Samhain (pronounced sow-en) meaning "Summer’s End," is celebrated on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. A solemn occasion. 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 is the beginning of the Celtic new year. This is the time when the rising of Pleiades, heralds the triumph of night over day. Now it is the time of the little sun and the portion of the year which is ruled by the realms of the moon.
In the three days preceding the Samhain, the God of Light Lugh, dies at the hand of his Tanist, who is himself as the Lord of mis-rule. Lugh then passes through the veil between the worlds on Samhain. The Tanist is a stingy and harsh King who while shining brightly in the skies gives no warmth to the land. He cannot warm the north wind which is the breath of the Crone, Cailleach Bheare. This is indicative of the cyclic harmony of seasonal dominance which teaches us that neither Life nor Death can ever hold permanent sway.
Death was never far from our ancestors, and there was not the fear of it that permeates the society we live in. Yet while death itself wasn’t feared, it was held important to die with honor. Through dying well, people had the promise of living on in this world through their clan and at Fleadh nan Mairbh (Feast of the Dead). It is at this time the ancestors were honored and the dead were remembered. This feast took place on Samhain Eve. In many ways it is very similar to the Mexican Day of the Dead.
This is one of two times in the year when the veil between this world and Otherworld, the Shield of Skathach, is at it’s 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 yet to be born of the clan walked freely amongst the living. Food and entertainment were provided in their honour. In this way the clan remained in unity with its past, present and future.
Samhain was a time of 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 been sent for the summer. At this time of their return they were driven between two bonfires to purify and protect them. People and cattle both had now returned from the hills and glens to their winter quarters and were engaged in actively re-tying the social bonds. Just prior to this, the stores that had been put up had been assessed. Part of this assessment was how many could be fed during the cold months ahead. Rather than have whole herds starve to death in the winter, the herds were culled and the weakest harvested and the meat was preserved. The taking of life was done in a sacred way, and the utilitarian killing of the excess livestock had a sacrificial nature. Another area were the religious philosophy is addressed was in the bonds of kinship which were renewed in the clan spirit that was invoked at this time of year.
Traditionally Samhain begins the time of storytelling by the fires of the hearth, as there isn’t much to do outside during this time of the little sun.
Imbolic or Oimelc - 1 February
The next festival on the Celtic calendar took place on Feb. 1st or 2nd and was called Imbolc. It centered around the fertility goddess Brigit and was concerned with the fertility of livestock and other pastoral matters. Brighid is invited into the house on the eve of this holiday. Candles were blessed. Auguries were often taken at this time. This was the season when lambs were born.
From Samhain to Imbolc was considered the winter. As there were few daylight hours during the season of cold work outdoors, the family spent their time round the fire which was the source of their light, heat and warming food. It was also the gathering point for the seannachaidh (story teller) who, with the fire of inspiration, would tell the stories of the people. The sacred fire is strongly associated with Bride. Her name translates as 'fiery arrow'. One of her aspects is the Goddess of poetry and it is She who is the 'flame of inspiration'. Another term given to Bride is 'the flame in the heart of all women'. This relates to the absolute authority of the woman in the house.
Imbolc was a fire festival only for the household. During Imbolc, particular attention was paid to the hearth fire. Throughout the day it was kept specially fueled with specific woods, to welcome Her arrival. In the evening a rowan rod was placed in the heart of the fire. The following morning, before it was opened up, the fire was checked for the signs of a blessing from Her. The mark in question was a shape that looked like the foot print of a goose or swan. If a mark was found there was an extremely fortunate time ahead for the family. The associations between Bride and the goose or swan is also found in some of the incantations in the Carmina Gadelica by Alexander Carmichael. "The Language of the Goddess" by Dr. Maria Gimbutas goes a long way toward helping understand the meaning of the Bird Foot Goddess.
Beltane or May Day - 1 May
This holiday was called Beltaine, probably because of the name Belenus, the god of light. At this time, all household fires were extinguished and great bonfires were kindled on hilltops. From these sacred fires all household fires were relit, thus gaining the blessings of the gods. People and cattle jumped across the bonfires in a symbolic ritual of purification and protection from evil; getting the cattle to jump over the fires must have been a difficult matter, even though cows are capable of clearing five- or six-foot fences. Might this ancient practice have been the origin of the nursery rhyme about the cow jumping over the moon? It is ironic but true that many so-called "children’s" nursery rhymes were based on some very "Grimm" realities.
