Happy New Year.
No, we're not 2 months early. Today is actually the ancient
Celtic New Year or Calan Gaeaf.
The traditional festival marks the end of summer and the beginning
of winter. Like the more widely celebrated Halloween, the
ancient Celts believed that this was a spooky time and that there
was only a thin line between living and dying.
Families would build a big bonfire and place stones bearing their
names on it. Once the flames had died down the stones would
be retrieved and if one was missing then that person would die
within the next year.
They would also mark the occasion with a number of other rituals
including the wearing of masks whilst children would carve out
faces in turnips or swedes and place them in their windows to ward
of evil spirits - not too dissimilar to today's celebrations
then.
What other Celtic New Year traditions do you know of? Please
share them with us below.
