The mystery of the twelve Rauhnachts

The customs and rituals of the ancestors draw attention to the past and point the way into the new year

In his compact guide to the mystical Rauhnacht in December and January, Gerhard Merz explains their significance in traditional folk belief. But modern people also find many instructions in the symbols, rituals and dreams to reflect on themselves.

Reflection and introspection
Belief in ghosts, invisible beings, witches and goblins was deeply rooted in popular belief. People were especially afraid of the night. The night belonged to evil creatures, ghosts, the otherworldly beings who did not or could not become visible. Even in the enlightened 21st century, people are still afraid of the dark, of the unknown and the inexplicable, whose unpredictability reveals itself in natural disasters or strokes of fate.
According to the author Gerhard Merz, who deals intensively with traditional customs in his books, the Rauhnächte are particularly suitable for "taking care of yourself for once. Thinking about everything that has happened up to the present day, who you have lost sight of and no longer pay attention to, who is dear to you. Who you should once again support with advice and action." While our ancestors used the mysterious time "between the years" to counter threats with incantations and defensive spells on the one hand, and to ask the other world about the future in dreams and oracles on the other, modern people are inspired to reflect on their personal life situation.

The Mysterious Twelve
According to ancient tradition, there are twelve Rauhnachts, twelve nights accompanied by mysterious mysteries. They are a consequence of the lunar calendar, which does not correspond with the solar calendar. Since the two calendars do not correspond with each other, the twelve "Untage" were added: six for the old year and six days for the new year. The experiences on these twelve days and nights after the winter solstice were seen as forerunners of greater destinies in the corresponding month of the coming year.
Twelve is a cosmic, magical number, one of the most mysterious numbers in human life. The sun orbits the earth in twelve months; day and night each last twelve hours. There were twelve tribes of Israel, twelve apostles followed Jesus Christ, and twelve knights gathered at King Arthur's Round Table. When one says that it is "five to twelve", it is high time to finish something, to tackle something, or to reconcile with an opponent or enemy. According to old popular belief, the sun rests during the twelve nights, stands still every day, does not move from its place. Time is suspended, frozen. The past arises towards the future, the future draws the past towards itself.

The twelve Rauhnachts
In Merz's book, the Rauhnacht traditionally begins on December 25th and ends on January 6th, Epiphany. The first and one of the most important Rauhnachts of the cycle is when the magical experience begins. The mysteries take shape, the gates to the other world open, the "land of dreams", which with its secret powers and energies stands by and supports many people who previously believed themselves to be disadvantaged by fate, rules the next twelve days with all its might. "It is important for everyone to prepare themselves as best they can for what is to come, for the promising as well as the terrible. For the time that promises people disaster if they do not bow to the laws of the Rauhnachts, but otherwise also promises to accompany them on their further path through life," says the expert on traditional myths.
During the mystical Rauhnacht, special sensitivity is required, one should be considerate of others, keep one's thoughts to oneself and listen now and again to the year's forces as they say goodbye to the old year and grow towards the new year. "Use the opportunities that the Rauhnacht offers you. Look forward to the light that awaits you in the future," Merz tells his readers.

Book tip:
Gerhard Merz: Rauhnächte. Compact guide. The mystery of the twelve fateful days. Mankau Verlag, 1st edition October 2017. Paperback, full color, 11.5 x 16.5 cm, 127 pages, €8.99 (D) / €9.20 (A), ISBN 978-3-86374-416-8.

Link recommendations:
More information about the guide "Rauhnächte"
To the reading sample in PDF format
More about Gerhard Merz
To the forum with Gerhard Merz