THE FOUR FESTIVALS OF THE CELTIC CALENDER
Samhain November 1st
Samhain means 'Summers End' and was celebrated on oct 31st and Nov 1st. As darkness overwhelmed the world the days grew short and the earth became barren and cold and the veil between the mortal and the supernatural was temporarily drawn aside. Samhain was the beginning of the celtic new year. It was the time when the rising of Pleiades, heralds the triumph of night over day. Death was never far from our ancestors and there was never a fear of it like that which is in the society we live in. Yet while death was not feared it was important to die with honour. Through dying well people had the promise of living on in this world through their clan and at Fleadh na Mairbh the Feast of the Dead. This was one of the two times in the year when the veil between this world and the otherworld, the Shield of Skathach, was at its thinnest. For this reason it was a time of divination. This day was considered to be a day that did not exist. Because of this the Spirits of the Dead and those not yet born of the clan walked freely among the living. In this the clan remained in unity with its past, present and future.
Samhain was a time for fairs and festivities. As with all the fire festivals, fires were lit on the hilltops at Samhain. This festival was one of the two when all hearth fires were extinguished and re-lit from the communal bonfires. The cattle were driven back from the mountains where they had spent the summer. At the time of their return they were driven between two bonfires to purify and protect them. Traditionally Samhain began the time of storytelling by the fires of the hearth as there was little else today during this the "time of the little Sun."
Nov 1st is still the Feast day of the Dead being the Feast of All Saints and Nov 2nd being the Feast of All Souls.
Imbolic or Oimeic - February 1st
The next festival took place on Feb 1st. It centered around the fertility Goddess Brigit and was concerned with the fertility of livestock and other pastoral matters. Brigit is invited into the house on the eve of this holiday. Candles were blessed. This was the season when lambs were born. From Samhain to Imbolc was considered the winter. As there was few daylight hours during the season of cold the family spent their time round the fires which was the source of their light, heat and food. It was also the gathering point for the seannachaidh (storyteller) who, with the fire of inspiration, would tell the stories of the people. The sacred fire is strongly associated with Brigit. Her name translates to 'fiery arrow'. She was also the Goddess of poetry and she was knows as the 'flame of inspiration'. Another term for her is 'the flame in the heart of all women'. The relates to the absolute authority of the woman in the house. Imbolc was a fire festival only in the household. During this festival particular attention was paid to the hearth fire. Throughout the day it was kept lit with certain woods, to welcome the arrival of the goddess Brigit. In the evening a rowan rod was placed in the heart of the fire. The following morning before the fire was opened up it was checked for the signs of a blessing from Brigit. The sign was a shpe that looked like the foot print of a goose or swan. If the mark was found it meant that an extremely good fortune lay ahead for the family.
In the ninth century the pope of the time abolished the the festival and we now have in the Christian version Feb 1st as the feast day of St Bridgid, and Feb 2nd being Candlemas day, the dad of the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin, when candles are blessed and lit in her honour.
Beltane or May Day - May 1st
This holiday was called Beltaine after the God of Light Belenus. At this time all household fires were extinguished and great bonfires were kindled on hilltops. From all these sacred fires all household fires were relit, thus gaining the blessings of the Gods. People and cattle jumped across the bonfires in a ritual of purification and protection from evil. Amongst the folklore of this holiday is that young women would wash their face in the dew of Beltaine morning to preserve their youth. May dew was considered to be holy water.
This season is still made memorable in Ireland by lighting fires though now the fires are lit in honour of St. John.
Lughnasadh or Festival of Light -August 1st
August the 1st brought the feast of Lugh, the sun god. The Celtic religion like that of ancient Egypt, was solar orientated. It was primarily an agrarian occasion, mainly concerned with harvest time. It was a happy time in the lives of the Celts, when the most benevolent aspects of the gods were in evidence. This was the time when the warriors returned from the fields of battle to begin harvesting the crops. Fairs were held, marriages were contracted, and many games and races were held. A great number of records still exist which see the God of Light, Lugh himself, instituted the great fair of Tailtenn (now called Teltown) in honour of his foster mother, Tailltiu. The lore relates to how Tailltiu's heart was broken under the strain of clearing the plain that carries her name. Lugh then ordained that the fair, with feasting and games should be held there annually for all time as a memorial to her. Tailltiu was in fact a Goddess of the Land who founded the kingship of Ireland under the Fir Bolgs, in the time before the coming of either the Tuatha de Danaan or the Gael. It is said that the Fir Bolgs landed in Ireland at Lughnasadh, and so the festival seems to have a great deal of association with the communities of the 'common folk'. Throughout Gaelic lands Lughnasadh is to this day known as the festival of first fruits. It does in a real way honour Thaillium, who as a Godess of the Land is the Earth Mother.
In many places after the rise to dominance of Christianity, the pagan festival became the 'Moilean Moire', dedicated to Mary. In this way the ancient customs were carried on under a thin veneer of Christinity as La Feill Moire, The Feast day of Mary. This feast day falls on the 15th August very close to the ancient date of Lughnasadh before the Gregorian calendar changes. We can see the similarities between Mary as mother of Christ (the Sun King) and our ancestral Goddess of the Earth, Tailltiu, foster mother of the Sun King Lugh.
