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This site is devoted to basic celtic holidays - Samhaіn, Imbolc, Beltaіne, Lughnasadh. Additionally to information about holidays you can also listen Music, created by a project "KRANZ" and choose Postcards, devoted to celtic holidays.

Here you will be able to know about traditions and rituals, related to the ancient holidays, read about the recipes of traditional dishes which prepared Celtic people, about thier ceremonies and consuetudes.

Posted by Shannon O'r, 18.10.2008

SAMHAIN

Samhain - the main Celtic holiday. It is a holiday of transition to the winter, death of summer, which opens one of four seasons. It is celebrated on the night of November, 1 (in the middle of Celtic "Time of Songs" - Cantlos), for blandish, cajole and pacify dark forces of the unknown.

In the Irish epic tradition it is a day of great deeds. As it says in ancient Ulad's (Ulad - the biggest area in the most ancient part of Ireland) saga about Samhain: "Once a year was gathered all the Irish on holiday Samhain, and this meeting lasted three days before Samhain, day of Samhain and three days after it. And while this holiday that time in a year consulted last on plain Muirthemne, there was there nothing of other, except for games and revels, shine and beauty, feasts and cheers. Therefore celebrating Samhain in all Ireland was glorified."

Samhain also is known as November "yuletide", the Holiday of Death or Day of Apples. It was day of a meeting with ancestors. Long, dark winter evenings - is a time of story-tellers. Many of their narrations have been devoted to phantoms from the Other World. It gates this day were wide open, and dead souls could get in our world. At this night people dared to leave there houses only having changed clothes and having masked (to be unrecognized by the spirits of Other World) This custom has reached our time, having transmute into night of a Halloween - the Day of All Sacred (All Hallows Eve, All Saints Day) which is considered as the successor of the Celtic holiday for some Christians.

Samhain - is fine time for changing something, for converting or to throw out all old and threadbare.

Sorceress consider Samhain as the third and last holiday of a crop, which is mark the biggest of great feast- Turn of the Wheel.

In Middle Ages for the Samhain baked special small loafs from oats flour covered with a custard. Those breads had some various forms - triangular, square, round, with an aperture in the middle. And the preference was given to the last form. At the baking tried to not break them because for those times it was considered as an evil omen. On that day shepherds went on a field and breaking half-and-half bread threw it through a shoulder. It was considered as the best fencing for cattle from wolves, eagles and foxes.

In many farmlands each house had its own bonfire, lit only in the Samhain - "samhnag". Usually one of houses was a place for gathering of all inhabitants. In some areas Samhnag (fire) was done by common efforts. Also the hill known under name Carn nam Marbh (the Hill of Death) was raised. When the fire was lit all joined hands, as soon as it was ignited and all danced around of a hill clockwise and counter-clockwise. As soon as fire started to grow dull, young men took burning armfuls of brushwood from a fire and ran on fields with them. Then threw them in air and danced around of them, after their falling on the ground.

In early Celtic traditions, Samhain close associated with funeral hills where, as believed, there are doorways in the beyond.

It is traditionally accepted to put outdoors in night of Samhain a plate with meal for died souls. The burning candle at a window shows to them a way to the country of eternal summer, and the apples, buried in the ground, - their food on this travel.

Food for Samhain's feast - beet, turnip, apples, corn, nuts, ginger bread, cider, warm spicy wine, dishes from a pumpkin and, maybe, meat dishes.

Posted by Shannon O'r, 18.10.2008