About our Community
The Hungarian Ásatrú Community (Magyar Ásatrú Közösség) started as a project back in May 2014, a facebook page (under the name of Magyar Ásatrú Gyülekezési Pont, that is, Hungarian Ásatrú Assembly Point) and online community emerging out of the ashes of a previous online Asatru community, as well as containing many new members. Our first offline event, a Jólablót was organized in the very same year, after which we started to hold meetings and rituals regularly. At first we only had a handful of participants on our events, but after years of work this number went up to over a dozen. We also managed to set up a festive calendar and ritual order for the celebrations. Not long after, our core members formed the offline community under the name Magyar Ásatrú Közösség a.k.a. Hungarian Ásatrú Community which exists to this day. We work to provide online platforms and offline events for all Hungarian Ásatrúars to give opportunity for wisdom-seeking and participating in rituals. We are a small, but enthusiastic group with close, friendly ties towards each other.
Our offline activity consists of three types of gatherings. The most important ones are the rituals, from which we have four in a year, aligned to the equinoxes, solstices and the four seasons of Hungary. Each celebration has a particular focus as well as its own unique customs.
- The first celebration of the calendar year is Vetrnætr (Winter Nights) when we hold the Dísablót. This is a time of preparing for the long winter and the death of nature, so we focus on venerating our ancestors.
- Our second in order and also most important holiday is Júl, which is the most commonly mentioned heathen festival in the sources. The ritual held this time is called Sólarblót by us. This is a celebration of hope, as the winter solstice is when the days are starting to become longer and longer. We hail the Sun goddess Sól/Sunna on this special occasion and burn the Julbocken (Júl-goat), which is a straw goat created by the community beforehand.
- Our third ritual is Sigurblót (Blót of Victory), held on the holiday of Várbod (Spring Welcoming). Springtime is the rebirth of nature and a time for fertility and harvest. Therefore we highlight the landvættir (landspirits) and welcome them back from their yearly exile.
- The ending festival of the calendar year is Miðsommar (Mid-Summer) with the ritual called Ásablót. This is a time of joy and happiness, of freedom, when nature is in its fullest of power. We focus on the gods on this special occasion. After the ritual we make a fire and do a feast to enjoy the beautiful weather that the forest provides us.
Once a year, in the summer, we also organize a retreat for the core members of our community to strengthen inner bonds, build ourselves and also make important decisions about our future. This camp usually lasts for days and includes a ritual too, as well as other activities. We name it the Alþing (The Assembly of All), because even though it's a closed event, it is the most important one in building our community and for disputing crucial matters.
In those months when we don't do any of these events, we are holding our monthly meetings. These occasions are more casual and they take place usually in a pub setting, in the capital city (Budapest). Sometimes we also have creative programs on them, like crafting events. The point of these meetings is to provide an opportunity for outsiders to get to know us in a casual way, without any ritual obligations.
Paralel to our events we also uphold an online presence to help people in accessing information. This includes
- A facebook page, where we share news and articles: Magyar Ásatrú Közösség (Hungarian Ásatrú Community)
- A facebook group, to provide a platform for discussion: Magyar Ásatrú Csarnok (Hungarian Ásatrú Hall)
- A website, mainly introductory information for newbies and theological blogs for the advanced: Asatru.org.hu
- And a youtube channel for casual videos: ÁsatrúHUN
The Hungarian Ásatrú Community in pictures