„Between the years“ is what we call these days late in the old and early in the new year here where I live, and I want to share one of my favourite superstition about this time with you.
These long nights with an early and slowly setting sun, possibly even a lot of Christmas sweets waiting to be eaten can easily cause the need to become one with warm knitwear and pillows and blankets. If you were looking for a way to feel productive, let me warn you! Doing laundry is not recommended!
Yes, that‘s right. It‘s an old belief in Germany and some neighbouring parts of Europe that doing laundry during these nights is very dangerous. My mother, who is always very open for anything mythical and spiritual sticks to this rule each year. „No laundry between the years!“
Although this, as many of these superstitions, is not practiced that serious by many people nowadays, it‘s still a tradition most people know about. Doing the laundry in these nights causes all kinds of bad luck, apparently.
But where does this belief come from?
In the days of my witch, so the later medieval or even early modern years of central Europe, it was as well avoided to do laundry in those days, and even more. Especially women and children were urged not to leave the house in the dark, and fireplaces were equipped with incense of all kinds.
„Because those nights belong to demons!“, my witch would state as if it was a matter of fact.
And she is right. People believed that in those unreal nights „between the years“, as we still phrase it in Germany up until today, demons and all kinds of evil spirits were wandering around even more than usual, because the borders of the worlds were open. Burning the right kind of herbs was a way to keep them away and be fortunate for the next year. If you put up laundry to dry, demons might get caught in it and bring misfortune over your house all year. It might even annoy them so much, they could kill someone you love!
If you look a bit further into the past, you‘ll find quite similar habits!
Pagan people across central and northern Europe believed in a „wild hunt“ to take place during these days. Starting with winter solstice, Odin was believed to visit this world and bring all kinds of mythology figures with himself to hunt across the sky until the 6th of January. Think about it, do you want to be the one to put up sheets Odin himself might get caught in? The consequences could be dire!
In these short days with dramatic sunsets almost in the middle of the day, with burning clouds and the hope for snow, I like the thought of looking up and imagine for such a supernatural journey to take place in the sky above, no matter how much I actually believe in this!
If the later belief in demons to get caught in your sheets is a direct continuation from those old pagan beliefs is not clear, by the way. A romanticized, neo-pagan view gladly assumes so, but there might be other reasons for this parallel as well.
winter after!
Winter time is about survival. The last harvest had to be successful enough to sustain people through those dark days, in which it is more likely to fall ill. While doing their best to survive this winter, people wanted to secure the next harvest, to also survive the in one after!
The phrase „Between the years“as still in use in Germany today has its origins in this passive darkness of the winter months! Only late in the 17th century was it agreed upon to have the year start at January the first. Befote that, it differed depending on when the work on the fields started again in spring. More on that in this older post!
So, in between the years it is believed that gods, ghosts or even demons are chasing across the sky and do not wish to be caught up in your sheets put up to dry! To wish for a healthy crop to survive the next winter, incense and oracles can be used to start into the new year lucky.
Why my mother does not do her laundry although she only puts it up inside these days, you want to know?
My witch crosses her arms and steals my apple-hazelnut flavoured chocolate bar from me, as she says: „Because these things give people something to hold on to.“
And lately we could all use a bit more of that, right?
Still, I did my laundry anyways.
https://www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de/germanisches-neuheidentum-wer-hat-weihnachten-geklaut-100.html
https://www.nationalgeographic.de/geschichte-und-kultur/2023/11/rauhnaechte-5-erstaunliche-rituale-und-ihre-geschichte
https://www.ruhrnachrichten.de/service/waesche-waschen-zwischen-weihnachten-und-neujahr-aberglaube-legende-mythos-rauhnaechte-w816432-2001030109/
Hermann. P. (2009). Nordische Mythologie. Aufbau Taschenbuch: Berlin.
Mistress witch writes 