The Celtic Calendar

November

November 1 marks the beginning of the Celtic year and the celebration of Samhain, its most important festival. Samhain follows the ancient rituals that took place on New Year's Eve (October 31) when the bad spirits were kept away to ensure good crops the following harvest season. The Church adopted these into All Hallow's Eve, now practiced as Halloween. All kind of rituals to bring in good luck were then undertaken on Samhain, including the giving of small gifts called Calennig in Welsh. The first person to cross the threshold into a household on this day had to be a dark man or bad luck would follow. The festival ends on November 11 with the former animal sacrifices later transformed into Martinmas. Also celebrated this month is St. Andrew's Day, for the patron Saint of Scotland. In November, 1992 the Welsh language TV channel began broadcasting, the Gaelic Athletic League was founded in 1884, and Kevin Barry was hanged by the English authorities. Other notable events this month: the Newport Rising was bloodily suppressed in South Wales (1839); Eire elected Mary Robinson as its first woman President (1990); Bonnie Prince Charlie invaded England at the head of a Jabobite Army (1745); Magnus the last king of Mann, died (1268).

December

December marks some important anniversaries in the Celtic Calendar. Irish missionary Colum Cille was born on December 7, 521. On December 11, 1282, Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, the last legitimate Prince of Wales, was killed at Cilmeri, Powys. James V, the last king of an independent Scotland, died on December 214, 1542. On December 16, 1707 the Scottish Parliament reluctantly assented to union with England and Wales. On December 14, 1918, Constance Markievicz, Sinn Fein MP became the first woman elected to the English Parliament. December 21 marks Alban Arthan, the Welsh name for the Winter Solstice. On December 22, 1919 the "Better Government for Ireland Act" was passed creating Northern and Southern Parliaments in the hopes of averting rebellion. December 26 marks Wren Day, celebrating an ancient Celtic custom; the 28th commemorates the first Fail Eireann after Sinn Fein had won the majority of Ireland's seats at Westminster; and on December 31, all good Scots celebrated Hogmanay, the eve of the Julian year, and the birthdate of Charels Edward Stuart, Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1720.

January

January is the third month of the Celtic Year, which began on November 1st (Samhain). During January, Celtic people celebrate or commemorate many anniversaries. January 1st, 1602 saw the end of the old Gaelic order in Ireland with the defeat of Hugh O'Neill at Kinsale. That date also saw the ill-fated 1801 union of Britain and Ireland. On 4 January, 1964 the Unaniezh Demokratel Breizh was created in Brittany to strive for an autonomous socialist state. The last Breton sovereign, Duchess Anne, died in January, 1514, and the last meeting of the Breton National Assembly took place in January, 1789. On January 7, 1922 the Anglo-Irish Treaty saw the creation of the Irish Free Sate. The Manx Nationalist Party Mac Vannin was founded on January 11, 1964. The last Jacobite Victory took place at Falkirk on January 17, 1746, and on the 19th of the month, the Irish War of Independence began in 1919. The 25th of January, 1759 was the birthdate of Scots poet Robert Burns and "Bloody Sunday" took place in Derry, Northern Ireland on January 30, 1972.

February

Celtic February starts on the first day of the month with the Feast of Brigit, the goddess of fertility, celebrated in all the Celtic nations. On this day in 1994, Sinn Fein President Jerry Adams was allowed to speak in New York City. On February 2, 1963, Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (the Welsh Language Society) began its campaign of public protest against the government's lack of support of the language. On February 8, 1587, Mary Queen of Scots was executed in England. On the 9th, the first Scottish Parliament met at Scone in 1292. On February 13,1962, Saunders Lewis gave his talk on radio that became a catalyst for the youth of Wales to begin their campaign to save the Welsh language. The French invasion of Britain was thwarted at Abergwaun, Pembrokeshire on February 22, 1797 with the aid of Jemima Nichols and her pitchfork.

