The Celtic Wheel of the Year

The Celts measured the Solar year on a wheel, circle or spiral, all of which
symbolize creation and the constant movement of the universe growth and developm
ent. The Celtic Nations consisted of: Alba (Scotland), Breizh (Brittany), Cymru
(Wales), Eiru (Ireland), Kernow (Cornwall), and Mannin (Isle of Man).
To the ancients, the Heavens appeared to wheel overhead, turning on an axis w
hich points to the north polar stars. At the crown of the axis, a circle of star
s revolved about a fixed point, the Celestial Pole, which was believed to be the
location of Heaven. At the base of the axis was the Omphalos, the circular alta
r of the Goddess' temple. The universe of stars turning on this axis formed a sp
iral path, or stairway, on which souls ascended to Heaven.
This Sun-wise, clockwise, or deiseal (Gaelic), motion of the spirals represen
ted the Summer Sun. The continuous spirals with seemingly no beginning or end si
gnified that as one cycle ended another began eternal life. The spiral's never-e
nding, always expanding, motion also symbolized the ever-increasing nature of in
formation and knowledge.F Many of these symbols often also appeared in triplicat
e, a sign of the divine.
In addition, the seasons of the year were
n Gaelic, the names of the four seasons date
rach for "Spring," 2) Samhradh for "Summer,"
rs to Autumn, and 4) Geamhradh for "Winter."

thought to be part of this cycle. I

back to pre-Christian times: 1) Ear
3) Foghara for "Harvest" which refe
(Ross)

The Celtic Wheel has two main fire festivals for purification and good fortun
e: Samhain and Beltane the beginning of Winter and the beginning of Summer. To t
he Celts, and most pastoral cultures, the year actually had two seasons instead
of four. Subtler divisions of the year concerned crop-raisers rather than cattle
-raisers. The Druidic tradition also celebrates two other fire festivals: Imbolc
, and Lammas. Five additional sabbats have since been adopted from the Wiccan tr
adition (listed here by their Druidic names where possible): Alban Arthuan (Wint
er Solstice), Alban Eiler (Vernal Equinox), Ostara, Alban Heruin (Summer Solstic
e), and Alban Elued (Autumnal Equinox). Many Pagans, Druid and Wiccan alike, cel
ebrate all nine festivals on the wheel.
Samhain
(pronounced "Souw-wee," or in Scots-Gaelic, "Sha- vin") After the last apples ar
e picked the year begins again with its dark winter half when the Earth rests an
d fertility is renewed. Also called Samhiunn or Hallowe'en, this festival is som
etimes called Trinoux Samonia or "Three Nights of the End of Summer." Originally
a Druidic festival, it is celebrated on the
eve of November 1 (October 31). Technically, either date is appropriate as the C
elts measured the day from sunset to sunset.E In the Celtic tale "The Wasting Si
ckness of Cuchulainn," it is celebrated for a total of seven days three days bef
ore, the day of, and three days after.
Samhain is a time when spirits can mix freely with humans, when the veil of t
he Otherworld, or the Sdh, is thin. The Sdh, also called Faerie Hills, F are the s
pecial dwelling places of the Otherworld spirits, such as the mound at Brugh na
Binne F in Newgrange, Ireland. This suspension of Time
extends to the laws of society, so that all kinds of boisterous behavior can be
indulged in. At the end of the festval, several beasts are sacrificed who life-e
nergy goes to replenish the dormant soil. In origin, Samhain was a pastoral fest
ival, held to assist the tribe's fertility, to placate the dead and evil forces,
to please the gods (and later the Saints who replaced them) and as a clear dist
inction between the joys of Harvest and the hardships of the approaching Winter.

