It is very likely that the calendar for each kingdom, although may have been similar, would not have been the same. Bede grants us the only complete calendar from this period. This said, it is Bedes calendar that we have followed since our founding in 2000ce, and the celebratory cycle that we have drawn from it works very well for us.
25th December to 24th January.........Aefterra Geola. (Mud month) The later Yule month. (Winter)
There are two Geola months (Aerra Geola and Aefterra Geola). The year starts and finishes with a Geola (Yule) month and the 12 night Yule Feast straddles both the Old and the New Year, commencing at dusk on the 20th or 21st December (dependant on when the Winter Solstice falls) with the 12th night falling on the 31st December or 1st January, and is marked with a Blot.
The Yule feast kicks off with the celebration of Modranacht (Mothersnight) traditionally on the evening before the Winter Solstice.
Due to the pressures of life at this time of year we celebrate our Mothersnight Blot on the evening of the 24th December. Traditionally this is a festival for us to celebrate the Matronalia, the motherly Goddesses. It is also a time to honour our motherline of ancestry.
We will honour the Goddess Frig, Wife of Woden. Some of her titles include Queen of all the Heavens, and Great AllMother, she is a goddess of the hearth and home and is associated with childbirth. We also honour Holda as a Goddess of Winter and Perchta as another Matronly Goddess with strong associations with the hearth and home. These three form our Matronalia, a focus for our celebration.
The commonality that binds them is that they are all associated with mid winters wild hunt, from various sources. At our Mothersnight blot we remember our own mothers and our mother line. We also honour the Nornir and make an offering of nornegrauten (porridge) to them. Speeches and Sumble will also be offered to honour the Yule log before it is placed on the fire. Likewise we will honour the tree that is bought indoors and dressed for the Yule feast.
On 12th Night we celebrate the end of the Yule Feast with a blot, we honour the spirit of Pooka who injects fun and humour into the season. We also give thanks for the feast and make pledges to embrace the year to come.
In previous years at this time we have been invited into local orchards and gardens to Wassail the fruit trees.
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25th January to 24 February.........Solmonath. (Fill dyke or Wolf Month).
The month of cakes/mud. (Winter)
We choose to honour the Goddess Ran at this time of year with a blot by the sea. As a Goddess of the seas and the guardian of all who are lost to the sea and rest in her halls. This takes the form of a memorial blot when we remember those lost, and we honour Ran for her guardianship. One of our members will provide a most welcome hotfood outside kitchen for this Blot, which is most welcome due to the unpredictability of the weather at this time of year.
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25th February to 24th March.........Hrethmonath. Month for honouring the Goddess Hrethe. (Winter ending)
Hrethe heralds the end of winter and we honour her with a blot. We celebrate the victory of the returning light with the lengthening of the days and the changing season. We bless the soil at this time for the coming growing season.
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25th March to 24th April...............Eostremonath. Month for honouring the Goddess Eostre. (Summer finding)
Eostre returns the summer to the land. A picnic blot is held to celebrate her return as she dances through the land.
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25th April to 24th May..................Thrimilcemonath. Month of three milkings, daily. (Summer)
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25th May to 24th June...................Aerra Litha. The early Litha Month. (Summer)
The two Litha months straddle the Summer Solstice season. Some academics say that Litha translates as “fair sailings”, if you follow this line of thought it is right therefore to celebrate a local Goddess, Nehalennia.
Nehalennia is a Goddess of the North Sea with historic associations with safe journeying across this sea. As a local Goddess we choose to honour her with a coastal picnic blot and we combine this honouring with our Summer solstice honourings on a local beach at sunrise.
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25th June to 24th July....................Aefterra Litha. The later Litha Month. (Summer)
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25th July to 24th August................Weedmonath. Month of weeds. (Summer)
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25th August to 24th September......Haligmonath. Holy month. (Summer)
During this month we give thanks for the harvest. A picnic blot is held honouring the God Frey, and a progress made around the local fields during which the Lammas loaf will be broken up and given to the land.
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25th September to 24th October.....Winterfylleth. The first full moon of Winter. (Summer ending)
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25th October to 24th November......Blotmonath. Month of Sacrifices. (Winter finding)
During this month we celebrate Winternights, the start of winter. A blot is held to honour our ancestors. We honour Ullr, one of the Heathen Gods associated with Winter.
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25th November to 24th December....Aerra Geola. The early Yule Month. (Winter)
Here the year runs full circle, seeing the Yule feast starting on the 20th/21st December.
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Annual Cycle of regular Festivals
Mothersnight....……………………… 24th December
Twelfth Night.......31st December/1st January
Ran Blot…………......…………………….. Early February
Hrethe Blot…..............…………………….. Early March
Eostre Blot…...............………………………… Early April
Litha…………............................……….. 20th/21st June
Nehalennia Blot.…..……………….. 20th/21st June
Lammastide….............………………………. 1st August
Harvest Blot……..…….………. August/September
Winternights….….....…………………… Late October