Recently, interest in Celtic holidays is quite large. Many see in them similarities with the sacred rites of other nations, trace analogies, drawing the appropriate conclusions. An important role in the popularity of druidism is played by the recent interest in pagan culture. At the same time, it must be recognized that it is extremely difficult to distinguish initially Celtic traditions that would not be inherent in other states of Western Europe. Researchers have many versions and assumptions about this. In this article we will try to streamline the most famous opinions that exist today about this culture.
Common symptoms
With regard to the Celtic holidays, the concepts of "eight-part year" and "wheel of the year" have long been strengthened, which reflects the ideas about the calendar that existed for this people. In this culture, great importance was given to cyclicality, since it was in it that they saw the endless continuation of everything that existed, when the end turned into the beginning, and the beginning became the end.
The annual circular cycle does not have a definite beginning and end. In the representations of this people, it contains eight magical and sacred dates that have a deep and sacred meaning, dividing the year into eight parts. The first "cross", dividing the year into peculiar four parts, includes four main points of the "life" of the Sun, including the equinox and the solstice. The second "cross", in turn, halves each of the remaining parts.
It must be said that most of the rituals associated with these intermediate points are well known. Information about them has survived to the present day. As a result, there is a steady feeling that the holidays of the "sun cross" were celebrated more modestly. This can especially be attributed to the equinoxes, which look only as preparation for the change of light and dark, in the sacred sense of these concepts.
Celts
A better understanding of the Celtic holidays and ceremonies will be possible if you delve into the essence of this people. So called tribes that were close in material culture and language to tribes of Indo-European origin. At the turn of the era, they occupied vast territories in Central and Western Europe.
It was the Celts who were considered one of the most warlike peoples of Europe. Before the battle, in order to intimidate the enemy, they blew the trumpets into battle pipes, emitting deafening screams. It is known that in the first millennium BC they began to use a metal rim to increase the strength of the wheels in their chariots. As a result, it has become an integral attribute of the god of thunder Taranis.
In 390 BC, the Celts invaded Rome, having plundered it almost completely. They destroyed all historical records made before this period. In 279 BC, about ten thousand Celts moved to Asia Minor at the invitation of the ruler of Bithynia Nycomed I, who needed powerful support in dynastic confrontations. As a result, they settled in the region of central Anatolia, in Cappadocia, eastern Phrygia, creating the state of Galatia. It lasted until 230 BC.
Mythology
Celtic pagan holidays are based on rich mythology. At the same time, there was very little information about the pantheon of gods that existed in them. At the heart of their religion is the idea of the existence of a world tree, which they considered an oak. Human sacrifices existed, but were carried out only in the most extreme cases, if the country was on the verge of destruction.
In Celtic society, the most influential were priests called druids. In their hands was concentrated not only the implementation of a religious cult, but also education, the highest judicial power. Afraid of losing their influence, they zealously guarded their knowledge. Because of this, the training of druids was carried out only orally. First of all, the student should develop memory in order to remember large amounts of information.
The Celts lived according to the laws of a tribal society, in their culture there were many legends and legends. They have been passed on through word of mouth for many centuries. Archaeological excavations have confirmed that the Celts believed in the afterlife, leaving a large number of various objects in the graves of the dead. It was a weapon, tools, jewelry, even carts and carts with horses met.
A central role in mythology was played by faith in the transmigration of souls. This helped to overcome the fear of death, while maintaining selflessness and courage in the soldiers. In the list of Celtic holidays, information about which has survived to our time, Beltein, Samayn, Imbolk, Lugnasad. We will talk about them in this article.
Cycle
In Celtic holidays, the wheel of the year was of great importance. With its help, a certain annual cycle of holidays was established. It consists of eight holidays, which are celebrated at approximately the same time intervals. At the heart of the cycle are changes in the path of the Sun observed from the Earth in the celestial sphere throughout the year.
It is noteworthy that the eight-spoke wheel of the year used by current neo-pagans is an exclusively modern invention. In many pagan cultures there were celebrations corresponding to the equinoxes, solstices, between them were celebrated agrarian and seasonal holidays. But in no tradition did all eight holidays exist, which are included in the modern syncretic "wheel".
This calendar was adopted and approved in the late 1950s. In this article, we will consider only Celtic holidays, which, according to most historians, were indeed celebrated by representatives of this people.
Imbolc
This is one of the four main holidays, which still remains in the Irish calendar. It was initially noted in early February or when the first signs of spring appeared. Nowadays, as a rule, the Imbolk holiday is celebrated on February 1 or 2. It is this day that is believed to be halfway between the vernal equinox and the winter solstice.
Initially, it was dedicated to the goddess Brigitte, during the time of Christianity it was even celebrated as the day of Saint Brigitte. This is a traditional time for weather predictions, perhaps the holiday was the forerunner of the famous American Groundhog Day.
It was customary to make crosses of St. Brigitte at Imbolk, as well as her images in the form of a special doll, which were solemnly worn from one house to another. People wanted her blessing. To do this, they prepared a bed for her, drink and food, and clothing was invariably left on the street. It was believed that the saint patronizes livestock and home, protecting and preserving them.
Over time, the cross of St. Brigitte became an unofficial symbol of Ireland. Most often it is made from straw, from the stalks of reeds, having a wicker square in the middle, from which rays of rounded shape diverge in four directions.
