There isn’t a culture today that doesn’t have their own special days, holy days, days of remembrance, days set aside to honor heroes, and even days to remember tragic events in our history. However, it seems all too common that the reason or meaning behind those holy days, or holidays is lost in commercialism, the festivities, and the celebrations. A prime example of this would be Thanksgiving in America, a day set aside to remember and honor the coming together of two cultures, to remind us that no matter our differences when one is in need we are all human and are more than willing to put aside fears and preconceptions to aid each other, and of course to be thankful for all that we do have instead of spending our time brooding and pouting over things we don’t have. Yet, despite the beautiful meaning behind Thanksgiving, the holiday has all but been forgotten. The commercial world literally goes from Halloween to Christmas, and tragically they are leading the entire American public to put aside Thanksgiving. Labor Day and Memorial Day have become nothing more than an excuse to go out and get drunk, Christmas…well, Christmas, although not a cultural holiday for me, has taken one of the most tragic turns of all when one considers the purpose and meaning behind the most holy of Christian holy day.
The reason I bring all of this up is that I feel the meaning, the purpose behind the holy days of any culture is extremely important. Especially when in today’s reawakening society and the sudden increase in neo-paganism, so many of the ancient holy days are becoming misconstrued, misunderstood, and misrepresented, mind you not necessarily intentionally done but much has been lost in antiquity, unless one is fortunate enough to come across those whose families have kept the culture and all that goes with it alive within themselves over the generations. I find myself that fortunate. My purpose for this section is to share the Gaelic Holy Days with others, their meanings, the traditions surrounding the holy days, and with any luck, something of the history behind them, how they came to be.
We have four major holy days, the four basic fire festivals: Samhain, Imbolc, Beltaine, and Lughnasadh. Mind you these holy days, particularly Samhain, are celebrated throughout pagan societies, for various reasons, so keep in mind that what I write is solely pertaining to the major holy days and what they are, what they mean to the Gaelic people. Besides these, there are other holy days, auspicious days (lucky days) during the month that certain events may unfold. And, as with anything else, we must take the bad with the good, including the days during the month that bode ill for any action taken on them. Please remember this site is a forever growing, evolving website, be patient as I research each of these in turn, in hopes that I can provide informative articles on each. And, I sincerely hope you enjoy what I do have up currently.
Saorla Fey McCarty |
