Folklore

Whatever names we give to them now many of our modern day festivals owe their existence to hallowed festivals long before Christianity. Long ago they marked the dates of key Celtic festivals in the rural year, for example days when planting occured or when harvesting...

In 1897, the Gaulish Coligny Calendar was discovered in Coligny, France along with the head of a bronze statue of a youthful male figure. It is believed to date from around 50 BC, and appears to be the remains of a Romanized Gaulish model of a Celtic lunar and...

February 1“Imbolc” is from Old Irish, and may mean “in the belly”, and Oimelc, “ewe’s milk”, as this is the lambing time. This is considered the first of spring. In Ireland the first stirrings of spring are said to be...

August 1 (July 31 August Eve)(loo-na-sa)  Lugnasad was the beginning of the harvest and was a celebration of the first fruits of the harvest, it is decline of Summer into Winter. Many grains, seeds, herbs and fruits were harvested and dried at this time. This...

November 1Samhain is pronounced as ‘sow-in’ (in Ireland), or ‘sow-een’ (in Wales), or ‘sav-en’ (in Scotland), or (inevitably) ‘sam-hane’ (in the U.S. where we don’t speak Gaelic) meaning Summer’s End. ...

December 21(“The Light of Arthur”) The winter solstice was the shortest day of the year and coincides closely with the Christian Christmas celebration. The name ‘Arthuan’ is interesting in relation to Arthurian legend, as King Arthur was...

Around March 21Ostara or Vernal (spring) Equinox is the point of equilibrium – the balance is suspended just before spring bursts forth from winter. The God and Goddess are young children at play and holiday festivals use brightly colored eggs to represent the...

September 21Autumn Equinox / Mabon / Alban Elfed. The autumnal equinox occurs when the sun crosses the equator on it’s apparent journey southward, and we experience a day and a night that are of equal duration. This is before before the descent to the dark...