Celtic Worship

[gnomon]

In the Celtic world, the earliest record of the Samhain festival comes from the Coligny Calendar (a Celtic lunar calendar which was inscribed on bronze tablets. Fragments of these tablets were found in Eastern France, November 1897). In the Gregorian calendar of today, Samhain falls on approximately October 31st/November 1st. The Coligny calendar itself has been dated to the 1st Century CE and very clearly divides the year into two halves ~ one associated with summer, now celebrated as the festival of Beltaine (May 1st) and the other associated with winter (Samhain).

The rituals surrounding Samhain and Beltaine are closely linked ~ while Samhain begins one kind of yearly cycle, Beltaine began another. As such, both could be construed as a kind of “New Year”. However, Samhain begins it in darkness, and there is no doubt about the pre-eminence of darkness in the Celtic tradition (cycles of mythology etc)

From Caesar’s ‘De Bello Gallico’;

“spatia omnis temporis non numero dierum, sed noctium finiunt; dies natales et mensum et annorum initia sic obseruant, ut noctem dies subsequatur”

(“they define all amounts of time not by the number of days, but by the number of nights; they celebrate birthdays and the beginnings of months
and years in such a way that the day is made to follow the night&#8221

Darkness comes before light, because life appears in the darkness of the womb. Thus the year begins with its dark half, holding the bright half in gestation. The moment of death ~ the passing into darkness ~ is itself the first step in the renewal of life.

Thanks for the reply.

The Coligny calendar does not really allow for an absolute setting of the New Year following summer's end. It's probable. I won't deny that. But the Coligny calendar is incomplete and what evidence of any naming of Samhain as the New Year is still lacking.

Trivial, I know. It is quite probable that it is but with the way Celtic mythology and Gaulish worship is bandied about as fact by modern humans is somewhat disturbing. It may very well stand that the various Celtic tribes had a more traditional agrarian new year.

 

[Awen]

My apologies, gnomon. I actually didn't mean to get on a soapbox in my last post (after re-reading, it does seem that way)
That was, of course, merely my opinion after celebrating Samhain as the New Year for a good while now...emotion most probably got involved!

That said, I do actually agree with you…it's probable. Especially when combined with myths and tales such as the Ulster Cycle, which is peppered with metaphors involving darkness before light etc. I also agree that it's a shame that misinformation is handed out as truth, and unfortunately, all too often accepted as such without question. There’s no definite, one way or the other. But I’m happy continuing to celebrate the New Year at Samhain. In practice, I feel that it all comes down to the individual anyway.

(However, I did find a very interesting article a couple of years ago, that argued Samhain was NOT the Celtic New Year…I haven’t been able to find it again yet, but I’ll keep looking because it was worth reading.)

 

[gnomon]

My apologies, gnomon. I actually didn't mean to get on a soapbox in my last post (after re-reading, it does seem that way)
That was, of course, merely my opinion after celebrating Samhain as the New Year for a good while now...emotion most probably got involved!

That said, I do actually agree with you…it's probable. Especially when combined with myths and tales such as the Ulster Cycle, which is peppered with metaphors involving darkness before light etc. I also agree that it's a shame that misinformation is handed out as truth, and unfortunately, all too often accepted as such without question. There’s no definite, one way or the other. But I’m happy continuing to celebrate the New Year at Samhain. In practice, I feel that it all comes down to the individual anyway.

(However, I did find a very interesting article a couple of years ago, that argued Samhain was NOT the Celtic New Year…I haven’t been able to find it again yet, but I’ll keep looking because it was worth reading.)

No apologies. I wasn't trying to demean anyone's personal beliefs. I'm just something of a tightwad when it comes to history.

 

[Awen]

I'm just something of a tightwad when it comes to history.

Which is how it should be, gnomon. There's nothing worse than blind acceptance.

Finally found the article I was referring to in my last post :- Here

How reliable it is as a source, I don't know...but it's an interesting read.