Þorrablót 2013

Þorrablót (Thorrablot) The ancient Viking month of Thorri, which begins on the first Friday after January 19th (the 13th week of winter), commemorating the Norse god of Thunder. The Vikings celebrated this mid-winter month with plenty of dancing, singing, drinking and merriment, as well as consuming as much of their traditional food as possible. During the month of Thorri, the traditional delicacies, called thorramatur, can once again be found on grocery store shelves, and the majority of the nation partakes at least once in an evening of the special cuisine.

Thorrablot was a sacrificial midwinter festival offered to the gods in pagan Iceland of the past. It was abolished during the Christianization of Iceland, but resurrected in the 19th century as a midwinter celebration that continues to be celebrated to this day.

thorramatur

On this occasion, locals come together to eat, drink and be merry. Customary, the menu consists of unusual culinary delicacies, known as thorramatur. These will include rotten shark’s meat (hákarl), boiled sheep’s head, (svið) and congealed sheep’s blood wrapped in a ram’s stomach (blóðmör)! This is traditionally washed down with some Brennivin - also known as Black Death – a potent schnapps made from potato and caraway.

After the Thorrablot dinner traditional songs, and storytelling takes place. Thorrablot in Utah will not be having the traditional drink known as Black Death.

Thorrablot 2013 sponsored by the Icelandic Association of Utah will be February 23rd, 2013 (last Saturday in February), at the Veterans Memorial Building in Spanish Fork, Utah, beginning at 6:00 p.m. For more information follow the Icelandic Association of Utah on facebook at Icelandic Association of Utah