Culture celtique - Traditions - Célébrations (document en anglais)

Celtic Culture – Traditions – Celebrations

Samhein : Samhein (SAH-wen) is the feast of the dead. After the last apples are picked begins the dark winter, when Earth rests and fertility is renewed. Originally a Druidic festival, it is celebrated on the eve of November 1st, which fits to the Celtic New Year, so on October 31st. Today we call this celebration Halloween. Samhein was the moment where crops were harvested, and when domesticated animals were brought in for winter. Obviously, many animals were slaughtered because there was not enough place to shelter them for the Winter. Because of this, Samhein became a great feasting time which honored Samhein, the Lord of the Dead. During Samhein, the spirits of the dead were believed to be able to wander the earth and visit their loved ones. 

Imbolic : (I-molc or I-molg)It is essentially a milk festival in honor of the lactation of the ewes who under natural conditions don’t give milk until just before they give birth. It is generally celebrated around February 1st.

For the ancient Celts, Imbolc, or Oimelc, was a time to celebrate. They did not have supermarkets to go to for milk and there were months when no milk was available. The re-appearance of milk was a cause for rejoicing and to celebrate with a milk feast. Imbolic is celebrated in Scotland and Ireland, and is also called Saint Brighid's day.

Saint-Patrick : Saint Patrick's day, the national day of Ireland, is celebrated all across the world, on March 17th. Saint Patrick was a shoe maker who brought Christianism to Ireland during the 5th century. According to legend, Saint Patrick took a clover to explain the Holy Trinity, and he chased all snakes away from Ireland. That is why the clover (or shamrock) is the symbol of Ireland, and Saint Patrick is the patron saint of the country. This day is also celebrated in the USA where a lot of Irish emigrants came in the 19th and 20th centuries, and especially because of the potatoe famine. Every year, in New York, 3 million people watch the parade, and in Chicago, the river is coloured in green, the Irish colour.

Hogmanay : Hogmanay is a Scottish New Year festival which lasts for three days. Scottish people celebrate Hogmanay at the end of December and the beginning of January. People throw parties at home or join in with parades. They sing and dance and tell each other stories. In Edinburgh, Hogmanay begins with a torchlit parade on December 30th. The most important day of Hogmanay is New Year's Eve, when people attend parties and sing a traditional song called "Auld Lang Syne". At midnight, of New Year's Eve, a piper plays the bagpipes to welcome the new year in, and people let off fireworks, drink champagne and wish each other a happy new year ! A tradition says that the first visitor to a house on January 1st brings good luck for the new year. This is known as "first footing". Men with dark hair are thought to be the luckiest "first footers". Another tradition says a visitor to a house must bring a piece of coal.

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