Block, SkipCaptcha, Upload, Automoderated users, edit
14,282
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Line 52:
Line 52: − + + +
→Samhain and the Celtic calendar
That Halloween originated as the day before All Saints' Day might seem to be a straightforward explanation. But popular history points to another source: The ancient Celtic festival of Samhain.
That Halloween originated as the day before All Saints' Day might seem to be a straightforward explanation. But popular history points to another source: The ancient Celtic festival of Samhain.
In modern Gaelic, ''Samhain'' refers primarily to the month of November.<ref>Mark, Colin, ''The Gaelic–English Dictionary'' (2003)<br/>All Saints' Day is called ''Fèill nan Naomh Uile'' in Scotland and ''Lá na Naomh Uile'' in Ireland.</ref> Little is known about the pagan version festival and sources conflict on many points.
In modern Gaelic, ''Samhain'' refers primarily to the month of November.<ref>Mark, Colin, ''The Gaelic–English Dictionary'' (2003)<br/>All Saints' Day is called ''Fèill nan Naomh Uile'' in Scotland and ''Lá na Naomh Uile'' in Ireland.</ref>
For the pre-Christian Celts, Samhain was the most important date of the year. Little is known about the pagan version of the festival and sources conflict on many points.
''Sanas Cormaic'', an Irish glossary written around 900, gives ''Imbol'' (February 1) as the first day of spring, ''Beltaine'' (May 1) the first day of summer, ''Lugnasad'' (August 1) the first day of fall, and ''Samhain'' (November 1) the first day of winter.<ref name="Olmsted">Olmsted, Garrett (2009). ''The Coligny Calendar: the Implications for Gaulish and Irish Festival Dates''.</ref> The Irish adopted the Julian calendar around AD 450. The seasonal dates may have transferred from the Celtic calendar at this time.
''Sanas Cormaic'', an Irish glossary written around 900, gives ''Imbol'' (February 1) as the first day of spring, ''Beltaine'' (May 1) the first day of summer, ''Lugnasad'' (August 1) the first day of fall, and ''Samhain'' (November 1) the first day of winter.<ref name="Olmsted">Olmsted, Garrett (2009). ''The Coligny Calendar: the Implications for Gaulish and Irish Festival Dates''.</ref> The Irish adopted the Julian calendar around AD 450. The seasonal dates may have transferred from the Celtic calendar at this time.