Ancestral Food and Culture by Folkbuilder Timmy Dumas
I know I'm preaching to the choir, but there are many tangents involved in our Ancestral Faith that don't exactly break off, but rather interweave into each other.
Culture, community, traditions. How are those not interconnected into not only what we are doing, but who we are? Bangers and mash are such a simple, yet delicious and hearty meal. It was a staple in my grandparents' house and I'm lucky to have my wife serve it to our family. What's so great about peas, sausages, potatoes, and onion gravy? Nothing and everything. Tacos sure are delicious but this simple and filling meal is a nod to my ancestors every time it's prepared. Thoughts wander back to England, Ireland, and beyond how they would be in the kitchen preparing, butchering, harvesting, and so forth.
Before dinner, my wife also served delicious Irish breakfast tea with cream and blueberry scones. Again, sipping and munching these treats activates my ancestral memory and I transport myself in a long-forgotten blood memory overseas. Everything about us is important and it all incorporates into our faith. I would love to share our recipes and traditions and encourage you all to take pictures of your own meals and treats, and please submit them to the Runestone to share with us all. If you do not have traditions, you can start today! The ancestors are so important, but WE are the ancestors now my Folk and we need to start thinking that way. To your health, Hail!
I can imagine the first thing some of you are thinking while reading this after you rolled your eyes is why a holiday after someone that allegedly purged Ireland of "pagans" is being written about in an Asatru Newsletter.
In a society where everything White is under attack, why not then embrace any semblance of culture we still have? Most people don't associate this holiday with religion at all.
In my Family, St Patrick’s Day was a happy time, but not one of sillyness. I was raised by Depression-era Irish Americans that knew all too well the harshness this world can muster. Corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, root vegetables, and soda bread might be a seasonal delicacy for some, but for the Ancestors of myself and many others, it was the cheapest food available at that time. We ate this meal to remember how much they had to sacrifice to provide us with our easy lives here in America. We ate the meal with the highest reverence, paid our respects, and raised our Guinness and whiskey up to hail their good names. Even as a little boy, I could tell this day was a very serious day for my Grandparents and we were a part of something special.
To me, that is very much in alignment with what we are doing, even if it was done by some Irish Catholics. This day to us is a day to honor not only our ancestors but to celebrate our victories and to pass on that good Orlog to the next generation.
I think it's easy to play victim and complain about St Patrick and many other similar tangents, but then which side are we on: crybaby liberals or Noble European Folk? We can't be victorious stuck in a victim-mindset, being contrarian, and claim to be Asatru at the same time. We have to steel ourselves and rise above.
Folkbuilder Timothy Dumas
