ok so kate's recent post abt mabon has me thinking! so we know the four main seasonal fire holidays are occupied by the four daughters of malconaire, but it occurred to me, there are four ~other (granted, more minor) holidays to mark the solstice/equinox for each season, and, like, ofc our girl @forgottenarias was born on/around yule, but what if either the lorcans (who ~also seem to sport four kids based on the callearies' relationships!) and/or (it can def be both!) the prev malconaire gen's bdays fell on those?
ostara/spring equinox (march 21)
litha/midsummer (june 20-24)
mabon/autumn equinox (september 21-22)
yule/midwinter (december 21-22)
and, leaving aside padraic, laoirse, aisling, and caoimhe lorcan (bc idk that we wanna try and place their birthdates before they even appear!), we've got quite a few potentials!:
taken from the name of a goddess (eostre, austron, austra) who seems to have been worshipped by the most ancient celtic peoples, whose name is believed to have meant "to shine" or "to glow" and who appears to have been a goddess of the dawn and/or of springtime/fertility and/or of the east (there's apparently a whole scholastic argument hotly debated on the topic!), but for ~our uses i think we can embrace any/all associations she seems to have that we like heehee the festival is linked to spring, new life, rebirth, and the return of the sun, and we get a lot of our easter (another word derived from her name -- fun fact, so is austria!) traditions from this one
now, pls note these come from jacob grimm who was noted for actively changing and suppressing what he found out in order to fit his nationalist german agenda back in the day (also true of the fairy tales!) so take this w a heaping grain of salt, but according to him, bonfires and feasting were common aspects, and water drawn on that morning was considered to be holy and healing, and maidens used to dress in all white in honor of the goddess, and there was a custom of eastergames, which included egg hunts and 'the easter tale' but doesn't tell us what that was alas, but also notes 'sword dances' and 'pastry of heathenish form' lkjsdfakljdskjfsdf what a phrase!! lakjsdflkjsdfj he also thought ostara and her rituals were linked to the slavic goddess of youth and spring, vesna. a historian, however, believes that easter eggs are a christian tradition relating to forbidding them during lent and them thus becoming a treat afterwards.
ostara is also thought to have been connected to rabbits and hares (hence the easter bunny), but interestingly believes this was not smth the celts brought w them when they invaded the british isles, but rather smth that was already a tradition amongst the native bretons that the celts there later subsumed
TL;DR: modern traditions, which may or may not represent their ancient forebearers, include bonfires, feasting, creating flower crowns, planting seeds, baking, and spring cleaning, as well as decorating altars, egg decorating and hunts, and nature walks, and is associated with the rising sun and renewal
also celebrated as st. john's eve/st. john's day, today, this is the longest day of the year
one british monk wrote of the event in the 1200s: "In the worship of St John, men waken at even, and maken three manner of fires: one is clean bones and no wood, and is called a bonfire; another is of clean wood and no bones, and is called a wakefire, for men sitteth and wake by it; the third is made of bones and wood, and is called St John's Fire" and another wrote: "On St. John's Eve in certain regions the boys collect bones and certain other rubbish, and burn them, and therefrom a smoke is produced on the air. They also make brands and go about the fields with the brands. Thirdly, the wheel which they roll...The wheel is rolled to signify that the sun then rises to the highest point of its circle and at once turns back" and went on to say that these hilltop fires drove away dragons, which were often abroad on st. john's eve, poisoning springs and wells...as we all know is a fav draconic pastime sldkjfakjsdf but this belief seems to come from a much older one, as later christians instead attributed the fires to "an emblem of St. John the Baptist, who was 'a burning and shining light,' and the preparer of the way of Christ" and contended that they repelled witches and evil spirits and made no mention of dragons or poison or wells at all
in germany, it was also common for women to rinse their hands in the rhine river "so that the threatening calamities of the coming year might be washed away by bathing in the river" -- @forgottenmarian @forgottensebastian -- a potential house of the sun-region tradition, if we do go w a rhine-region inspo for them?
