jmg@houxk.UUCP (J.MCGHEE) (12/02/83)
This is the beginning of a new net and the beginning, hopefully, of a greater appreciation of Celtic culture and its contributions to the world today and in the past. The following information comes from the 1984 Celtic Calender which is published by the Celtic League American Branch, P.O. Box 322, Rego Park, New York 11374. The calendar can be obtained by sending $5. to Celtic League Calendar, 2973 Valentine Avenue, Bronx, New York 10458. The Celtic cultural centers are: location language Celtic name -------- -------- ----------- Brittany Breton Breizh Cornwall Cornish Kernow Ireland Irish Eire Ilse of Mann Manx Mannin Scotland Scottish Alba Wales Welsh Cymru The ancient Celtic year was divided into four cycles. The beginning of each quarter of the year was inaugurated on the eve of the holiday by a great religious festival which commemorated a cult legend. Each festival was accompanied by feasting and merrymaking, fairs and marketing, games and sport, and solemn religious observances. With the introduction of Christianity into the Celtic world, many well-established pagan practices were transformed into Christian observances, as in the case of Imbolc and Samhain especially. (Editor's note: the pronunciation of Celtic words will be dealt with in a followup article in net.nlang.celts.) Samhain - 31 October/1 November - the beginning of the Celtic year and the end of the pastoral year. This most important of all Celtic holidays marked the time of the year when barriers between man and the supernatural were lowered, when the Otherworld became visible to mankind and when all the forces of the supernatural were let loose upon the world. It was a time of great danger and spiritual vulnerability. This ancient Celtic feast has survived into modern times as the holiday of Halloween, which in earlier Christian tradition was observed as the eve of November 1, All Souls' Day (now observed in Christian practice on November 2). Imbolc (or Oimelg) - 1 February - the feast of the goddess Brigit (Brigantia), one of the more universal of Celtic deities. This holiday appears to have been involved primarily with fertility ritual and Brigit was the ancient goddess of poetry. It was also traditionally associated with the coming into milk of the ewes and was therefore also a pastoral feast. Beltaine (Beltine or Cetshamain) - 1 May - a springtime festival of optimism, it was probably connected with the worship of the ancient god Belenos, another of the more universal Celtic deities. The power and influence of this early pastoral god would account for the popularity and duration of this festival which still is observed vestigially in parts of the Scottish Highlands at the east. Fertility ritual was again important, perhaps associating in part with the waxing power of the sun, which was symbolized by the lighting of fires through which livestock were driven and around which people danced in a sunwise (or clockwise) direction. Fertilty was promoted through magical rites practiced to encourage the growth of cattle and crops. Lughnasa (Lughnasadh) - 1 August - the feast of the powerful god Lugh (Lleu or Lugus), it was an agrarian feast associated with the harvesting of the crops. In Ireland it was sometimes called Bron Trogain (Trogain's Sorrow), which may have been an older name. One theory on the origin of the holiday is that it was established by the god Lugh to honor his foster-mother Tailtiu, who died on this day. The feast traditionally lasted for a month, 15 days before 1 August and 15 days after. Another theory states that Lugh founded the Feast of Tailte in order to commemorate his two wives Nas and Bui. Joe McGhee