At Samhain summer's end , modern 1 November, the Celtic feast of the dead was celebrated, when the barrier between the world of men and the Otherworld was believed to have thinned, allowing contacts between the spirits and humans. Ancestors were honoured and invited home while harmful spirits were warded off. Bonfires were lit and the Celts wore costumes and masks to disguise themselves as harmful spirits as a means of avoiding harm. The festival survives to the present day as All Hallow's Eve or Halloween and the term Samhain is still used in modern Irish to refer to the month of November.
The light half of the year started at Bealtaine 1 May , the halfway point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice, which was a day for dance and song, today Midsummer's Eve. Lughnasadh held on 1 August was seen as the wedding of the Sun god Lugh to the Earth goddess, which caused the ripening of crops. The church transformed this into an offering from the first fruits of the year, the first loaves baked from the new wheat were offered at the Loaf Mass, which became corrupted to Lammas.
It was also called Brigantia for the Celtic female deity of light, due to the Sun's being halfway on its advance from the winter solstice to the spring equinox. John Chapel of St. Religion of the Celt. The Celtic religion The Celtic religion, druidism, was closely tied to the natural world and they worshipped their gods in sacred places like lakes, rivers, cliffs and bushes.
Popular Celts. King Arthur. Caesar in Britain. Prior to the arrival of Christianity, the concept of punishment by the gods for 'behaving badly' did not seem to exist. It appears as if the gods were not interested in 'good or evil'. While the Continental Celts were prepared for the other world by being buried with their treasures, it seems that the Irish Celts most likely favoured cremation as there has been so little evidence of burial sites found. The Celts seem to have recognised that animals occupy the world in their own right.
In fact, gods appeared in many animal forms. Because of this, Celts were often cautious and respectful towards animals. It also helps explain why animal imagery is so much more common in Celtic Art than in the Roman or Christian tradition.
Animals such as birds were particularly important, had supernatural powers and their singing was considered to have healing magic. Celts also believed that animals like cattle, horses, pigs, dogs, deer, bears, snakes and birds were protected by gods, or more commonly, goddesses. Part of Irish Celtic religion was the belief that naturally occurring things such as rocks, rivers and trees had spirits.
These were not necessarily good or bad spirits but could react in a certain way, depending on how they were treated. The four main Celtic festivals are: Imbolc - the first day of Spring. It is celebrated on 1 Feb. This later became Christianized as St. Brigid's Day. Beltaine - This marks the end of the dark part of the year and the welcoming of summer. It was celebrated on 1 May Bealtaine is the Gaelic word for the month of May. It is the day associated with moving cattle to higher pastures and beginning new projects.
Lughnasa or Lughnasad - was celebrated on the 1 August. It is closely associated with the Celtic god Lug. It was also an important communal date with a big feast to mark the occasion. Celts gathered at one of a number of traditional sites around the country. Samhain - traditionally has been a very important date in the Irish calendar. It takes place on 1 November again the Gaelic for November is Samhain and it marks the end of one year and the birth of another.
They were educated and powerful members of the tribe and were well respected by the other Celts. The main centre of the druids in Britain was Anglesey.
We know a little about the druids from descriptions by Roman historians. The Romans tried to limit the powers of the druids because they were so important in Iron Age society. Home Explore the BBC. This page has been archived and is no longer updated.
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