VIDEO: Sons of Norway honor Yulefest in Poulsbo

“Behold, the wheel of time has turned.”

By Gabe Stutman • December 3, 2018 9:30 am

Hundreds gathered on Saturday evening at the Poulsbo waterfront for a ceremony that got downright medieval.

Poulsbo’s Sons of Norway Vikings, decked out in traditional regalia from horned helmets to decadent furs to face paint, led a procession of the Lucia Bride in honor of the winter solstice and the new year.

“Let all within the sound of my voice draw near!” shouted a Viking orator in a rousing proclamation, with torches blazing around the firepit. “For tonight we speak of things ancient and sacred.”

Yulefest is an annual tradition commemorating Poulsbo’s Scandinavian history.

After a row boat procession through the marina, the Sons of Norway lit a towering bonfire at Liberty Bay Waterfront Park. A crowd of people young and old gathered around, their faces glowing.

“Behold the wheel of time has turned,” the proclaimer read. “We gather here with friends old and new, to mark the passage of the old year, and to remember again the traditions that make us who we are.”