The assemblies of the five Irish provinces at Tara Hill, the seat of the Iris
h king, took place at Samhain, marked by horse races, fairs, markets, pastoral a
ssembly rites, political discussions and ritual mourning for the passage of Summ
er. In the Christian tradition, these two dates are celebrated as All Souls' Day
and All Saints Day.
Rituals
In the Scottish Highlands, many crofts had their own bonfire, or samhnag, but
one house was usually a popular gathering place. In early Celtic tradition, Sam
hain was closely associated with burial mounds, or cairns, which were believed t
o be entrances to the Otherworld.
Ross cites an example in Fortingall (in Perthshire), a samhnag was built on a
mound known as Carn nam Marbh, "The Mound of the Dead." Local lore has it that t
he mound contained the bodies of plague victims and is, in fact, a Bronze Age tu
mulus. A stone, known as the Clach a' Phaigh, "the Plague Stone," crowned the mo
und. Once the bonfire was lit, the participants would join hands and dance aroun
d it, both Sun-wise and anti-Sun-wise. As the blaze waned, the younger attendant
s would take part in leaping games over the flame. No guisers appeared in this p
articular tradition, the bonfire was the sole center of attention.
In the Highlands, after Sunset many of the youth carried a blazing torch and c
ircuited the boundaries of their farms in order to protect the family from the F
aeries and malevolent forces. New fire, kindled from the sacred communal blaze,
was then brought into each house. Like the Beltain
fire, the Samhain bonfire was most likely made from tein-eigin, fire made from t
he friction of two pieces of wood.
The Winter Solstice
The Winter Solstice, or Alban Arthuan ("The Light of Arthur"), also is referre
d to as Yule, Mabon, Jul, Saturnalia, or even Christmas. This feast takes place
on or about December 21 and marks the longest, darkest night of the year. This i
s a festival of peace and a celebration of waxing solar light. Many honor the fo
rthcoming Sun child by burning an oaken Yule log, and honor the Goddess in her m
any Mother aspects. The Father God also can be honored as Santa Claus in his Old
Sky God, Father Time, and Holly King forms. Winter symbolizes the time in the w
omb a deep rejuvinative
sleep, rather than nature's death. It also points to how the ancients looked upo
n human death as a necessary pathway to rebirth.
Because the exact date of the birth for Jesus Christ is unknown, some believe
the Church assigned it to this time, a date already sacred to the Ancients. Chr
istians celebrate His birth on December 25.
Imbolc
Celebrated on or around February 1, Imbolc is also known as Oimelc, Brigid, Ca
ndlemas, or even in America as Groundhog Day. This mid-Winter feast day symboliz
es the first stirring of the Earth from its icy sleep and was the time for carin
g of the sheep in ancient Britain. In the Mother- Goddess tradition, this day is
the festival of the goddess Brigid or Brigantia, patroness of poetry, healing a
nd metalsmithing, rekindles the fire in the Earth, preparing it for new life. Du
ring this time Brigid
personifies the bride, virgin or Maiden. L Brigid also is the protectoress of wo
men in childbirth. In the Christian tradition, this day is celebrated, as St. Br
igid's Day.
This stirring of new life is manifested by the first milk of the ewes, a few w
eeks before the lambing season. As the foundation for the American Groundhog Day