March

St. Patrick is not the only Celtic saint whose feast day comes in March, for March lst is the day that Welsh men and women all over the world remember their own patron saint, David; and on March 5, Cornish patriots celebrate their own patron saint St. Piran. According to many historians, St. Patrick was born at St. David's, where the Welsh saint was to be buried, and which became an important place of pilgrimage, the tiny city being directly in the path of old missionary and trade routes to Ireland). In Wales, it is customary to wear a leek on St. David's Day, the custom stems from the plant's being used by the Welsh as a national badge for many centuries. Welsh Americans have much to be proud of. The Welsh presence was greatly influential in the desire of the American colonists to be finally free of "Mother England." Fifteen signers of the American Declaration of Independence were Welsh or of Welsh descent. On March 3, 1284, following his defeat of the Welsh princes, Edward lst established English rule over Wales by the Statute of Rhuddlan. On March 4, 1887, the Fenian nationalist movement began in Ireland. On March 14, 1959, the Isle of Mann was officially recognized as separate from the United Kingdom. Not only does March 17 recognize St. Patrick, but it is also the day that Treaty of Edinburgh in 1328 recognized Scottish independence from England. March 20 is the date of the Spring equinox, known in Welsh as Alban Eilir. Brendan Behan, Irish author, died on this day in 1964. On March 25, 1306, Robert The Bruce was crowned King of Scotland at Scone. On March 30,1922, the Craig-Collins Pact signed in London formalized the Irish Free State.

April

Celtic April is called Mis Ebrill in Welsh. Many important events took place during this month in the long history of the Celtic fight to survive as a cultural entity. This month saw the banning of the Clan MacGregor by act of James VI of Scotland in 1603. In 1282, the Welsh Parliament, led by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, declared war on England. In 1320 came the Declaration of Arbroath that announced to the world an independent Scotland, the first nation state in Europe to have territorial unity under a single king, Robert Bruce. In 1381, Breton independence was recognized by Charles VI of France. The year 1829 saw the passage of the Catholic Emancipation Act for Ireland (which had been annexed to England in 1801). The University of Edinburgh was s founded in 1582. On April 16, the Battle of Culloden saw the defeat of the forces of Bonnie Prince Charlie and the end of the Gaelic way of life in much of Scotland. In 1916, the Easter Rising began and the Irish Republic was proclaimed. In 1949, Ireland declared itself a full republic and withdrew from the British Commonwealth. On April 25, 1284, at Caernarfon, Edward lst declared his son to be "Prince of Wales."

May

The first day of May in the Celtic Calendar known as Beltaine marks the beginning of Summer. We celebrate many important events this month. In 1189 the Normans first arrived in Ireland; they were to have a lasting effect upon that country as they had already done in Wales and Scotland. On May 3 1916, P. Pearse, Clarke and MacDonagh, who had taken part in the Easter Rising at Dublin, were executed at Kilmainham Jail. Their deaths were followed a day later by those of W. Pearse, Daly, Plunkett and O'Hanrahan, and two days later by that of MacBride. On May 8, Mallin, Ceannt, Colbert and Heuston were executed, and on May 12, Connolly and MacDiarmada followed their comrades in death at the hands of the British Government -- acts that were to turn the tide of Irish history and eventually lead to the formation of an Irish Republic. On May 10, 1559 John Knox preached his famous sermon that began a revolution that made Scotland a religious battleground. John Roberts, famous Welsh harpist and song writer died on May 11,1894. The first of the Rebecca Riots took place at the toll gates at Efailwen, West Wales on May 13, 1839 when farmers protested the high prices they had to pay to transport their cattle to market and to bring lime in for their fields. On May 17, 1974 the first annual Pan-Celtic Conference was held at Hunter College, New York. Merched y Wawr, (Daughters of the Dawn) a Welsh language women's organization was founded on May 23, 1967. The Cornish Nationalist Party came into being on May 28,1975.

