Daily Archives: August 1, 2021
Freyfaxi, Freysblöt, or Hlæfæst (which means Loaf Feast) which celebrates the beginning of the harvest. There is no specific “correct” date for this harvest festival; some groups celebrate it at the beginning of the month (to coincide with Lammas), some mid-month, and some on the full moon.
Freyr is the Norse god of fertility and harvest and a blöt is a sacrifice or offering to a god. So Freysblöt is offerings to Freyr, this is done in celebration of the beginning of harvest. The feast is also thought of as holy to Thor as a harvest God and his wife Sif, whose long golden hair can be seen in fields of ripe grain.
The first sheaf of harvested grain was bound and blessed for the gods and the vaettir (land or place spirits). Bread baked from the first harvest was also made into an offering and shared with the community.
In Viking times this is also when the warriors who had gone off to fight at the end of planting season came back, loaded with a summer’s worth of plunder and ready to reap the crops that had ripened while they were gone. It is almost like American thanksgiving, feasting and celebrating the first fruits and grains from harvest.
In modern times this is often just before back-to-school giving families and kindreds a good opportunity to celebrate together before the added stresses of homework and extracurricular activities. While the celebrations were modest compared to some of the other major holidays it was still an excellent reason to gather in celebration and to recognize the prosperity in our lives.
Since it draws from First Harvest traditions, the dates would vary regionally, but falls sometime in the beginning of August, because that is when many of our gardens are coming into full production. Typically in the northern hemisphere it is around this time that we celebrate the bounty of the Earth, and the gifts that she brings us with the help of Frey.
In truth, “Freyfaxi” is basically made up and can be celebrated by any group that wants to when they want to. It isn’t wholly without reference, as it draws on a history of First Harvest traditions, but it isn’t historical by any means. Wikipedia pins it on August 1st, the Ásatrú Alliance’s holidays page dates it as August 19th, and many Pagan Calendars date it to August 23rd.
Loaf-Feast is the end of the summer’s vacation, the beginning of a time of hard work which lasts through the next two or three months, while we ready ourselves for the winter.
The holiday of FreyFaxi was much more important for the lives of our ancestors that it is today. Without a good harvest, many many people would perish in the winter. We honor Frey to thank him for the many harvests that we have had, if there was one terrible one, some of us may not be here today. Thanks to Frey we are. If a year was particularly horrible, drastic sacrifice would be used – animal, or even human in some cases.
Even though many of us are no longer farmers, we still depend on the land for all that we are given. Maybe we do not depend on it directly but most of us go to the grocery store and buy things that have come from the fields. This is a time to honor Frey, god of the harvest, rains, and fertility. A time to thank him for the bounty of the earth, and all the gifts that he bestows upon us.
Today we honor him with mead, or some type of drink, food from our table, typically foods we harvest ourselves, for example baked bread that we have made ourselves from the wheat he has bestowed upon us. It is traditional to mark the holiday by baking a figure of the God Freyr in bread, and then symbolically sacrificing and eating it. Any way that you honor Frey, is a good way. Traditionally however, it is with a blot and feast.
We honor him because without him, simply we would not have much of our food supply, and quite obviously without that, we do not have much at all! He bestows fertility to the fields and plants, gives them life, giving rain so that they may grow and flourish. These plants including trees, give us oxygen. So if you are not going to honor Frey, son of Njord, for the bounty of the land at least honor him for the life of the plants and world around us!
We honor Frey by giving him a blot, and a grand feast from our own gardens and the fields. (If you do not have these things at least go spend some money and get a few things from a farmers market or something similar). We thank Frey, and honor him for the harvest and the fertility of the land and ask him to give the land even greater fertility in the coming year and in the dark of winter.
Sources:
There is a lot to celebrate in August. This is a list of pretty much everything that goes on during the eighth month of the year. Many of these dates change from year to year. The days that change are marked with this » symbol.
August Lore and General Info
Astronomical Events
- August 8 » New Moon
- July 3 thru August 11: Dog Days of Summer
- August 22 » Full Moon – Corn Moon, Blue Moon
- July 12 thru August 23: Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower
- July 17 thru August 24: Perseids Meteor Shower
Astrological Events
Depending on which astrological system you adhere to, these are the signs that show up in August of 2021. Be aware that some of these dates will vary from year to year. Unlike the Sun signs which might just shift by 1 or 2 days, the dates of the various Moon signs will vary widely from year to year. The same holds true for the Chinese Zodiac. The Celtic Tree Signs are based on an arbitrary system and stay the same from year to year.
The August Sun begins in Leo and finishes up in Virgo:
- Jul 22 thru Aug 22 » Sun in Leo
- Aug 22 thru Sep 22 » Sun in Virgo
The moon cycles through the signs as follows:
- Jul 30 – Aug 2 » Moon in Taurus
- Aug 2 – Aug 4 » Moon in Gemini
- Aug 4 – Aug 7 » Moon in Cancer
- Aug 7 – Aug 9 » Moon in Leo
- Aug 9 – Aug 11 » Moon in Virgo
- Aug 11 – Aug 14 » Moon in Libra
- Aug 14 – Aug 16 » Moon in Scorpio
- Aug 16 – Aug 18 » Moon in Sagittarius
- Aug 18 – Aug 20 » Moon in Capricorn
- Aug 20 – Aug 22 » Moon in Aquarius
- Aug 22 – Aug 24 » Moon in Pisces
- Aug 24 – Aug 27 » Moon in Aries
- Aug 27 – Aug 27 » Moon in Taurus
- Aug 29 – Sep 1 » Moon in Gemini
You will notice that the Moon might begin the day in one sign and by the end of the day may have moved into another sign, so timing matters if you are wanting to be precise.
