The great mid-winter feast named Þorrablót, in honour of the Nordic god of thunder
The month of Þorri was greeted by half dressed farmers hopping on one leg.
Þorri is the fourth month of winter, according to the ancient Norse calendar, and began on a Friday between the 19th and 25th of January. In pre-Christian times Icelanders would celebrate Þorri with a great mid-winter feast named Þorrablót, in honour of the Nordic god of thunder, Þór. The tradition was lost soon after Icelanders converted to Christianity.
During Icelands struggle for independence from Denmark in the 19th century, young Icelanders studying in Copenhagen decided to revive the old custom of Þorrablót. The first modern Þorri feast took place in the Danish capital on January 24th 1873.
The year after, the inhabitants of Akureyri, a town in north Iceland, decided to follow suit. From there the custom spread throughout the country. By the 1960s Þorrablót had become a popular part of Icelandic tradition and is still widely celebrated each year.
http://icelandmag.com/article/great-mid-winter-feast-named-thorrablot-honour-nordic-god-thunder
Tyrs WolfDaemon
(2,289 posts)If only my family wasn't cursed with super bad health that keeps us chained to our home like a jail.
For now I will have to settle to reading about it all and visiting the family's ancestral home in my dreams.
Thanks for the link Icymist. I owe you a horn of mead for all the links you provide.
icymist
(15,888 posts)It was a hoot! My roommate is sharing it with everybody!
And you are very welcome for all the links!
Tyrs WolfDaemon
(2,289 posts)My computer is misbehaving and not letting me watch video from on-line. I think she is pissed off at me for not saying nice things to her in a while. She has been like this since the other night. it might have been the: 'I think your software is just fine, but wouldn't these updates make it better?'
Of course, she's been wanting a new Solid State hard drive. I keep pointing out that she hasn't even used up half of her current one.
I need to find a way to get out of the house.
icymist
(15,888 posts)We must send good computer karma your way!