June

The month of June has many connections with Celtic history. It is also the month of the ancient solar feasts connected with the Summer Solstice on June 21, and Mid Summer's Eve, celebrated by the burning of bonfires on June 23. On June l, 1831 the Merthyr Rebellion began when miners and iron workers demanded better living conditions and higher wages. June 5 marks the anniversary of the birth of James Connolly, Irish revolutionary hero. Robert the Bruce of Scotland died on June 7, 1329 after giving his country complete independence from England. St. Columba (Colum Cille) died on June 9, 597. On June 18, 1639 Charles I of England was forced to recognize an independent Scottish Parliament. On June 19, 1843 the Rebecca Riots broke out in West Wales to protest the exorbitant rates at toll gates. On June 22, 1402, Welsh patriot Owain Glyndwr routed an English army at Bryn-glas. The great victory of Robert the Bruce at Bannockburn over the English army under Edward II took place on June 24, 1314

July

Each July 5th on Tynwald Day, there is a public reading in Manx and English of the laws passed during the year by the Mann Parliament. In 1266, by the Treaty of Perth, Norway ceded the Hebrides and the Isle of Mann to Scotland. In 1567, Mary Queen of Scots was forced to abdicate. In 1690, The Battle of the Boyne ended the Jacobite Rebellion in Ireland. In 1865, the Welsh colony of Patagonia began. In 1893, the Gaelic League was founded in Ireland. In 1921, Eamon De Valera flies the Stars and Stripes at Dublin to emphasize the principles of the Irish Rebellion. On July 10, 1921, “Bloody Sunday” in Belfast, saw widespread destruction and death carried out by Protestants. The next day, a truce ended the War of Independence between Eire and Britain In 1966, Gwynfor Evans was elected as Plaid Cymru M. P. for Carmarthen. In 1967, a Welsh Language Statute gave limited recognition to the language by the London Parliament.

August

August is a month revered in the Celtic world for the Festival of Lughnasadh in honor of the god Lugh (also known as Lleu or Lugus) a thirty-day agrarian feast that centers on the first day of the month. The fifth of this month saw the founding of the Party of Wales (Plaid Cymru) at Pwllheli in 1925. The very active and influential Welsh Language Society (Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg) began on the 4th of August in 1962. On the 28 of August, 1969 the Welsh Office (a branch of the Westminster Government) finally allowed the use of bilingual signs in Wales. On the 29th of the month, Eamon DeValera, Irish statesman died after a long career serving his country. He was influential in the creation of the Irish Republic and fought bitterly to prevent the division July is a month in which we remember many events in our Celtic past and also our brave forbears who fought so hard to keep alive the Celtic spirit. On July 2, 1266, by the Treaty of Perth, Norway renounced its claim to the Hebrides and the Isle of Man, by which they were ceded to the Kingdom of Scotland.

September

The month of September is particularly important in the Celtic calendar. On the first of the month we remember Saunders Lewis, past president of Plaid Cymru and one of his nation's finest poets and dramatists, who died on September lst,1985. Leiws, Valentine and Williams set the fire at Penyberth in this month in 1938, a catalyst for Welsh resistance to English dominance. On Sep 6, 1715 the first Jacobite rising began in Aberdeenshire. William Wallace won the Battle of Stirling Bridge on Sep l1,1297, and on 16 Sep, 1400 Owain Glyndwr began his revolt against English rule. When Gwynfor Evans threatened a hunger strike, the British Government capitulated to grant Wales its TV channel 1 on Sep17, 1980. On September 19, with the final votes coming in from Carmarthen, the people of Wales voted for a dmocratically elected national body -- the Assembly (the Welsh Act of 1978 to establish such a body had been defeated in 1979). Robert Emmet, Irish patriot was executed on Sep 20, 1803.

October

October is the month in which the Celtic season changes from Autumn to Winter, for New Year's Eve takes place on the 31st of this month. In Welsh, it is known as Nos Calan Gaef (the eve of the first day of Winter). Perhaps our Scottish and Irish (and Breton) friends can tell us what New Year's Eve is in their respective Celtic languages. This month also saw the execution by the English Crown of Prince Dafydd, the last native Prince of Wales in 1283. Charles Stewart Parnell, Irish nationalist and statesman, died on Octobert 6,1891. In this month, in 1965, the Welsh village of Treweryn was drowned to provide water for Liverpool. The hunger strike began at Long Kesh prison and Mayor of Cork, Terence MacSwinney, died in an English prison

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