, Brigid's snake comes of its mound in which it hibernates and its behavior is s
aid to determine the length of the remaining Winter. The Brythonic Celts came to
associate Brigantia with the Virgin Mary, leading to such names for the feast a
s Gwyl Mair Dechrau'r, "The Feast of Mary of the Beginning of Spring."
An ancient Irish story tells of how on the eve of this day, the Cailleach, or
White Lady, drinks from the ancient Well of Youth at dawn. In that instant, she
is transformed into her Maiden aspect, the young goddess called Brigid. Wells we
re considered to be sacred because they arose from oimbelc (literally "in the be
lly") or womb of Mother Earth.
Vernal Equinox
Also called Alban Eiler, which means "Light of the Earth," the Vernal, or Spr
ing, Equinox takes place on or about March 21. An "equinox" refers to the time o
f the year when the sun crosses the plane of the Earth's Equator, making night a
nd day equal length all over the planet. Crops were typically sown at this time,
a time of transition. This rare balance in nature represented a powerful time o
f magick to the ancients.
Ostara
Also known as Lady Day or Eostre, Ostara takes place on the first full moon af
ter the Vernal Equinox and marks the fullness of the Earth and the triumph of th
e Sun over Winter. In the Celtic tradition, it signified the period when the Sun
and the Earth mate to produce crops.
It is thought that the Church's feast of Easter, when Jesus Christ rose from t
he dead, is named after this feast. Prior to Easter, the Church prepares with th
e Lenten season, a time of meditation and sacrifice.
Beltane
(pronounced Bee-YAWL-tinnuh)
Beltane, one of two Celtic fire festivals, is a celebration of the return of lif
e and fertility to the world which takes place on April 30. It is sometimes refe
rred to as Cetsamhain which means "opposite Samhain." In the Celtic countries th
e festival was known by other names, such as Beltaine in Ireland (which means in
Irish Gaelic "May"), Bealtunn (which means in Scots-Gaelic "May Day") in Scotla
nd, Shenn do Boaldyn on the Isle of Man and Galan Mae in Wales. M The Saxons cal
led this day Walpurgisnacht, L the night of Walpurga, goddess of May. Like Brigi
d, the Church changed this goddess into St. Walpurga and attached a similar lege
nd to her origin. Also known as
May Eve (likewise May 1 is referred to as May Day), this festival marks the begi
nning of Summer the growing season.
The word "Beltaine" literally means "bright" or "brilliant fire," and refers
to the bonfire lit by a presiding Druid in honor of the proto-Celtic god various
ly known as Bel, Beli, Balar, Balor or Belenus. Bel, the god of light, fire and
healing, had Sun-like qualities, but was not purely a Sun god as the Celts were
not specifically Sun worshippers.
It has been suggested that Bel is the Brythonic Celt equivalent to the Goideli
c Celt god Cernunnos. Both Bel and Cernunnos represent the belief that the Great
Father impregnates the Great Mother. Some also believe that the mythological ki
ng in the story of Lludd and Llefelys in The Mabinogion, Beli Mawr is a folk mem
ory of this god.

At Beltane, the Horned One, the God, dies or is taken by the Goddess, only to
be reborn as her son. He then reclaims his role as consort and impregnates the G
oddess, sparking his own rebirth. It is important to remember the mindset of the
ancients: nothing can live without death; the ancients understood and accepted
the taking powers in life in order to obtain the benefit of the giving powers. T
hrough this rite, the Goddess also is transformed from the taking Crone to the v
irginal Maiden or Sister, and again to Mother, a giving goddess.
Other beliefs tell of the Summer God being released from captivity, or the Su
mmer Maiden wooed away from her Earth-giant father. The Hawthorne tree represent
s the giant and sometimes this wood is used for the Maypole (see below).
In Irish mythology, the great undertakings of theTuatha D Danann and the Milesi
ans the original supernatural inhabitants of Eiru and their human conquerors, re
spectively began at Beltane. The Milesians were led by Amairgen, son of Mil, in
folklore reputed to be the first Druid.
Rituals
Two bonfires were kindled by a presiding Druid most likely from tein-eigin, f
ire made from the friction of two pieces of sacred wood, most likely an Oak-plan
k. This fire originally symbolized the sacrifice of the Oak-god. Oak is the tree
of the God of the Waxing Year and Hawthorne is the tree of the White Goddess.
In ancient Ireland, no one could light a Bel-fire until the Ard Ri, High King,
had lit the first on Tara Hill. In 433 A.D., St. Patrick showed his deep unders
tanding of this festival's symbolism when he lit a fire on Slane Hill, ten miles
from Tara, before the High King Laoghaire lit his. He could not have made a str
onger usurpation of the people's faith. St. David made a similar gesture in Wale
s in the following century.
The Druids, the powerful Pagan Celtic priests, would drive the cattle between
these two fires to protect them from disease ensuring a high milk yield, and the
powers of darkness.
Sometimes, a procession was made around the fields with a burning torch of woo
d in order to obtain a blessing on the corn.
On this day, all hearth-fires were extinguished to be rekindled from this sacr
ed fire.
A May Pole fertility dance also took place. A pole, a phallic symbol for the G
od, was made usually from a Yule tree, its branches stripped and then planted in
to the Earth. Red and white ribbons were attached to its top. Q In the Goddess t
radition, the white ribbons stood for the Goddess, red for the God. Men and wome
n danced around the pole, holding onto the ribbons and
interweaving them as they went round.
The King & Queen of May were also elected L stand-ins for the God and Goddess
and led the festival. One telling explains that the Queen would ride in on a whi
te horse and the King on a black one. The Goddess on a white horse has a powerfu
l association in Celtic mythology. When Niamh of the Golden Hair came to take Oi
ssin away to the Land of Promise, it is upon a white steed that she rode. Rhian
Gabhra, or Rhiannon of the Gaels, rides a white mare in the Otherworldly realms.
In both Welsh and Irish traditions the white mare is representative of the Godd
ess in the Otherworld.
The ancients would also then go and make love on the ground considered a form
of magic, prompting the crops to be fertile.
Another, similar rite that took place at Beltane is called the "bringing in th
e May." M The youth would go out into the fields and collect flowers. They would
often spend the night in the wood, which resulted in many "greenwood marriages,
" or "handfastings." In the village, they would stop at each home and exchange t

