From: IMC@VAX2.UTULSA.EDU (I. Marc Carlson)
Subject: Lammas and the Festivals
Date: 16 Jul 1993 08:43:15 -0500

mabr@stud.uni-sb.de (Mathias W. Brandstetter) writes:
>> Lughnasad is an old celtic feast, celebrating the marriage of the
>> king with the goddess (lugh is only a hero of the goddess, even if
>> he almostly is handled as a god). Lughnasad is the time of 
>> harvesting start, the first time that you recognize a change in the 
>> length of day, the middle of the celtic summer (1.5. - 1.11.).

From: carli@narziss.sni.de (Carlin) Subject:Re: Feast of Lughnasa??
> This implies that the summer is six months long - does anyone know
> if the Celts only recognised two sessions? What are the main Celtic
> festivals? For those festivals which are calendar based, how are the
> dates reckoned - >lunar month?

This supports a longheld contention of mine that we can't even AGREE
on the festivals.

Well, the way I was raised, the festivals are

Oct 31 (Samhain) Beginning of the New Year, Rememberance for the past
                 year. Beginning of the dark part of winter.
Dec 22 (Yule or Mid-Winter) "Dark of the Year".  The Darkest day of
                the year, and encouraging the eventual triumph of the
                sun.
Feb 2 (Imbolc) Celebration of the Lady of Wisdom.  Also a Ritual of
               the Fires against the Coldest part of the year.
March 22 (Vernal Equinox) End of Winter, and the beginning of Summer.
               Rebirth of the God of Spring.
May 1 (May Day or Beltine) Celebration of the planting and
               fertility. Cleaning away the dreck of the Winter, and
               relighting the home fires. Celebration of the Goddess.
June 21 (Midsummer) Longest day of the Year, and recognition of the
               eventual victory of the dark against the sun.
Aug 1 (Lammas) Celebration of the Sun and the beginning of the harvest
               season.
Sept 21 (Autumnal Equinox) End of Summer and the Beginning of Winter.
               End of the Harvest.

Summer and Winter are not exactly the right words, as the meaning is
more the "Season of the Sun's Ascendence" and the "Season of the Sun's
Loss"

I'm certain other people have other versions of the calendar

                               Marc C.
                               IMC@VAX2.UTULSA.EDU & LIB_IMC@VAX1.UTULSA.EDU

From: tmurphy@sun490.fdu.edu (Tom Murphy)
Date: 21 Jul 93 12:58:08 GMT

   It makes no sense that the first day of summer be the day that the
days begin to get shorter. Here are the seasons the way the Celts saw
them:

Winter:  Samhain (Oct. 31/Nov. 1) - Imbolc (Feb. 1)
Spring:  Imbolc (Feb. 1) - Beltane (May 1)
Summer:  Beltane - Lammas (Aug. 1)
Fall: Lammas - Samhain

   Basically, Winter were the dark snowy months. Spring starts with
the lambing season. Summer after the planting, when the days are
noticeably longer, and autumn with the harvest. Granted, the above
schedule is a bit rigid, it does vary. (i.e. We had a blizzard here in
Mid-march, winter was late in ending)

   How can winter "start" the day the sun is at its darkest? Using
Midsummer or Midwinter on the solstices makes much more sense.

	-Tom