Darkanism/Ceremonies

Come forth faithful ones and learn the ceremonies of Darkanism. Take them to your heart and follow them through with joy and firm belief.

Weddings

There are only a few things that are common in all weddings. The priests usually decide what they will say, as will the groom and bride when they make their vows. In all weddings, it is customary to make a sacrifice to Sigrid, to gain her blessing to the couple and steer her away from them, to give them a long life. An offering is also sought from Darka, so the married couple would live a fertile and fulfilling life.

The ceremony begins with the sacrifices.

The sacrifice is a rams heart from the groom and a lambs heart from the bride. First, the rams heart is thrown in a fire by the groom and he says: “This is my offering, Sigrid. My heart consumed by you, brought back to life by Darka. Give us your blessing.”

As the heart turns to ash, it is the brides turn. She throws the lambs heart in the fire and says: “This is my offering, Sigrid. My heart consumed by you, brought back to life by Darka. Give us your blessing”

After this the priest continues the ceremony and is followed by the exchange of vows by the bride and groom. As the ceremony finishes each guest is given a handful of the ash produced by the burning of the sacrifices. The guests rub the ash on their hands and as the bride and groom walk past them, each guest will brush their hand against boths cheek, saying: “Consumed by Sigrid, accepted by Darka. Bless this couple.”

Newborns

There isn't really any baptism ceremony in Darkanism. The parents decide the names and make them publicly known on the first visit to the temple with the newborn life. This could be anywhere between a week or a month after the child is born. Of course, using the name before then isn't against any rules or doctrine, it's just that the official recognition will come only after the temple visit. Usually there is no big celebration around the name giving. Celebrations usually happen a few days after the child is born and it's an separate occasion from the name giving.

During the temple visit, which is a rather private occasion most of the time, the parents introduce the child to all three gods.

• When the parents visit Darkas altar, the child will have a line drawn in ash from its forehead to the tip of its nose. The parents will clearly show the child to the altar and say, "Darka, this is Nadina. Born out of your will and Sigrids to take. Bless her."

• When the parents visit Sigrids altar, something of the child's(hair, piece of toenail or something like that) is thrown into the altars fire. The parents will clearly show the child to the altar and say, "Sigrid, this is Nadina. Born out of Darkas will and yours to take. Bless her."

• When the parents visit Lodrils altar, the child will be bathed in white sand before being taken to the altar room. The parents will clearly show the child to the altar and say, "Lodril, this is Nadina. Born out of Darkas will and Sigrids to take. Bless her, protect her and give her a balanced childhood so she may find the right path when she is old enough."

And so the child is officially named and the gods now know to look after her.

Funerals

A traditional Darkan funeral is done by burning the corpse. Again, there are no set words to say or things to do, but it is important that the body is burned to ashesh, thus giving the body to Sigrid and leaving behind the blessings of Darka. The ashesh are then buried in the ground, to show respect to the deceased by bringing him closer to Lodril and the balance Lodril represents.

The Volcano Sacrifice Ritual

Once a month, the high priests gather on the holy volcano to give a sacrifice to the three gods. Depending on how things have gone, the sacrifice can be anything from a goat or a cow to living humans. Of course, followers of Sigund and Brigith are on the top of the list as sacrifices.

In the actual ceremony, the sacrifice has a mix of ash and oil rubbed all over it and stone weights attached to its legs(and arms, if it has them). Before being thrown in the volcano, the sacrifice is set on fire. The high priests sing praise to the three gods and pray for them to look upon the believers favorably.