Amongst the folk lore of this holiday is that which survives to this day, young women will wash their face in the dew of Beltaine morning to preserve their youth. May dew was indeed considered to be holy water. This day was one which saw visits to the holy well. A visitor would walk three times around the well, then they would throw in a silver coin, after which while thinking of their wish they would drink from the well using their hands. When those things were done, they would then tie a bit of colored cloth or a piece of clothing to a branch of a nearby tree. The above had to be done in complete silence as well as when the sun wasn’t in sight. The final part of the procedure had the visiting person well out of sight of the well before sunrise. In many places, a May Queen was elected. She was crowned by an elder lady of notoriety, after the new queen and her court had arrived at a predetermined place. Some believe that in the older times, it was the May Queen who lead the hymns to the rising sun, as all the people congregated on the appropriate hill at Beltaine. She is also believe to have led some of the marches in the older times.
Lughnasadh or Festival of Light - 1 August
August 1 brought the feast of Lugh, the sun god; the feast was called Lughnasadh. The Celtic religion, like that of ancient Egypt, was basically solar-oriented; hence, this festival was an important one. It was primarily an agrarian occasion, mainly concerned with harvest time; it was a relatively happy period in the lives of the Celts, when the most benevolent aspects of the gods were in evidence.
This is the time when the warriors returned from the fields of battle to begin harvesting the crops. At this time fairs were held. Traditionally, this was also the time when marriages were contracted. There were many games and races. A great number of records still exist which show that this date held importance across all of the Gaelic lands. From the ancient lore we see the God of Light Lugh Himself, instituted the great fair of Tailltenn (now called Teltown) in honour of his foster mother Tailltiu (pronounced Telsha).
The lore relates how Tailltiu's heart broke 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, hence this festival seems to have a great deal of association with the older races of that land. The site of Tailltenn was also an ancient sacred burial place for the men of Ulster, which is traditionally the stronghold of the Fir Bolg warriors. The Fir Bolg peoples were closely associated with agriculture. Lughnasadh was an important land festival within 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 very real way honor Thallium, who as a Goddess of the Land (and sovereignty), is the Earth Mother.
It seems that a common element was the prevalence of horses at the fairs associated with Lughnasadh. Of course the White Stead is a common companion of Lugh in the lore. Even in the Ulster Cycle, the foot race between Macha and the chariots of MacNesa speak of this. The emphasis on horse races and horsemanship seem to drive home the point. This is very significant, for the horse is the embodiment of the Goddess of Sovereignty. In this her task seems to be to deliver spirits to Otherworld. A telling custom related to this belief which was once widely practiced in the coastal lands of the Gaidhealtachd was for people to drive their horses down to the beach and into the sea on Lughnasadh.
The Fair of Tailltenn, became a major annual event held on the 1st of August, which was attended by people of all classes in Gaelic Celtic. It had all the usual attractions of a great festival, but was particularly renowned for its excellent games and its 'marriage market'. Lughnasadh was the season of handfastings, or trial marriages that lasted a year and a day. After that time the couple had to return to the same place at the fair the following year to make their contract a permanent one. They also had the right to declare themselves divorced by walking in opposite directions away from each other. Trial marriages of a year and a day lasted up until recent centuries in many Gaelic areas. During this time young people would often simply *pair up* with a 'brother' or 'sister' for the duration of the fair, after which they went their separate ways. As a matter of fact, even into the 18th century the ribald flavor of the Teltown Fair (Teltown being the Anglicized version of the place name) was held to be quite scandalous. In some places one whole day was dedicated to horse and chariot.
In addition to the games, there were recitations of poems, genealogies and romantic tales. Music was provided by cruits (harps), timpans, trumpets, horns and cuisig or piob (pipes). Feats of horsemanship were performed. There were also jugglers and clowns. It seems that there were usually three distinct market places; one for food and clothes, one for livestock and another for luxury goods. If it rained during this festival, it was believed that Lugh himself was present.
