Celtic Festivals; Samhain (Halloween) 31st October/1st November

[THEONLYJBB]

All cultures celebrate harvest time...in their own way, just as they celebrate spring, summer and winter.

[Bobilero1]

This festival was brought to Ireland from "Gaul" or the mainland of Europe, Recorded from the first writers, the Romans. The main detriment, of any civilization, is they have no written past. Germanic Tribes People.

[Bobilero1]

@Bobilero1 It was not originated from Ireland is the point, but brought to the inhabitant's of Ireland, by visitor's.

[Bobilero1]

To be blunt, if the Wikings had ship's, which certainly they did. The religion before Christiandom, did come upon the shores of Ireland, as well as trade,

[fyredog201]

Thanks for posting this It was certainly interesting and full of facts. I, myself am a peregrine Druid and as such am new to the lore and ritual of Samhain. Again thanks for sharing your knowledge with us.

[antares4s]

With the sort of script you are using it is sometimes difficult to read the entire text before it disappears off the screen. Recommend slowing down a bit.

[mjcamck]

Hello. I was in charge of researching Halloween's Celtic roots for a local community event. It was so interesting. Even so, I learned a few new facts watching this presentation. Thank you for posting. HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO ALL!

[MultiKate4444]

Thankyou I enjoyed watching it...loved the music very atmospheric.

[YoursTrulyLC]

This clip would be cool if the letters were MORE LEGIBLE.

[Eadhmonn]

A wonderful and extraordinary video, This is exactly the explanation that the public at large needs to understand, and stop looking for any dark and evil purpose. Celebrate the harvest of crops, and the staying off of Winters dread, celebrate life, and honor your ancestors. and keep well.

[Moondancer007]

Oiche Shamhna shona daoibh

[apclericus]

Irish Celtic Festival what about the rest of us Celts...?

[celticbattleaxe]

@apclericus Good question - doesn't matter to me since I am a mix of Irish,Scottish, and Welsh. The sabbats are the same for us all, but I do not know how the any of the other Celts would celebrate them. Check out DJ Conway's "Celtic Magic" and "By Oak, Ash and Thorn." They should be in the New Age section of a local bookstore - they are great books, and she focuses on all Celtic tribes known to the British Isles :)

Happy Samhain!!

[MaireMc]

@apclericus - merely from an Irish perspective my friend! :)

[arishokful]

@apclericus Its the same, the Celts migrated from Iberia to the isles.

[druidism333]

Thank you maire, for this great informative video !!! 

[midsummergardening]

I also love Samhain.....my favorite holiday!

[rikkisogazgf]

so thiz what my anctorz did back then. Wow!!

[StarvedHaddock]

my names samhain

[danfan876]

so samhain and being a witch has to do with irish ppl?

great.....

[MaireMc]

Samhain is certainly a Celtic festival. Not so sure it was the origin of witches tho' :)

[danfan876]

oh well im not close to irish lol so i guess i cant celebrate it :(

[MaireMc]

Oh I know its not just Irish people who celebrate at that time of year.

[allisonforfornsed]

@danfan876 again, Samhain is a CELTIC festival, celebrated by many celtic peoples all the way from Gaul to Ireland. the people of Scotland and (i think) Wales also celebrated it, probably others as well. best way to learn about this stuff is to learn about history from authorized sources.

[allisonforfornsed]

@MaireMc "witches"....depends on what witches you are talking about. "witchcraft" is simply a broad term that tends to refer to the practitioners of folk medicine, folk magic and folk religion of (usually) Europe. "Wicca" referring to mother goddess-worshipping pagans (and sometimes witches) who practice an ecclectic blend of world witchcraft, usually having its roots in mediterannean and near-eastern cultures but with mixes of material from Egypt, the Celts, and even Judaism.

[allisonforfornsed]

@danfan876 that's not true. Samhain is a celtic festival celebrated by many different Celtic nations and ADOPTED by wiccans (wicca is not celtic, nor is witchcraft "celtic" by definition, although there were certainly Celtic witches. they were not wiccans.)

[MegMerrilies]

Good vid with one of my favourite harp tunes! I did all those things as a child, turnip lanterns, apple bobbing and apple peel divination here in North East England. Must be because there are a lot of Irish descendants.

[leharra]

goddess bless

[ingridgans]

I really enjoyed this presentation. Very nice, thank you.

[MystSilverDragon]

scurry you remember more than most :)

[MystSilverDragon]

very much like today's thanksgiving celebrations

[MystSilverDragon]

funny how these are considered witchcraft today, when it is simply preparing for winter :)

[MystSilverDragon]

near to my heart :)

[DavidTaylorRocks]

brilliance, hauntingly beautiful music, divine

[permee]

Thanks for sharing this video. It is well done and very informative.

