May of Rituals

28 May 2026

I wish to make a special post about May because I started properly following the old calendar. Not counting things like Midsummer or Kekri obviously, celebrations I've had since childhood, but the more minor things.

May 3rd is for protection of cattle, but I have no cattle nor do I live in the countryside. So instead I just decided to take a little hike on the "Demon Hill". It's a really beautiful place, just had some coffee on the top. The place has a lot of folklore attached to it as, apparently, a demon, a giant or a hiisi has built a cave there. (It also looks very impressive). With these kinds of things I tend to assume they are old sacred hills as many other impressive-looking hills in the region have similar stories attached to them (including the forest deity Hiisi). Thus, the idea that it is a hiisi, a holy site, has formed into the idea that some being called hiisi has been there.

Regardless, I also went looking for ant nests there with my friend as they are homes for maahiset. This has been very good training for me because I have always been very afraid of bugs so it's a good kind of exposure, I guess, to just stand there and look at the ants in their work. There is just something about the fact that they are so small that you cannot in any way communicate with them (compare to say, a cat) that has always creeped me out. But maybe a similar feeling has made people connect them to various supernatural things?

I'm very grateful to have been invited to a new moon ritual moment by some others. The one running it was Wiccan, some others might've been too but there were various other kinds of people too like Heathens and people with various kinds of nature-related beliefs. We did it remotely so everyone was doing whatever they wanted to in their own homes as far as the "ritual procession" goes. It was very nice! I could do my own thing, hope for a healthy month like people used to in tradition, and everyone else could do whatever was comfortable for them as well, according to their practices, while still discussing with each other. I happened to be making myself some hamburgers when this ritual was to take place so we got to joke around about my "sacrifice" to the Moon being a darn hamburger I just ate myself. :D

But I had to remember Vakat too. For a few years, I've tried to grow something on the balcony, but because I've been suffering from issues like anemia and depression, I didn't get it properly running every year. This year I've put more effort than ever before though, I have mushrooms growing on there and on Saturday, I planted various kinds of salads in pots. After having finished this "spring sowing" I went for a picnic with friends. I think that is a good kind of Vakat festivity. Even though I neglected the alcohol.