Share Celtic Festivals with Celtic Ways

Imbolc: early February

Imbolc is best known as a time of reverence for St. Brigid in Ireland and Bride in Scotland. This is a festival that has been celebrated within the land now called Ireland for at least 3000 years and probably 5000 years.

St. Brigid of 451 AD until 525 AD is one of the three patron saints of Ireland. She is best known as founder of Kildare monastery who probably, and rightfully so, took her name from the revered goddess of Spring, fertility, health, nourishment and abundance. Brigid is also known as Bhride, Brighid, Brid, Bridget and Bridgit, Brit, Britten, Brittania. It is also said that Bearra, Grainne, and Naomh are incarnations of her. Her father by mythology is Dagda and her mother Morrigan.

This is a time, in Ireland, for celebrating to noticeable lengthening of daylight and the first signs of Spring from the abundant birdsong, new buds appearing and, especially, the blooming of the first flowers of Spring, the beautiful white snowdrops. 

Sharing Imbolc with Celtic Ways is a wonderful fun way to have a celebrating break to enjoy fresh air and connect with nature again, along with having fun with some of the traditions of this time. We invite you to share with us the brushing away of our winter hibernation habits through celebrating the arrival of the new Spring. 

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Bealtaine: early May

By now the first warm days should have arrived and Spring flowers will now be replaced with summer meadow flowers and abundant grasses. For us, one of the most beautiful displays of this time is the blooming of the blossoms of the “trees of protection”, i.e. hawthorn, blackthorn, crabapple, dog rose, rowan, and we can include elderflowers here too.

During this blossoming time bees and pollinating insects become active and it was during this time the mating of humans became very active too with the intent of ensuring births at Imbolc, after the winter has passed.

Another important tradition of this time was the passing of cattle between two fires as they were passed from their winter grazing into the abundance of the new summer pastures.

Despite the ancient traditions of Bealtaine being something like Spring Break in the USA sharing Bealtaine with Celtic Ways focuses on creativity beyond the mating dance. Our theme of this celebration is always “its never to late and you are never too old to start something”. 

We encourage and aim to inspire the starting or expansion of creative expresion through writing, photography, painting, traditional crafts. If you just want to relax this is a perfect time for simply restore ourselves through being being amongst this wonderful time of longer days, warmer days and abundant living nature.

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Lughnasa: early August

Named after Lugh, of the Tuatha De Dannan, a long serving High King, though ceremonies for this time probably commenced before Lugh’s time. In Britain this time is known as Lammas.

Lugh declared this feast time should honour the life of his foster mother Tailtiu who died of exhaustion after clearing many forests of Ireland so they could serve as fields for agriculture.

Of course, this is wonderful story telling mythology but it serves to symbolize this as being the time of first harvests when the first crops grown through the summer are harvested for fresh nourishment before excess is traded and stored for survival through winter.

Lugh also honoured Tailtiu as being the support and encouragement behind him being a man of many talents, including farming, hunting, warrior and sporting skills. It was at Lughnasa that Lugh commenced sporting events with games such as throwing the hammer and tossing the caber that are important in Highland Games today, javelin and discus throwing that are important in Olympic Games and hurling which is still Ireland’s national team sport.

We share and celebrate this time with you through fun and games that celebrate and protect our vitality and health along with feasting of good fresh foods from the first harvests. Included, is some fun on our local beaches and even in the sea, for the brave. Horse riding on the beach can be arranged, too.  .

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Samhain (Halloween): early November

The end and beginning of the Celtic Year. About 7 weeks before midwinter this was a time for gathering of the last harvests, stocktaking the year passed, closing deals, storing for the winter and preparing for planning the year ahead. This is both a festival of achievement and new hopes. If its been a difficult year its the time of change to a bette year.

This time is better known for its myths and, dare I say, ghoulish traditions. The fun filled pranks of trick or treats, jack o’lanterns, ghosts and cackling witches, all have far grom ghoulish origins. Ancient belief was that our time on earth is a brief moment of our spiritual beings, or that we are really spirits experiencing a bit of time as humans. It was believed that this is the time when the veil between our earthly world and the “otherworld” is at its thinnest. Because the veil is thin it was believed that this is a time we could re-join our ancestors for this celebration of abundance and community.   

We share and celebrate this time with you as in the spirit of releasing fears and discrimination. It is a time when we can embrace and celebrate our differences through fun and games along with feasting of good comfort foods that can nourish us through winter.

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