Deitsch -- Pennsylvania German -- Heathenry

Rob's Blog (32)

Hoietfescht - 25 Hoiet/July 25, 2010

This year, Distelfink Sippschaft celebrated Hoietfescht as part of the Asatru and Urglaawe Meetup of Eastern Pennsylvania and NJ's Freyfaxi/Hoietfescht Meetup at Ralph Stover State Park in Point Pleasant, PA. The event was sponsored by Distelfink Sippschaft and the ceremony, which included features of both Urglaawe and Asatru, was led by Brian Weis.

The deities of honor for the day…

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Added by Rob on July 29, 2010 at 12:30am — No Comments

Urglaawischi Gemietlichkeet

Virtually every language has words that are difficult, if not impossible, to translate into a different language, which is why words are often adopted from one language into another. Some wordsreflect concrete items, such as insects that are native to a particular area or a legal process that is unique to a given country. Other words reflect conceptsthat are new or are unique…

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Added by Rob on June 17, 2010 at 10:30am — No Comments

Gmeeschaftsege

The Gmeeschaftsege ("community blót") took place in Schlegelschteddel on January 15. Our purpose was to celebrate our community. We were fortunate enough to have Cody Dickerson visiting us from Idaho for his final Braucherei Weg class, and many of our folks who usually have to work were able to make it that night. We kept in mind our folks who are from outside of the local area as they are part of the Urglaawe community, too.

Hailed that night were Wodan for the community, but we… Continue

Added by Rob on January 22, 2010 at 10:03am — No Comments

Yuul 2009

Distelfink Sippschaft's 2009 Yuul ceremony was delayed by a snowstorm that dumped 26" of snow in the Philadelphia suburbs and made it impossible for easy transit to the site. Thus, it ended up being held on December 29, which means the candles will barely cool off before the twelfth night observances.

Due to work issues and sickness, our numbers were diminished, but the event was still very enjoyable. That night we were also holding the landtaking ceremony for Pete's new house in… Continue

Added by Rob on December 31, 2009 at 2:00pm — No Comments

Pennsylvania German Day - Deitschdaag

Tuesday is the 326th anniversary of the arrival of the first German settlers to North America, coming in from Krefeld on the Concord.

One of (if not THE) most important individuals in the migration process was Franz Daniel Pastorius. We visited Germantown this weekend for some events that were going on in observance of the migration.

There is a large statue to Pastorius in Vernon Park. It is a beautiful statue, but I have to say that its condition is tragic. It has begun… Continue

Added by Rob on October 4, 2009 at 1:00pm — No Comments

Zisasege 2009

September 27 was the date that Die Urglaawisch Sippschaft vum Distelfink held its annual Zisasege.

The goddess Zisa was the matron goddess of the city of Zizarim (among numerous other spelling options), which is now known as Augsburg. Zizarim was inhabited by the Suevi, who are the precursors of the modern-day Swabians, who, in turn, were one of the contributing tribes to the Pennsylvania German (Deitsch) tribe. Other contributing tribes, such as the Alemanni, appear to have known… Continue

Added by Rob on September 30, 2009 at 10:32pm — No Comments

Erntfescht / Harvest Home 2009

As the strength of the summer sun begins to wane and the garden crops yield their bounty and go to seed, we are reminded of our fortune to be living in a region of plenty.

Erntfescht, also called Erntdankfescht, is an age-old Germanic celebration of the harvest. Families and/or communities would come together to ensure that their loved ones and neighbors had ample food to carry them through the winter. The community took care of its own, which… Continue

Added by Rob on September 20, 2009 at 8:30pm — No Comments

Hoietfescht 2009

Hoietfescht is the Haymaking Festival. It is known throughout Deitscherei by other names as well. This observance is the Urglaawe equivalent of the Asatru Freyfaxi. The honored deities are all of the Wane (Vanir), but principally Frey, Freya, and Njord.

We are fortunate enough to live in a land of abundance. Even with the wild weather this year, including a cold June and wet July, there is ample food growing on the farms and in the gardens.… Continue

Added by Rob on August 12, 2009 at 9:51pm — No Comments

Dingsege 2009

Die Urglaawisch Sippschaft vum Distelfink observed its Dingsege on Sunday, 7. Broochet/June, 2009 in Kempton, PA. In earlier eras (though continuing in Iceland even today), es Ding, or The Thing, was the general assembly of tribe members. Ziu, known to other Teutonic nations as Tyr or Tiw, is closely associated with the Ding as this was the time that tribe members would work out legal matters. In fact, Ziu's name lives on in English in "Tuesday." In Deitsch, the word for Tuesday is… Continue

Added by Rob on June 9, 2009 at 3:28pm — No Comments

Dreizehdachs

This comes to us through Braucherei and Pennsylvania German oral tradition:

Overnight tonight we will observe the annual visit by the Frost Giant known to us only as Dreizehdachs. Dunner (Thor) will beat him back and bring us that much closer to the time when it's safe to plant anything outdoors.

There are still two Frost Giants yet to visit.

Some people refer to these as Frost Spirits (vs. Frost Giants) left over from the Wild Hunt after Holle's… Continue

Added by Rob on May 12, 2009 at 1:28pm — No Comments

Walpurgisnacht 2009

Walpurgisnacht (April 30) is an old German holiday with Heathen roots. The original name of the day was probably lost through time, though Walpurga (or Walburga) became associated with the goddesses Holle and Berchta, who may be regional perceptions of the same goddess.

In Pennsylvania German traditions, Holle remained known to practitioners of Braucherei throughout the centuries. April 30 is seen as the night that marks Her return from the Wild Hunt and the end of the dark half of… Continue

Added by Rob on May 3, 2009 at 11:38am — No Comments

Whirlwind Hexenkopf Visit

Distelfink Sippschaft had planned on a clean-up visit to Hexenkopf on Saturday, but the weather was too messy. Thus, it was delayed past the weekend. Unfortunately, the delay made it inconvenient for most folks, so it was just Pete and I there.

The owners of Hexenkopf keep the land very well, but people passing through occasionally leave their trash behind. As the owners have been very gracious to us by allowing us to use the land,… Continue

Added by Rob on April 13, 2009 at 4:32pm — No Comments

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