Previously, a large number of rituals were associated with this cross. Sometimes this symbol adorns the homes of believing Catholics today, mainly in the countryside. Many people believe that the cross is able to protect the house from fires. The symbol is associated with the patron saint of Ireland. According to legend, Saint Brigitte herself weaved this cross on the deathbed of her father, and on the other, a wealthy pagan who, having learned what he means, decided to be baptized.
Brigitte and Saint Brigitte
Interestingly, a goddess named Brigitte also existed in Celtic mythology. This was the daughter of Dagda, the most important female deity in Ireland. In a peaceful life, she patronized artisans, poets, doctors, especially women who help during childbirth. In turbulent times, turned into the goddess of war.
Since ancient times, there has been a tradition in Ireland to bury a live chicken near three streams in order to achieve its location.
After the adoption of Christianity by the Irish, they began to celebrate Imbolk as a holiday dedicated to Saint Brigitte. This is an Orthodox and Catholic saint. She was born in the middle of the V century, is considered the patroness of this country.
A little reliable information has been preserved about her life and fate. There are three lives written at different times. According to one version, her father was the pagan king Leinster, and her mother was a slave from the ancient Scottish people of the Picts, which Saint Patrick converted to Christianity. Brigitte became famous for kindness, mercy and her miracles. She healed the sick, distributed food to the poor, in her hands the treats never ran dry. Her main talent was brewing.
She converted to Christianity around 480, setting up a monastery in the area of the town of Kildare, where an oak tree revered by the Druids grew. She died in 525 in the monastery she founded. They buried her in Downpatrick next to St. Patrick.
Beltain
This is a holiday celebrated in early summer or May 1. Beltain was originally Scottish or Irish. In many countries inhabited by the Celts, he was given special religious significance, devoting Belenus to the fertility and sun god. Druids made symbolic sacrifices to him.
According to the existing belief, on the day of the holiday Belenus descends to the ground. It was believed that on that day the tribes of the goddess Danu arrived in Ireland, one of the mythical tribes, which, according to legend, ruled Ireland.
In the Christian period, this Celtic holiday was supplanted by those close in date to Easter, the day of St. Walpurgia, the holiday of the Holy Cross.
Bonfires were made on the hills that day. Participants of the festival passed between the lights or jumped through them for ritual purification.
The May Souk was hung on the door of the Celts, and the May Bush was planted in the courtyard from the branches of mountain ash, it was decorated in the manner of a modern Christmas tree. Initially, these rituals were associated with an attempt to protect themselves from evil spirits, over time, the custom lost its meaning. In the regions where representatives of this people historically lived, the Celtic holiday Beltein is still celebrated in the countryside.
Recently, it began to develop again with the development of neopagan movements, today it is considered international.
Lugnasad
This is a pagan holiday of the beginning of autumn, the name of which literally translates as "Meadow's wedding" or "Meadow's gathering." According to legend, the Lugnasad holiday was established by the god Lug in honor of his adoptive mother, the goddess Tailtiu. This happened after she died.
It is celebrated on August 1, when the blueberry harvesting period begins, and pies are prepared from the grains of the new crop.
Samhain
This holiday was dedicated to the end of the harvest. It symbolized the end of one agricultural year and the beginning of the next. Over time, it coincided with the eve of All Saints Day, influencing the traditions of Halloween.
This is a Celtic holiday in October - it was celebrated on the night of October 31 to November 1. In the Celtic tradition, he divided the year into two parts - light and dark. In the Latin version, the festival of Samhain was called "Three Nights of Samonios".
It is noteworthy that pagan triumph remained after the peoples inhabiting Britain adopted Christianity. In the Irish court, up to the 12th century, the Samhain festival was celebrated from November 1 to 3, in compliance with all ancient traditions.
The Oxford Dictionary states that the festival was the same for all the peoples of the British Isles, associated with supernatural powers and death. There is no evidence that he had any special significance in pagan times other than seasonal and agricultural. Moreover, his traditional perception of a dark pagan holiday associated with the dead appeared only in the X-XI centuries due to Christian monks who wrote about it about four centuries after the adoption of Christianity in Ireland.
Traditions and features
Samhain was considered a holiday of the beginning of a new year. In Scotland and Ireland, it is sometimes called the "festival of the dead." It was believed that only people who violated their gays, that is, taboos and prohibitions widespread in antiquity, died that night. It was believed that this is the last day of the harvest.
Traditionally, it was divided into Samhain, deciding which part of the livestock will survive the coming winter and which part will not. The latter was cut to make stocks for the winter.
According to tradition, bonfires were lit during the festival, and druids predicted the future with the help of drawings that left fire on the bones of dead animals. People jumped over a bonfire; it was also a tradition to pass between two rows of high bonfires. This ritual symbolized purification by fire. For this, cattle were sometimes held between the flames.
After the adoption of Christianity by the Irish, Samhain began to coincide with the Day of All Saints, which was followed by Memorial Day on November 2.
In recent years, Samhain is increasingly celebrated in Russia as part of the Celtic culture festivals. As a rule, in large cities - Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Vladivostok. Dance and music groups perform at festive venues, and various fun contests are organized.