The Celtic Tree Signs in August:
- Jul 8 – Aug 4: Month of the Holly Tree
- Aug 5 – Sep 1: Month of the Hazel Tree
The Alternative Celtic Zodiac is as follows:
- Cypress: Jul 25 – Aug 4
- Poplar: Aug 5 – Aug 14
- Larch: Aug 15 – Aug 24
- Pine: Aug 25 – Sep 3
The Chinese Calendar and Zodiac
We are currently in the year of the Ox (sometimes referred to as the Cow). Each Month is also assigned a specific animal. Here’s what shows up in August 2021.
- Sheep: Jul 7 – Aug 6 (Chinese Zodiac – Stem Branch Calendar)
- Sheep: Jul 10 – Aug 7 (Lunar Calendar – 6th Month)
- Monkey: Aug 7 – Sep 6 (Chinese Zodiac – Stem Branch Calendar)
- Monkey: Aug 8 – Sep 6 (Lunar Calendar – 7th Month)
Note: The traditional Chinese Astrology birth chart is built by the Chinese Stem Branch Calendar, not the Chinese Lunar Calendar, which I think is really confusing. Because of a difference in time zones, the lunar months will have different pattern between China and the USA.
Lucky and Unlucky Days
You might want to plan moving, traveling, major purchases, court dates, and weddings around these dates, avoiding the unlucky days and utilizing the lucky ones.
- These are the lucky days in August:
6, 7, 10, 11, 19 and 25. - These are the unlucky days in August:
15, 20 and 21.
Fatal Days
The first kills strong ones at a blow.
The second lays a cohort low.
Holidays and Holy Days
Many of the holidays begin on the eve of the night before and end on the eve of the day of. It’s also important to remember that the dates of archaic festivals and feast days may vary widely depending on the source.
August 1
- 1: Lammas or Lughnasadh
- 1: Festival of Lugh – the Celtic hero god.
- 1: Imbolc (Southern Hemisphere)
- 1 » Blessing of the Sea – first Sunday in August
- 1: Freyfaxi – dates vary widely from place to place
- 1: Wipe The Slate Clean Day
- 1: Fast in Honor of Holy Mother of Jesus
- 1: Wipe The Slate Clean Day
August 3
- 3 » Dakini Day (Tibetan)
August 4
- 4 » Day of Ekadashi (Hindu)
August 6
- 6: Festival of Thoth
- 6: Feast of the Transfiguration
- 6 thru 15 : Festival of the Tooth
August 7
August 8
- 8 thru Sept 7 » Ghost Month
August 9
- 9: Festival of Sol Indigis – the Roman sun god
- 9 » The Noumenia
August 10
- 10 » Celebrating The Agathos Daimon
- 10: Opalia
- 10 » Al-Hijra – Muharram
August 11
August 13
- 13: Nemoralia
- 13: Pomona’s Day see also Nov 1
- 13: The Vertumnalia – the festival of Vertumnus
- 13 » Friday the 13th
- 13: Day of Hecate
- 13 thru 15: Obon Festival (see also Jul 13 thru 15)
August 14
- 14 » Chinese Valentine’s Day
August 15
- 15: Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary
- 15: Festival of Torches
- 15: Herbal Holy Day
- 15: Krishna Janmashtami
August 17
- 17: The Portunalia – the festival of Portunes, the Roman god of gates, doors and harbors.
- 17: Cat Nights begin
August 18
- 18 » Day of Ekadashi (Hindu)
August 19
- 19: The Vinalia Rustica
August 21
- 21: Festival of Consus – the Roman god of good council.
August 22
- 22 » Ghost Festival
August 23
- 23: The Nemesia
- 23: The Volcanalia – the festival of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire
August 24
- 24: Mundus
August 25
- 25: The Opiconsivia – the first harvest festival of Ops, Roman goddess of harvest.
- 25 » La Tomatina
August 26
- 26: Women’s Equality Day
- 26: Feast day of Illmatar
August 27
- 27: Volturnalia
Saint Days
There is a surprising amount of magick associated with Saint days. This is a very short list of the Saint days in August, there are many many more. As time goes by I may end up listing them all, but for now, this is what I have.
- 10: St Lawrence Day
- 15: Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary
Recipes For August
- Lammas Bread – Lammas and Lughnasadh
- Whole Grain Bread for Lughnasadh – Lammas and Lughnasadh
Many more seasonal recipes, including recipes for new and full moon ceremonies, ancient Greek and Roman holidays, Asian festivals and etc. can be found here: Seasonal Recipes.
Notes:
Any August lore, almanac, astrological, and celebration dates that have been shared after this post was published can be found by searching the August posts to see what’s new.
A lot of work went into this post. It was compiled from various sources by Shirley Twofeathers for The Pagan Calendar, you may repost and share without karmic repercussions, but only if you give me credit and a link back to this website. Blessed be.
I think it's time to go shopping... maybe even buy some really cool stuff at my online shops!!