back to the brits, in the 1300s john mirk says: "At first, men and women came to church with candles and other lights and prayed all night long. In the process of time, however, men left such devotion and used songs and dances and fell into lechery and gluttony turning the good, holy devotion into sin."
in the 1500s, john stow tells us: "the wealthier sort also before their doors near to the said bonfires would set out tables on the vigils furnished with sweet bread and good drink, and on the festival days with meats and drinks plentifully, whereunto they would invite their neighbours and passengers also to sit, and to be merry with them in great familiarity, praising God for his benefits bestowed on them. These were called bonfires as well of good amity amongst neighbours that, being before at controversy, were there by the labour of others reconciled, and made of bitter enemies, loving friends, as also for the birtue that a great fire hat to purge the infection of the air. On the vigil of St John Baptist and St Peter and Paul the Apostles, every man's door being shadowed with green birch, long fennel, St John's Wort, Orpin, white lillies and such like, garnished upon with garlands of beautiful flowers, had also lamps of glass, with oil burinin in them all night, some hung branches of iron curiously wrought, containing hundreds of lamps lit at once, which made goodly show" and a man named wynkyn de worde from yorkshire cooked a special soup each eve "in the manner of this ancestors" and, according to wiki, "It was the custom in Yorkshire for every family who had come to live in the parish within the last year to put a table outside their house, on St. John's Eve, and place on it bread and cheese and beer and offer this to anyone who passed by. Any of the parish might help themselves and, if the fortunes of the family ran to it, would be invited indoors for a further supper and a festive evening. By this means the newcomers to the parish made many acquaintances and friends, and were helped to see themselves as having a definite place in the local community."
in wales, bonfires were lit to last the whole night followed the next day by great agricultural fairs held at midsummer with dancing until the 19th century when it was driven to a stop by their persecutors
in modern day ireland, fairs and concerts are v popular, and in county cork bonfires are still lit on hilltops, traditionally lit by the oldest person present on midsummer's eve, the youngest person present would then toss a bone into the fires as part of the celebration. "As part of some customs after the dancing and celebrations were over, revellers would bring home a spent ember from the fire, this was thrown into a field to bring good fortune in the year to come."
"A few days before, children and youth would solicit donations for the bonfires – it was considered bad luck to refuse them. The point of the bonfires was to draw God's blessings on the summer crops. Attendees would leap over the bonfires. Bonfire ashes would be scattered on the crops for good luck. Most troublesome local weeds would be burned in the bonfire to help stave them off. Men would walk through their fields with lit torches and then toss those torches on the bonfire for crop blessing
"People gathering at the bonfires would bring food and drink, with potatoes roasted around the fire. Cattle would be driven through the ashes of the bonfires. At this time of year, St John's Wort and foxgloves would be gathered; the wort was believed to ward off witchcraft and both were used medicinally.
"In coastal areas of Ireland, fishermen's boats and nets would be blessed by priests on St John's Eve. A communal salmon dinner was traditionally served on this day in Portballintrae, County Antrim. The sweet milky dish goody was also served, which sometimes would be prepared at the bonfire in a large pot to be served to younger people.
"In some parts of Ireland, bonfires were lit on the Eve of Saints Peter and Paul (June 28) instead of St John's Eve. The tradition was known as 'Little St John’s Day.'"
