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Beltane or Bealtaine (/ ˈbɛl.teɪn /; Irish pronunciation: [ˈbʲal̪ˠt̪ˠəʲnə], approximately / ˈb (j) ɒltɪnə / B (Y)OL-tin-ə) [5] [6] is the Gaelic May Day festival, marking the beginning of summer. It is traditionally held on 1 May, or about midway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Historically, it was widely ...
Many Wiccan, modern Druids, and eclectic modern pagans incorporate a narrative of the Holly King and Oak King as rulers of the waning year and the waxing year respectively. These two figures battle endlessly with the turning of the seasons. At the summer solstice, the Holly King defeats the Oak King and commences his reign.
The Holly King and Oak King are personifications of the winter and summer in various neopagan traditions. The two kings engage in endless "battle" reflecting the seasonal cycles of the year: not only solar light and dark, but also crop renewal and growth. During warm days of Midsummer the Oak King is at the height of his strength; the Holly ...
In the northern hemisphere, the 2023 summer solstice begins on Wednesday, June 21. The summer solstice is also the longest day of the year — and, if you look carefully, you can almost tell. On ...
Lughnasadh. Lughnasadh, Lughnasa or Lúnasa (/ ˈluːnəsə / LOO-nə-sə, Irish: [ˈl̪ˠuːnˠəsˠə]) is a Gaelic festival marking the beginning of the harvest season. Historically, it was widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. Traditionally, it is held on 1 August, or about halfway between the summer solstice ...
Illustration of human sacrifices in Gaul from Myths and legends; the Celtic race (1910) by T. W. Rolleston. While other Roman writers of the time described human and animal sacrifice among the Celts, only the Roman general Julius Caesar and the Greek geographer Strabo mention the wicker man as one of many ways the druids of Gaul performed sacrifices.
In the Brittonic branch of the Celtic languages, Samhain is known as the "calends of winter". The Brittonic lands of Wales, Cornwall, and Brittany held festivals on 31 October similar to the Gaelic one. In Wales it is Calan Gaeaf, in Cornwall it is Allantide or Kalan Gwav, and in Brittany it is Kalan Goañv.
The Gaulish Coligny calendar is the oldest known Celtic solar-lunar ritual calendar. It was discovered in Coligny , France, and is now on display in the Palais des Arts Gallo-Roman museum, Lyon. It dates from the end of the second century CE, [ 2 ] when the Roman Empire imposed the use of the Julian Calendar in Roman Gaul .