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Celtic Traditions that have influenced our Christmas Celebrations

Living in Washington State I have noticed this year more so than in previous years how dark it is this time of year.  Living in the 47th latitude on Dec 21^st (Winter Solstice) the sun rises at 7:54 and sets at 4:22.  This, coupled with a typical Pacific NW rainy drizzly sky, leaves us very little sunlight. This got me thinking about my Celtic ancestors living in a similar climate.  I looked up the latitude for Dunoon, Scotland where my Lamont ancestors lived and was surprised to find them at the 55^th latitude, much further north and even less winter daylight. Their winter solstice sun rises at 8:47 and sets at 3:47 for a mere 7 hours of daylight.  But the contrasting the Summer Solstice daylight is a glorious 17 hours long.  It is little wonder why the Celts centered their lives on the seasons with changing light from summer to winter.  

Many Celtic pagan traditions have become incorporated into our modern Christmas celebrations. Early Christian leaders were very willing to allow some of the rituals, beliefs and customs of the Celts to continue encouraging them to switch from their nature based pagan worship to a deity based faith.

Alban Arthuan is one of the ancient Celtic solar festivals that take place on the Winter Solstice. The legend says King Arthur was born on the Winter Solstice.  Alban Arthuan is also known as Yule, marking both the shortest day of the year and the re-birth of the sun. The burning of Yule Log has evolved from this ancient custom that celebrates the end of darkness and the return of light to the earth. The Yule Log would be lit on the eve of the Winter Solstice using the charred relics of the log from the previous year. It was stored in the house all year under the homeowner’s bed to keep the house safe from fire and lightning since the last season.  If the new log did not light on the first attempt and continued burning for twelve hours, it was a sign of coming misfortune for the family. This was a time of year for watching for the light’s return and a new beginning to another year.  The returning light completes the cycle of life, death and rebirth. The Druids felt the sun stood still for twelve days during this season and the Yule log was burnt to insure light for those days.

Yule Chant

Brightly burns the Yule log tonight
Magic dances in firelight
Hold my hand and join the song
Raise the Sun King bright and strong
Dark is giving way to light
As brightly burns the Yule log tonight!

In the fourth century A.D., when Pope Julius I decided to celebrate Christmas around the Winter Solstice, the Yule Log tradition continued.  The fire came to represent the light of the Savior instead of the light of the Sun.

Decorating the Yule tree was also originally a pagan custom.  Brightly colored decorations would be hung on the tree, usually a pine. The evergreen tree an ancient symbol of eternal life, fertility, vitality,and the promise of replenishment during the cold dark winter. Apples and other fruit were hung upon the tree to represent the plentiful food to come. Candles were lit to symbolize the warmth and brightness of the sun.  Other decorations would represent the stellar objects they worshiped - the stars, moon and sun.  They also represented the souls who had departed the previous year.

Our family has an eclectic collection of ornaments that we hang on our tree each year as reminders of special events in our family.  Two are bells given to my grandfather by his grandfather.  Others celebrate our children’s first Christmas in 1976 & 1982.   There is a Clan Lamont star, paper ornaments decorated with our children’s thumbprints, and ornaments made by my mother. We have silly ones like the Seattle Sonics basketball, a Santa in a Seahawk football helmet, Donald & Goofy Disney characters and an espresso machine!  Oh yes we have an angel on top and a couple of Baby Jesus ornaments to bring us back to the traditions of Christmas.

Hanging holly wreaths on our doors and placing swags on our mantels can also be traced back to the Celtic belief that holly’s evergreen nature was to keep the earth green during the dark half of the year when the deciduous trees shed their leaves. Our ancestors decorated doors and windows with the hope it would capture evil spirits before they entered the house.

Mistletoe, also called Allheal or Golden Bough, was known by both the Celts and Vikings as a healing plant upon which superstition and myth had bestowed miraculous healing powers and fertility.  Mistletoe, a rarity in Europe, was considered sacred when found on an oak tree.   It was considered a symbol of strength and immortality. The druids held a special ceremony five days after the new moon following the Winter Solstice. The plant was ceremoniously cut with a golden sickle by Celtic priests and caught on a white cloth so as to avoid touching the ground.  Then the priests divided up the boughs into sprigs and distributed them among the people who believed the Mistletoe protected them from storms and evil spirits.  It was hung in every house as a symbol of life in the midst of darkness. It was considered so sacred that even enemies who happened to meet beneath mistletoe they would lay down their arms and exchange a friendly greeting. The truce was kept until the following day.  It makes me wonder how this custom evolved into kissing under the mistletoe today.

The Celtic Wheel of the Year – Festivals were held in pagan times to observe the Earth’s natural rhythms.  The Celtic calendar was lunar based and consisted of thirteen months. Extra days as needed were added at the New Year; this were called "time between times." The wheel of the year was divided into eight segments, each with a corresponding Fire & Solar festival. The year was also divided into the Light & Dark half of the year

The four Fire Festivals take place on the last evening of a month and the following day because the Celts, like the Jews, count a day from sunset to sunset. That's why we celebrate All Hallow's Eve, Midsummer's Eve, and so on.  Season changes were celebrated with four important celebrations:  (1) Samhain October 31-November 1; (2) Imbolc February 1-2; (3) Beltane April 30-May1; and (4) Lughnasadh July 31-August 1.

The four Solar Festivals of the Celtic year celebrate the spring and fall equinoxes and the winter and summer solstices. Each name contains the word "Alban" meaning "Light of". The name for ancient Scotland was Alba.   The Scots had slightly different names for the traditional festivals:  (1) Alban Arthuan (Light of Arthur) is the winter solstice; (2) Alban Eiler (Light of the Earth) is the spring equinox; (3) Alban Heruin (Light of the Shore) is the summer solstice; and (4) Alban Elued (Light of the Water) is the fall equinox.

Guma fada beo thu agus ceo as do thaigh! 

(May you live long and may there be 'smoke from your chimney)

...like "Lang may your lum reek! in Scots] an old gaelic toast