in cornwall, the eve was celebrated, as well, and we get more hints at the ancient celtic rituals recorded in 1754. "In Cornwall, the festival Fires, called Bonfires, are kindled on the Eve of St. John the Baptist and St. Peter's Day; and Midsummer is thence, in the Cornish tongue, called 'Goluan,' which signifies both light and rejoicing. At these Fires the Cornish attend with lighted torches, tarr'd and pitch'd at the end, and make their perambulations round their Fires, and go from village to village carrying their torches before them; and this is certainly the remains of the Druid superstition, for 'faces praeferre,' to carry lighted torches, was reckoned a kind of Gentilism, and as such particularly prohibited by the Gallick Councils: they were in the eye of the law 'accensores facularum,' and thought to sacrifice to the devil, and to deserve capital punishment." Towards the end of these festivities the local youths of the town would take part in the ancient "serpent dance" (a traditional type of dance) called "thread-the-needle" and jump or pass themselves through the dying embers of the flames. "The proceedings finished by the boys and girls from the quay, whose torches had by this time expired, dancing in a long line hand-in-hand through the streets, in and out and sometimes over the now low burning tar-barrels, crying out, 'An eye, an eye!' At this shout the top couple held up their arms and beginning with the last the others ran under them thus reversing their position." During these celebrations it was also usual to elect a Mock Mayor or Mayor of the Quay.
"No sooner had the tardy sun withdrawn himself from the horizon, then the young men began to assemble on several parts of the town, drawing after them, trees and branches of wood and furze; all which had been accumulating week after week, from the beginning of May. Tar barrels were presently erected on tall poles; some on the quay, others near the market, and one even on a rock in the midst of the sea; pretty female children tript up and down in their best frocks, decorated with garlands; and hailing the Midsummer-eve as the vigil of St. John.” (Royal Cornwall Gazette, 4 July 1801)
"Considerable discomfort was caused by the presence of bands of roughs who arm-in-arm rushed among the town knocking people down. The son of Mr Rogers, butcher, Market-jew-street, was knocked down and had his collar bone broken. No town in England, not even Exeter or Lewes now, can equal the scene presented by Penzance last night.” (Cornish Telegraph, 30 June 1880)
these celebrations were ultimately stamped out in wales, but have been partially restored, and bonfires on the high hills and mountains continue to burn in cornwall
during the day, "Hidden treasures are said to lie open in lonely places, waiting for the lucky finder. Divining rods should be cut on this day. Herbs are given unusual powers of healing, which they retain if they are plucked during the night of the feast. In Germany they call these herbs Johanneskraut (St. John's herbs), and people bring them to church for a special blessing. In Scandinavia and in the Slavic countries it is an ancient superstition that on Saint John's Day witches and demons are allowed to roam the earth. As at Halloween, children go the rounds and demand "treats," straw figures are thrown into the flames, and much noise is made to drive the demons away"
TL;DR: modern traditions, which may or may not represent their ancient forebearers, include bonfires lit on hilltops, dancing, singing songs, playing games, feasting, harvesting of herbs and flowers for healing, leaping over bonfires, rolling burning wheels into water, maypole celebrations, making flower crowns, making solar wheels, decorating altars w solar symbols, and mead drinking. picnics and hikes are common
traditionally this is a harvest festival, but honestly im struggling to find information on it as separate from lammas bc, being harvest season, traditionally, it was a v busy time, so apparently it was a fluid sort of ~season, really, moreso than a particular day, between Lughnasadh and Samain and, w samain approaching, ppl were conscious that the veil between the living and the dead was every day thinning, and that winter was coming, and that yes evil spirits but also the ancestors drew near, so it was a time of familial reflection and offerings particularly as now was the last gasp of bounty before the hardship of winter
Ancient ceremonial sites, such as the Hill of Tara, were central to celebrations, with the sun's alignment with these sacred places believed to strengthen the connection between the heavens and the earth
the final sheath of wheat, considered to contain the spirit of the crop, was carefully cut, and a corn doll or harvest figure was made from it, often adorned with ribbons and flowers, and sometimes paraded around town by a young woman crowned as the 'queen of the harvest'
Fires were lit on high ground, and "rituals" (id love more info as to what those rituals were but...alas!) were performed at sacred sites, such as megalithic cairns, to honor the land, ancestors, and deities and to strengthen the connection to the divine
idk how true this is, but its said that ppl ppl would cuts apples crosswise to reveal a five-pointed star as as a sacred symbol of a goddess and nature
according to [ this ] site, this was the time to pay homage to the green man, the god of the forests, (often also known as cernunnos,) by pouring libations to the trees. (some background to this practice that idk if this site gets into or not: the ancient celts believed in a form of reincarnation, but they also believed that the journey towards rebirth was reminiscent of the salmon swimming upstream to breed: treacherous and terrible. often, ancestral spirits would live for a long time in family trees. as the celts were christianized, these beliefs in dead spirits walking the world transitioned into the folklore we have today about fairies, which is why one knocks on wood for good luck. its meant to awakene the airies -- your ancestral spirits -- who will do their utmost from the other side to do you whatever good they may. it also seems to be why druids believed they could wake trees and send whole forests into battle as their armies. spirits who were not at rest roamed the world, however, in horrible storms and breezes and trees, doing harm. they are remembered as the sluagh and as the wild hunt.) the site continues to say "At this time, it is permissible to make offerings of ciders and wines, as well as herbs and fertilizer."
