Celtic Symbols

Samhain, or Halloween marks the end of the light half of the year and the beginning of the dark half in the Celtic calendar. It may seem odd to think of November 1 as New Year’s Day, but perhaps no stranger than January 1, which is, after all, the heart of winter. A more intuitive New Year’s Day would probably be the start of Spring, around March 21. However, it’s interesting to contemplate why the Celts chose the time of year when winter was approaching to mark the New Year.

Samhain, which was the largest celebration in medieval Ireland, lasting for three days, is also the name of the month of November in Irish and Scottish. It marks the final harvest, as well as being a time to honor the dead. It is also believed to be a time when the “veil” between worlds -the world of the living and the world of the dead- is thinnest. This is the origin of modern Halloween ghosts, witches and so forth.

Wiccan and Celtic Re-constructionist pagans also honor Samhain as the highest holy day. They generally follow the Celtic Wheel of the Year, which is marked by the four seasonal changes (the solstices and equinoxes) and four festivals, Beltane, Samhain, Lughnasa and Imbolc. While the ancient and medieval Celts probably did not follow this calendar precisely, it is based on some of the traditional Celtic festivals and honors the Celtic practice of following the cycles of nature.

Some religious fundamentalists, meanwhile, see Halloween or Samhain as satanic or a celebration of heathen gods. While the latter may be true from a Christian (or monotheistic) point of view, the notion that pagan beliefs are satanic is not accurate. The fact is, paganism originates from a world view that did not recognize a single malevolent entity such as Satan or the Devil, so such an entity was neither worshipped nor feared or hated.

Many Celtic Christians have integrated the traditions of their pagan ancestors with Christian beliefs. For example, November 1 is also All Saints Day. The other pagan festivals have been similarly “updated” with Christian interpretations.

Whatever path you follow, Happy Celtic New Year!

Thanks for visiting the Celtic Symbols blog! This site is inspired by the beauty and enduring popularity of Celtic symbols such as knotwork, zoomorphic images (those depicting animals, both real and imaginary, such as sea monsters and dragons) and other images. These images are very commonly seen today in many art books, in jewelry, as tattoos and fantasy art (paintings, book covers, CD covers, etc.).

Celtic art goes way back in history, and I’ll be exploring some of this fascinating tradition. There will also be links to other interesting sites and resources. I think Celtic symbols and artwork has such appeal, not only for its intrinsic beauty, but because it expresses something of the infinite, as in a Celtic knot. There is both a spirituality and earthiness to Celtic art.

I’d like to explore the many ways Celtic symbols have been used over the centuries, including languages. For example, one of the earliest Celtic languages was the Irish Tree Alphabet, known as Ogham. This, and other aspects of Celtic or Gaelic languages have also become very popular recently, especially in music.

So please visit this site often and keep up with this fascinating aspect of Celtic culture!