he flowers for food and drink. Thus, they became the harbingers of the renewal o
f the Earth. This rite also represented the need of the tribe to share their bel
ongings, sustaining the entire population as a result.
On May Eve people would tear branches from a Hawthorn tree and decorate the ou
tside of their homes. The Hawthorn, or Whitethorn, is the tree of hope, pleasure
and protection. The strong taboo on breaking Hawthorne branches or bringing the
m into the home was traditionally lifted on May Eve.
Another custom would be to jump over the fire. Young people jumped the fire fo
r luck in finding a spouse, sojourners jumped the fire to ensure a safe journey,
and pregnant women jumped the fire to assure an easy delivery.
On May 1, the entire tribe, village or clan would lead the cattle to the Summe
r buailte (pronounced "booa-ltuh") or pastures until Samhain.
Summer Solstice
Alban Heruin, or "The Light of the Shore," also is referred to as Litha or Mid
summer's Day. This feast takes place on June 21 and marks the shortest, brightes
t night of the year. The Summer Solstice marks the Earth's full-flowering. Midsu
mmer's Day was traditionally celebrated out in the forest and involved masquerad
es, picnics, games, and, at night, a bonfire to cut the chill.
Lammas
Traditionally called Lammas from the Saxon word Hlaf-mass, the Feast of Bread,
this festival is also known as Lughnasadh, Lughnasa (pronounced "Loo-nahs-ah"),
or First Fruits, L and is the feast of the god Lugh. Celebrated on August 1, it
coincides with the beginning of the harvest and signifies the death of Bel, or
the Corn King. The Corn King dies, to be later reborn, so that the tribe may go
into the winter months with sustenance plenty. R Another myth tells of the greed
y Fomorian Earth-spirits that must be persuaded to relinquish the fruits of the
soil to humans.
In the Scottish Highlands, this feast was sometimes referred to as the nasad,
or games, of Lugh, son of Ethle. An early Irish tradition has it that Lugh estab
lished the festival in honor of his foster-mother Tailtiu, a close relationship
in the Celtic custom. In Ireland, Lugh also is referred to as Lugh of the Long H
and, son of the Sun.
Rituals
Farmers cut down the first stalks of corn with sickles and called these stalks
John Barleycorn. This first grain is used to produce the first beer of the seas
on, for consumption at the Autumnal Equinox six weeks later.
In the British Isles, the Horned One was thought to be the consort of the Eart
h Goddess. (see Beltane explanation) Harvest festivals usually included a Stag D
ance in which men wore antlers on their heads.
Autumnal Equinox
Alban Elued, "The Light of the Water," also is called Harvesthome. This feast
takes place on September 21 and marks the last harvest before Winter claims the
Earth. As with the Vernal Equinox, day and night are of equal length across the
planet. This balance in nature presents a powerful time for magick.
To the ancients, this was a sacred time. The Irish saw this time of year as th
e Waning of the Goddess. From the Summer to the Winter Solstice they would hold
festivals for the God who was seen as a dark, threatening being. To the Goidelic
Celts, the spring was the time of joy in the rebirth
of the Goddess. To Brythonic Celts, however, this was the time of the death of t
he God (the Sun or the Grain God).