New Year's Eve is a traditional time for divination to find out what the months ahead might bring. In Sweden, one practice is called årsgång, which translates as “year walk". I learnt about it in the book Hallowed Ground by Mark Norman. He writes:
"The ritual began with a day confined in a dark room, alone with nothing to eat or drink. As midnight struck, the walker would leave the room and set out for their local church. On the walk through the forests and countryside, they would come across many supernatural creatures from Swedish folklore, who would try and prevent the walker from reaching the church, whilst still obeying the rules of the ritual.
"The year walk was a solitary practice, and it was forbidden to communicate with anyone else. There could be dire consequences if the person undertaking the walk failed to remain silent and solemn throughout."
The walk continued around the church building a number of times, which apparently varied from place to place and sometimes included specific patterns of footsteps. After doing this, the walker would hope to gain information from spirits that dwelt in the graveyard. They might see ghostly messengers, hear singing from under the ground, or see visions by peering through the keyhole on the church door. The divination could reveal anything about the year ahead, from forthcoming marriages, to the outcome of war, if there would be famine, and who was going to die.
Hallowed Ground: The Folklore of Churches and Churchyards is published by Crossed Crow Books. You can also view the book on Amazon.
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Other previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2015/12/finnish-new-years-eve-divination-with.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2017/10/london-necropolis-temple-church.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2012/10/london-necropolis-st-brides-church-of.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2012/01/twelfth-night-spell-for-new-year-luck.html
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