it further says "At Mabon, the chopping down of John Barleycorn is symbolized by the use of three stalks of locally gathered barley that are knotted together with rafia and a little bit of red wool. The folk tale and song known as “The Ritual of John Barleycorn” is meant to symbolize the planting, growth, and final “sacrifice” or harvesting of corn. The story is told in the form of a ritual...John Barleycorn is a figure that appears in English mythology. He is said to personify the harvest of barley that takes place in the fall. In addition to this, he is symbolic of the magnificent beers and whiskeys that can be produced from barley, as well as the benefits that these beverages have." i believe this is related to the wheat dolly tradition, but im not 100% sure tbqh
perhaps bc of the thinning of the veil, it was apparently believed that mabon was a time when many secrets were revealed and mysteries unraveled.
the green man survives largely in folk memory as 'the oak king' who was slain around samain every year by his wicked brother, the king of winter, 'the holly king,' but "In Celtic mythology, Mabon is the period when, according to folklore, the God of Light was vanquished by the God of Darkness, which resulted in the lengthening of the night. Mabon is the son of Modron, the Great Goddess of the Earth, according to Celtic tradition. After his birth, Mabon was abducted for three days, which caused light to go into hiding. In addition, Mabon represents the masculine character that is associated with the harvest."
TL;DR: modern traditions, which may or may not represent their ancient forebearers, include harvesting, bonfires, feasting, offerings and markets and fairs of harvest bounty such as apples and grain and nuts, ancestral offerings, general preparations for winter, the ritualistic cutting and weaving of the last sheaf of corn, cutting apples crosswise to reveal the five-pointed star, observing the equinox's alignment w sacred sites, altars adorned with fruits, vegetables, and other natural items to symbolize abundance and give thanks
ok so christmas trees? the yule log? yeah, that's all celtic stuff <3 their tree decorating was related to offerings to the ancestors largely whom they believed dwelt within the trees (you can see more abt that in the mabon bit!) but in summary, lighting Yule logs to symbolize hope and longer days, honoring the struggle between the Holly and Oak Kings (you can see more abt that in mabon bit, too!), decorating evergreens and with their branches like holly and mistletoe for protection, feasting with family and friends, and sharing symbolic gifts
"Holly was a tree sacred to the druids and linked to the dark half of the year and the winter festivities. There was an old myth that on the solstices of each year the holly king and the oak king would fight. On the winter solstice the oak king would win his battle with the holly king, regaining control of the year until the holly king defeated him on the summer solstice to take over the darkening months. Holly was often brought into dwellings at this time of year as a symbol of hope and protection from evil.
"Mistletoe was also a sacred plant to the druids who had a ritual of cutting it from the holy oaks with a golden sickle six days after the new moon closest to the winter solstice."
wassailing was, evidently, originally a ritual involving anointing trees with wassail-soaked cakes and a spiced drink served during feasts, as a blessing for the land and a wish for good health
yule wasn't originally ust one day but, rather, twelve days and nights full of feasting and bonfires and revelry to ward off the dark and stand in vigil for the rebirth of the sun. "These celebrations often ran all through the night to stave off the cold and darkness, as the celebrants toasted the arrival of longer days and more sunlight and ate through fresh stores (and their remaining livestock) that otherwise wouldn’t last the winter. Just like now, there was at least a month of preparation."
