Celtic Festivals

During the pre-Christian era in Ireland, the calendar was marked by four festivals, Samhain, Imbolc, Bealatine, and Lughnasa. The pre-Christian Irish calendar differs greatly from other ancient Indo-European calendars in that the Celtic festivals mark changes in the agricultural cycle and not the solar cycle (Sjoestedt, 52). The emphasis on agricultural changes in Celtic festivals indicates the pre-Christian Celtic people considered the land to be extremely important and sacred. It may also indicate that the pre-Christian Celts worshiped gods associated with the earth. It is clear through the examination of Celtic myths that the gods of the other world had a major influence over the harvests of the mortal world. For example in Celtic myth

During the pre-Christian era, people from remote sections of Ireland would congregate together for ritualistic purposes during Samhain (MacLeod, 5). Although Samhain chiefly represented the end of the harvest, it also marked the period in the year in which wages were paid and tribute was paid to the overseeing lords of the kingdom (MacLeod, 5). Contrary to modern popular belief, Samhain was not celebrated on the last day of October, it was celebrated on the first of November (Green, 34). The druids believed that the duration of the day was from dusk to dusk and as a result the festivities of Samhain commenced at sundown prior to daybreak on the first of November (Green, 34). It is difficult to make concrete conclusions about exactly what occurred during the pre-Christian celebrations of Samhain. But through the examination of the preserved Samhain rituals it can be concluded that the pre-Christian religion in Ireland emphasized the presence of a world separate from the mortal realm, held a deep respect for departed ancestors, and involved the use of rituals to give insight to the

Samhain was a very dark and mysterious time in pre-Christian Ireland. Although it was a time of great feasting and plenty, it was also a time of great uncertainty as the harsh winter had yet to come. According to Celtic myth, during other times of the year druids would often make predictions about the future. For example to identify the future king of Tara, a druid would wrap himself in the skin of a freshly slaughtered bull and devour the animal’s raw flesh until the identity of the new king was shown to him (Monaghan, 131). Although most divination required an expert in pre-Christian times, during Samhain the increased influence of the other world allowed omens and signs to be read by ordinary people (Monaghan, 131). The divination rituals that were performed by lay people were said to give insight to many aspects of the future such as a person’s future occupation, or time of death (Danaher, 218). Many divination rituals were used to make predictions about the following agricultural year (Danaher, 218). For example a stick would be placed in the river bed and was observed at midnight (Danaher, 218). If the water rose around the stick, it indicated that the fields would flood during the winter, the movement of the water could also indicate a rise and fall in the economic prosperity of the farmers during the following year (Danaher, 218). Many playful forms of divination were also