Celtic calendar

Celtic calendar is both a term for the calendar system of ancient Celtic cultures, on the other hand, for the medieval and modern calendar of insular Celtic peoples. There are few similarities, such as the name Gallo Samoni and Irish Samhain or samuin that seem to indicate an ancient Celtic festival circuit between the two. More extensive continuities from ancient to medieval Celtic calendars are controversial. Latter-day Celtic calendar attributable esoteric and neopaganem ( neuheidnischem ) ideas.

Ancient Celtic Calendar

The mainland Celtic calendar system has been handed down primarily through the archaeological find of the Gallo- Roman calendar of Coligny. It is a lunisolar calendar, which was directed both by the sun and by the moon. He has 12 months, each by a two and a half years - need to be aligned inserted leap month of the solar year - ie 30 months.

Island Celtic Calendar

→ Main article: Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane and Lughnasadh

For the calendar systems of insular Celtic peoples whose culture is handed down only by myths and legends from the Middle Ages, the Irish calendar is usually taken as an example. Because the calendar is matched to the peasant for last year in Ireland, no significant similarities are detectable for Wales and Scotland due to the different climatic conditions.

Modern esoteric and neo-paganism

Also as Celtic calendars are sometimes certain horoscope calendar understood to have been created in recent times by Celtic motifs. Thus, in the esotericism of the 20th century, first by Robert Graves in 1946 in the book "The white goddess" ( German 1948 " The White Goddess " ), assigned to the months of tree names, some very speculative the Ogham alphabet were removed. The trees had Graves to certain characteristics which are important for this month infants should have. Later, the months were also associated with stones.

On this basis, " Marie Claire " was invented in 1971 by the journalist Paula Delsol called the Celtic Tree Horoscope for the French women's magazine, which has subsequently found in the German-speaking world -wide distribution.

All these calendars and horoscopes, as the Celtic annual cycle, the tree horoscope and quoted here tree calendar, however, have nothing to do with medieval or even prehistoric Celtic calendars ..