the time/space (lunar and cyclical) aspects of the Celtic Cross Digital Sketch © Sage Starwalker. All rights reserved. based on the work of Pierre Davoine

"The original Tailteann Games were funeral games in honor of Queen Tailte of Ireland." (Tailteann Games)

"All the most important ancient festivals and market places (Oenach Tailten, Oenach Carmain, Oenach Macha, Oenach Cuhi, and Oenach Teite) derived their names from either the gang-rape, death, or overhrow of the goddesses." (Mary Condren, The Serpent and the Goddess, p. 29)

• Fire Festivals (called today Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasad): "Fire was sacred to the ancient Celts. The domestic hearth-fire was never allowed to die, except during the fire festival of Beltane, when it was ritually rekindled from the royal fire." (Ceád Mile Fáilte)
• Hearth Fire: "The hearth-fire was the center of Celtic family activity. Cooking, eating and evening storytelling would take place around the fire at the end of the working day." (Ceád Mile Fáilte)
  
• Art / Music
  • See my art page on Celtic art for some discussion about this.
  • Celtic Carnyx (trumpet)
  • Irish, Gaelic or Celtic Harp
  • Bodhran (drum)
  • Lute and other stringed musical instruments
• Laws, rulership, women
  • "Celtic tribal organization was basically the same for all the related tribes. A tribe (tuath) was ruled by a king (ri) [or queen] with the aid of a general assembly (oenach). A Chief was a leader of his [or her] people (sometimes just a family). There could be sub-chiefs under him (in the case of extended families) all of whom owed allegiance to the king. There were, at times, an "over-king", a king (ard-ri) who had other kings subject to him. Celtic Law held that only a king and a chief could rule his people. No chief of chiefs or ard ri could impose direct rule over a lesser king or chief's people or area."
  • "Celtic Law was based on custom and not by enforcement from autocratic authority. The land, for instance belonged to the tribe or clan, not the king or chief. The family enforced, through custom and tradition, the law as guided by legal specialists called brehons."
  • "Women were given a high place in Celtic society. According to marriage laws, women controlled all the possessions they owned before the marriage, and could leave with them if she wanted. If a woman's wealth exceeded that of her husband's, she controlled the household. Wives frequently were trained as warriors and joined their men in battle. One of the most famous was Boudicca who assisted in the burning of Rome."
  • "The Celts introduced soap to the Greeks and Romans. They gave the basic shape to many of the tools still used by man today: the handsaw, chisel, files and other tools. The Celts developed the seamless iron rim for chariot wheels. These wheels were exactly 4'8" apart, a standard that is today shown in the gauge of our railroads.. Other Celtic contributions to civilization include the iron plowshare, the rotary flour mill, rotary reaper and horseshoes." (The Russian/Scythian/Greek Connection)
• Fashion
  • Dreadlocks -- According to two Gallo-Roman coins, one with the head of a Gaulish man and one with the head of a Gaulish woman, the Gauls wore their hair limed and dreadlocked!
  • Wool / woolen cloaks -- The Celts were considered to be such fine spinners and weavers that their woolen goods were among their most valuable trade goods (especially with the Romans).
• Sports -- Tailteann Games (Aonach Tailteann), the ancient games of Tara; these took place in Ireland 1,000 years before any mention of the ancient Olympic games.
  • “As early as 1829 BCE, Ireland was the scene of the Lughnasad (held on the Feast of Lughnasa -- Autumn) or Tailteann Games involving various forms of track-and-field activity -- and Hammer throwing was an important part of those Games. Legends trace its origin to the Celtic hero Cú Chulainn who gripped a chariot wheel by its axle, whirled it around his head, and threw it farther than did any other individual. Wheel hurling was later replaced by throwing a boulder attached to the end of a wooden handle. Forms of hammer throwing were practiced among the ancient Teutonic tribes at religious festivals honouring the god Thor....” (Make Sport Not War)
    
• Rituals -- see the Celtic Religion page
• War
  • taking the heads of enemies and posting them before their houses and/or settlements
  • "All the Britons," he wrote, "paint themselves with woad, which gives their skin a bluish color and makes them look very dreadful in battle." (Julius Caesar, De Bello Gallico) (Wales History Timeline)
  • the Celts were charioteers, chariots had 2 horses and six-spoked wheels, see image
  • war horn (Celtic or Pictish Carnyx)
  • European warfare through the ages
• Burials -- gravemounds; no burials of children under about three years of age
  • "With the arrival of the Bronze Age period in Britain (ca. 2500 BC), the burial practice of constructing large megalithic tombs had been replaced by that of generally smaller, circular earthern or stone mounds (barrows or cairns). Unlike the communal burials of the Neolithic long cairns, round barrows were often built solely for one person, and whilst many contained inhumations placed in a crouched position, cremation became increasingly practised. The round barrow tradition was introduced by the mysterious 'Beaker Folk' of the late Neolithic, so named because of the decorated pottery often found alongside their burials. The Beaker culture also introduced metal-working into Britain, hence giving rise to the Bronze Age." (Astronomical Alignments)
• Amulets -- protective magic worn by children and adults (and buried with them)
• Sovereignty -- accorded to a king through marriage to the queen of the land
• Geis -- (plural "Gessa") -- Prohibition or Taboo
• Sacrifices -- This is a controversial area. Some say the Celts (especiallly the Druids) took human sacrifices. Some say not. Julius Caesar says they did, which is why some believe it and some don't. Bog finds tend to indicate human sacrifices were part of some religious activities.
• Education -- sending sons (and daughters) to be educated by the Druids (England and Ireland).