[ "The word Yule is posited to have come from an ancient word for wheel (“thoul,”) denoting the Druidic practice of celebrating the cyclical nature of the seasons (the wheel turning is why the days get shorter, of course,) as well as their worship of the sun (the wheel itself.) For an agrarian society like Ireland, the sun was the ruling factor of their lives—they would live or die by its light. Thus, there are several ancient tombs and monuments across Ireland that are placed to be alighted by the sun on the winter solstice, December 21st." ]
traditionally, reds and yellows (to honor the sun) were the colors of the celtic season, and ppl brought rattles and drums to the celebrations
"Solstice originally meant “standstill,” and for 17 full minutes on the solstice, the sun seems to linger over Newgrange as if (if you’re going by ancient beliefs) the sun is returning to breathe life into the land again. As the midwinter solstice marks the shortest day of the year, they were, for all intents and purposes, right!"
storytelling around the fire was a massive feature of these nightly festivities, and, in the british isles at least, ghost stories featured highly in yule tales, the last -- and arguably most famous -- in this now mostly lost traidition being Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.
singing, and later [ caroling ] "which is essentially a mix of Druidic circle dances (which were already similar to early French tradition,) and the singing we associate with modern caroling around the holidays" brought to britain by the normans (themselves a mix of druidic and frankish and viking tradition and ppls -- and all of which sport traditions dating back to the ancient proto-germanic celts) and [ dancing ] were other staple activities. long before ever the norman culture so much as began, [ "The Druids are believed to have danced as a form of worship. It’s thought that as early as 1600 B.C. the Druids were performing circular dances (possibly among standing stones, the most famous of which you may have heard of…Stonehenge) for a variety of reasons: to worship the sun and their namesake oak trees, as preparation for war, as a prayer for prosperity, as a courtship ritual, and even something closer to modern feis—social gathering and recreation." ] you can find out more abt the celtic tradition of dance [ here ], but in 1413, "the earliest reference to dance in Irish history details a visit between the Mayor of Waterford and Mayor of Baltimore. A processional combination of singing and dancing took place called carolling which originated from European folk dance histories and was thought to be introduced to the Irish by the Normans when they arrived in 1169."
[ traditionally, kings were buried so that their tombs would be illuminated by the sun at its rise on the solstice ]
in preparation for yule,Most of the remaining cattle were slaughtered to save on feeding them and the wine and ale made throughout the year was fermented and ready to drink. "Most of the remaining cattle were slaughtered to save on feeding them and the wine and ale made throughout the year was fermented and ready to drink."
TL;DR: modern traditions, which may or may not represent their ancient forebearers, include feasting, bonfires (really, what is a celtic holiday without a good bonfire and feasting, i ask you? ;D), cutting and gifting of mistletoe esp oak mistletoe as a blessing, wassailing, candle lighting, storytelling and ghost stories, baking, brewing, dancing, singing/carolling
honestly anyone could go anywhere, but sorcha, w a name meaning light/fire, immediately jumped out at me for ostara, and smth abt the manner of bran's death -- ig an ~oak king~ dying unsuccessfully fighting off death (in this case as embodied by roderick), only to be reborn fighting him again (as embodied by folk hero bran o'connor...), kinda made me think of him for yule? but yeah idk and def not married to either of those, bc there's also smth nice abt the lovers both being either solstice or equinox, potentially? or also we could scrap this idea for their generation too! idk!! laksdjfkljdsf and i keep dithering abt the others too anyway alksdjfkjsdf
so yeah idk if we want this or, if we do, who we want for...what but yeah! i thought id just pop this up here in case it was of any interest! <3