[WindsNature]

Well done.

[TheStarra13]

Thoroughly enjoyed this video. Well done indeed! Sincere Thanks. Blessings Be!

[whitewitch82]

I hope I dont sound dumb I have a learning disability and dont fully understand the holiday can you explain it in short temrs and how i might celebrate the Samhain holiday?

[acerb45666555]

The Morrigan.......'is not just one war goddess! it is 3 sisters. Morrigan, Nemain, Macha. all have grey stringy hair and are ugly mean bitches!! they lure ranking warriors in dreams. they say, "we know you want to make war on youre enemy!, so do it!!".......then the 3 sisters take raven form and wait for a feast of war dead!!

[MaireMc]

Right.

[TheStarra13]

And yet She ,The Morrighan is said to be quite wise and lovely & is also from whence the Grey Lady or Washerwoman "mythos" is originated from, also called The Bean-Sidhe or Banshee. She grieves over the dying warriors & like all Goddesses is not all good nor all bad. Like most persons if you think about it. The Raven is a carrion feeder true but is also a Messenger and Mystical and not just associated with The Morrighan. A very intelligent bird the raven.

[MaireMc]

I much prefer your version Starra13 x

[TheStarra13]

My thanks.

I have read much on the Celtic & Greek pantheons & am a Goddess worshiping wytch. I am Celtic by bloodlines. I really do love this your video.

My Kudos & Gratitude to you Lady!

[7charmaine]

i love the irish im welsh, cnt wait to go there in may, county cork think its called,

we will always admire u, how u beat the english nd took back ur land,

iv never new u add ur own language till i head u sing it on tv the other day, u make me even more proud to b a celt x

[irishoforiel]

Oiche Shamnha Maire Mc.

[MaireMc]

Go raibh míle maith agat David.

[kiminbari]

My dear Maire--thank you thank you for this vid! Lovely and concise; helped clarify some things for me and I will be using what I learned here in my classroom this year.

peace and generosity of spirit to you--

(as for your visitor who had issues with your calendar divisions, i for one understood it was time within time and that it was not a literal division into 8 equal parts but rather an aspect to each of the four parts...)

[AMason8634]

Nice video.

[MagUalghairg1916]

Where is your evidence that the Celts divided their year by 8 and not 4?

[MaireMc]

Interesting comment. Perhaps the division of 8 is a result of the confluence of the 4 quarter days with the 4 celtic festivals over time and the true number of celtic divisions originally was 4.

[MagUalghairg1916]

Well if the division was originally 4 why did you say 8? There was and is traditionally only 4 divisions of the year in all the Celtic speaking nations (Samhain, Imbolc, Bealtaine, and Lughnasadh), what's point in adding more? If you're going to start adding holidays that aren't Celtic in anyway, why not add Thanksgiving too? Makes no sense at all...

[MaireMc]

Take it easy!! My response to your query was reasonable. No need to get so worked up!! Hope you enjoy Samhain.

[MagUalghairg1916]

I think you should re-do the video so people don't get the wrong information.

[MaireMc]

Thanks for your thoughts and comments on this. I think your raising the issue in the commentary here is sufficient to alert viewers to any conflicting evidence on the matter. I won't be re-doing the video.

All the best to you.

[MikeyMcCrashCap]

Dear Tirbrath, and all my brothers in Ireland, Scotland, and England. We, the Celts, are the aboriginal people of the United Kingdom, and I believe, deep in my heart of hearts, that we are the salt of the earth, and shall remain alive forever, by the grace of God. I don't care if this sounds silly. This is truly how I feel, and how deeply I honor our Celtic kinship and our sacred ancestry.

[arishokful]

@MikeyMcCrashCap You forgot Galicia.

[irishoforiel]

Hope everyone has a very good Halloween this year.

[PennyTraition]

As Samhain approaches yet again, sadly, I have lost many people to Tir Na N'Og; I look forward to this special night where the veil between worlds is thin.Welcome! Thankyou for this vid MaireMc; Blessings! Mórán Gen Grá !

[MaireMc]

Go raibh míle maith agat Monica x

[AvengingAngel1969]

I love Samhain and the coming of Autumn; I love how the leaves go lovely colours of golds; browns and crimsons; LOVELY season; Its The Fall in the US of A and i think thats a lovely word for it; Fitting;

[irishoforiel]

Neat video! Last year here in Wisconsin we organized a community bonfire for Halloween night.Many Irish-Americans in my town.Yes all the Celtic people not just the Irish are the greatest people on Earth,lol!

[subfusc8]

we're the greatest people on earth.

[MaireMc]

Well...I wouldn't go THAT far...but thanks for the comment anyway subfusc8!