|
Zombies aren't actually a Celtic thing as such (closest is those resurrected by the cauldron, who then can't talk). It's an Afro-Caribbean thing. Halloween is from Samhain, which is one of four Celtic Fire Festivals.(pan-European before the Romans destroyed most mainland Celtic culture). They only marked solstices & equinox for the calendar. Orignal dates were halfway between exactly.
Samhain is the start of the Dark half of the Year and Bealtine (Now Mayday) the start of the light half. Thus Imbloc (both Fire Goddess Bridget and now St. Bridget, one of the 3 Irish Patron Saints, 1st Feb) is the middle of the Dark half and Lughnasagh (now spelled & said as Lunasa) is the middle of the Light half.
Turnips, not pumpkins (that's American) and Turnip/Swede lanterns are a late idea. Not about demons, witches etc originally, but a time when the Sidhe can most easily visit or humans can most easily travel to an Otherworld (there are many; Avalon isn't Glastonbury but from Welsh Isle of Apples, in Irish it's Inis Abhlach (bh is a sort of v sound). Tolkien's Elves are based on Celtic Fay, called Sidhe in Ireland, Sėde in Scotland and various names (all complementary!) in Wales and called Elves in Scottish Border / North of England (see Thomas the Rhymer aka True Thomas who thinks the Elf Queen of her massive horse is somehow The Queen of Heaven (an early title given to Mary, really Mirriam, mother of Jesus, really Joshua/Yeshua) This greatly amuses the Fay Queen).
Note in Scotland Fey is not same as Fay. Fey is mistakenly thought of as an spelling of Fay, but it's a human having a sense of impending death or some other disturbing information, related to Celtic concept of second sight (see what is really there).
|