Rebuilding Lives in Northern Ireland
Posted in Irish Culture and Customs on Feb 2nd, 2016
The Celts celebrated the feast of Imbolc on Feb 1. It is approximately half way between the Winter Solstice and the Vernal Equinox. It was the time when the growing season would begin and the light of Spring was overtaking the darkness of winter. They looked to the behavior of the animals to tell if […]
Posted in Irish Culture and Customs on Jan 31st, 2016
The Celtic Calendar is essentially the Celtic version of the Moon Calendar. The moon has been used by humans from the beginning as a time keeping device as painting on cave walls tells us, but the Celts developed and codified their tree calendar after years of ritual and experimentation. Jan 21- Feb 17 is the […]
Posted in Irish Culture and Customs on Nov 6th, 2015
In Celtic society, the Bards were the keepers of tradition or the memory of the tribe.
Posted in Irish Culture and Customs on Nov 1st, 2015
A statue of the Infant of Prague is displayed in many Irish homes and is essential to an Irish wedding to insure good weather. It is put outside the church or buried in the garden to make sure it won’t rain on the special day, but it is essential they knock the head off the […]
Posted in Irish Culture and Customs on Oct 30th, 2015
A brief moment in time when the veil between the living and the dead is parted. The dead now have access to the living and the past, present and future combine. The Irish built fires to ward off evil spirits and costumes were worn as disguises so they wouldn’t be carried off to the land […]
Posted in Irish Culture and Customs on Sep 25th, 2015
The Celts believed that the worst crime that could be committed was the murder of one’s own clan member. It was called “fingal” and the guilty party was placed in a boat with no oars and put out to sea. If god spared his/her life he could never come back to the kingdom again but […]
Posted in Irish Culture and Customs on Sep 23rd, 2015
Sept 23 is the Autumn Equinox, the time when the day and night are of equal length. This was a solar festival of great importance to the ancient Irish. Typically, it would have been celebrated with a feast and offerings to give thanks for the fruits of the earth.
Posted in Irish Culture and Customs on Sep 11th, 2015
Sept 2-29 is called the Vine Month. It is a time of great harvest producing fruit used to make wine. It is a good time to get balance as there are equal hours of darkness and light. The vine is a symbol of happiness and wrath. Use the leaves of the vine to enhance ambition […]
Posted in Irish Culture and Customs on Sep 1st, 2015
It is clear from Roman writings that the Celts had their own complex and sophisticated belief systems involving various gods, goddesses, heroes and villains. They passed their stories down through the generations by word of mouth. Ireland is the richest source of these tales because they were isolated from mainland Europe for much of its […]
Posted in Irish Culture and Customs on Jun 10th, 2015
June 10-July 7th is the time of the Oak Moon. The trees are beginning to reach their full bloom. The mighty oak is strong, powerful and towers over its neighbors. It rules over the summer months and was sacred to the Druids. They called this month “Duir”, the root word of Druid. It is connected […]
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