Wedding Planning
Wedding planning!
No, I'm not talking about my wedding. My wife and I have been happily married for a long time. Today, I want to talk about my friend's wedding coming up in June, a heathen wedding.
The hall is decorated with ornate tapestry, animal skins, Viking relics, and weapons.
Attending a heathen wedding will certainly be a first for me and I was curious to see what it was all about when last night a few of us performing the ceremony met with the Godin last night to go over the details. For those of you who are unfamiliar with heathenry, paganism, native European traditions, Asatru, whatever you would like to call it, a Godin is a priestess and even though I have been a practicing paganism for quite a few years meeting the Godin was also a first for me.
We all met at the venue site, a traditional Viking restaurant here in Northern Germany. We drank mead, we sampled some fine foods (pork and turkey), and we discussed how the ceremony would play out.
This will be a smaller wedding (50 people or so) and it is an intimate experience that highlights the importance of paganism to the couple as well as the importance of paganism in our little community.
At the beginning of the ceremony, we will gather in a glen forming a circle around the couple, the Godin, myself, and two representatives (one from each clan) who will offer reasons why their clansman or clanswoman is worthy of marrying one another.
My role is to begin the ceremony by inviting four specific gods (one representing each cardinal direction) by raising a giant cattle horn filled with three liters of mead. The gods will come and provide us with council on the marriage, but they ultimately leave all decisions to us.
Once the ceremony has begun, the representatives from each clan will plead their case and once the Godin decides the gods approve of the union she will continue.
Then a sacred marriage ritual is performed however, I will not divulge those details publicly as they are sacred. But don't worry there will be no drinking blood or eating human flesh like some other religions out there!
When the ceremony is concluded, the Godin will allow the gods to leave (if they would like) and the circle breaks. The guests will then form a human tunnel by holding flowers (women) and axes (men) arched over a walkway signifying that our heathen community will protect this couple and their family.
Then each guest will take a drink of mead from the giant horn and offer a drink to the gods by dumping a little out on the ground. The reason the horn is so large it that forces people to be present in their actions and drink with thought and clarity.
When it is all over, of course there will be lots of feasting and drinking and I'm sure many merry moments to be had.
I am honored to take part in this ceremony and I will commit to it fully. I am not merely a stand-in going through the motions like so many modern church ceremonies I have attended. We are here to support the start of a new family and it is of the utmost importance to us.
Hopefully, this offers a little insight into some of our traditional European practices and I encourage all people to look into their native ways. We, as humans, have been pagan for 99% of our existence. We don't need to be saved, they only wish to enslave us.
Have a good and safe weekend everybody!
That sounds so much more inclusive than our modern weddings. Really most of the people in today's weddings are observers, but I love how this brings everyone together as a clan who promise to protect the new couple.
Posted using Partiko Android
Yeah, I have stood up in so many weddings where everyone just wants to get it done and over with. A couple of friends of mine were drunk before the ceremony even began.
I really enjoy seeing something that is still sacred. Thanks so much for reading this and the comment 😁
Posted using Partiko iOS
To listen to the audio version of this article click on the play image.
Brought to you by @tts. If you find it useful please consider upvoting this reply.
This post has been resteemed by @original.content.
Follow me to keep up-to-date with posts tagged #oc and the author on ocdb's follow list.
Powered by witness untersatz!
Aw, man, that sounds truly awesome! Being there completely, full body, mind , and soul. It sounds nice having a strong pagan community there, who take it seriously. Do you happen to know @nacktepoesie? A steemian from Germany with many interesting paganist posts. I think she's Berlin based, but unfortunately she hasn't been active for more than half a year.
Thank you so much! I can't wait until next summer for the wedding! No, I do t know her, but I will give her a follow and hope she eventually comes back! Thanks again!
Posted using Partiko iOS
I certainly hope she does! ...as will all the other inactive people I'm following. Just the other day I went through the list of those I follow, and I was shocked at how many of them haven't posted in a year, or two years...! I can kinda see how that happened, but it makes me a bit sad, as I used to look up to so many of them as successful steemians, back when I was but a wee little minnow.
Btw you said you lived in Germany? Are you German? Or just a world-traveling man?
Posted using Partiko iOS
Hahahaha, yes I have a German passport, so that would make me a German, at least legally. Originally I am of Hungarian ethnicity, I was born there, and speak the language (an important factor), though other than that I don't really feel a strong association to either country. Having spent about the same time in America (the US and Canada) as in Europe, I would say that culturally I'm at least as much American as Hungarian or German, though I don't have any paperwork to show for, whatsoever. Currently I'm living in Mexico, where I'm a permanent resident, married to a Mexican wife, and more or less acculturated, so I guess I can extend the list with Latin American, too. The only thing is: the longer the list is getting, the weaker each culture becomes. In the end I just may end up as nothing more than a foreigner, no matter where I go.
Wow, what a crazy background? I can see how that might get a little confusing. I think it's rather easy to share German/American culture. Wisconsin (Where I come from) was founded by Germans so not much has changed since then unless you live in the city. Pretty crazy where life takes us! I bet it's weird when you run into someone from your childhood and they are in the same place doing the same old thing 🤣
Posted using Partiko iOS
So true... Funny thing is, when I meet some old friend who's been living in the same place all his life, it gives me an image of well-rootedness, with friends and family all close by. While they look at me with such wonder and admiration, as if I was accomplishing an astounding achievement just by living in the places he only knows from TV.
But this is nothing new. There have been songs written about this, as old as time.
"...and I wouldn't trade your whole life for just one hour of home."
Sounds legit man. Mead and meat...Doesn't get much better than that.
Posted using Partiko Android
Yes, and the restaurant brews their of mead. You brew it right? Or is it distilled? Idk. It's good though!
Posted using Partiko iOS
Fermented I believe.
Howdy sir badger! How interesing, I've never heard of anything like it but it sounds very powerful! I suppose you can't take photos for a post right? lol.
I sure will, well someone will. It will be cool cause the fire department will be there too! Crazy!
Posted using Partiko iOS
The fire department? In an official capacity in case the fire gets out of hand?
Hehe! No, he is in the fire department, so they are coming for the party I think
Posted using Partiko iOS
Oh ok, well it'll be good to have a fireman there just in case! You're a fireman though aren't you? Just a different kind.