Väntljusstaken – Sunwait Candles

Long time no see, my friends.

I have been busy, I promise. This year has been hard, but let us ease back into posting with a lovely modern Heathen winter tradition that I have embraced this year: Väntljusstaken or Sunwait Candles.

The idea is to count down the six weeks leading up to the winter solstice by lighting a candle each week on Thursday. Each week also has a rune associated with it and there is a lovely poem you can look up to go along with it (I link to the English one, but other languages are also available on the page).

The tradition is based on the Christian advent wreath, which appears to have originated in Germany in the 1800s and is still popular in Sweden and Germany. Here each Sunday before Christmas eve (24th December) a candle is lit; there is also a poem to go with it.
Being German I grew up with this wreath and it was the highlight of the season for me as we would all sit together each Sunday, light the candles (first 1 than 1+2 etc.) and ponder the season, share stories and spend time as a family. It was a time when my parents sat together in peace for a little while, not something I can say about Christmas itself. This makes it one of the few traditions of growing up I look back on fondly.

Now, I have an increasing interest in Heathenry these days and I work with several Norse Godesses and Gods. Studying more, attending blots at Treadwell’s in London to learn more and trying to see if / how it might fit into my life. I am really enjoying where my path is taking me. Finding a way to revive something I love, but in a way that is even more meaningful to me is wonderful. Thank you Swedish Heathens!

I know my inner German got the better of me when I turned my candles into a more wreath-like arrangement where others prefer a linear holder, but it means I have it all on a lovely plate and it can be moved around easily. It is also a relatively cheap arrangement (monetarily speaking) with most things bought from the supermarket and a plant nursery. It also makes me smile and think fondly that my mother would be apalled by my colour choice, but the red, silver and green works for me. It isn’t for advent after all, it is for sunwait.

On nights when I don’t light the candles I have lights in the little baubles to brighten my table, making me glance at it and smile every time.

If there is interest I will show the different elements and how I fit them together, but for today I wanted to share this lovely new tradition with you. I am looking forward to diving into the first six runes of the Elder Futhark as they are lit and also pondering them in regards to the season. I lit Fehu last week and today it will be Uruz.

Have a look at the facebook page for the tradition and especially their notes which give a more detailed background to how it all came together, from candles to lighting them on Thor’s day to why there are six.

If you would rather have a listen, then this podcast also talks about Väntljusstaken and here are two blogs which talk about it some more:

Crafting Yule Traditions with Väntljusstaken (Light-Anticipation-Candlesticks)
and
(where I first read about this idea) Årsväntan.

See you in the grove by candlelight.

Overhead snap shot of Sunwait Candles