History

Closing of Samhain - with animal sacrifices to exclude evil sprits (later Christianized as Martinmas)
Closing of Samhain - with animal sacrifices to exclude evil sprits (later Christianized as Martinmas) Samhain (pronounced “sow-in”) is a Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter or the “darker half” of the year. It is celebrated from sunset on October 31st to sunset on November 1st in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, Samhain is typically observed from April 30th to May 1st. …

Scotlands first First Minister Donald Dewar died suddenly after a fall on the steps of his official residence in Edinburgh.
Scotlands first First Minister Donald Dewar died suddenly after a fall on the steps of his official residence in Edinburgh. …

Hunt the Gowk, Scottish equivalent of April Fools Day (gowk is a cuckoo)
Hunt the Gowk, Scottish equivalent of April Fools Day (gowk is a cuckoo) Hunt the Gowk, 1st April In Scotland, April Fools’ Day was originally called “Huntigowk Day”. The name is a corruption of “hunt the gowk”, gowk being Scots for a cuckoo or a foolish person; alternative terms in Gaelic would be Là na Gocaireachd, “gowking day”, or Là Ruith na Cuthaige, “the day of running the cuckoo”. …

Alban Eilir, Welsh bardic name for Spring Equinox
Alban Eilir, Welsh bardic name for Spring Equinox The first day of spring, or the spring (Vernal) equinox was celebrated March 21. Alban Eiler, which means, Light of the Earth, was the day that night and day stood equal. Crops were typically sown at this time. Birds nest and lay their eggs and symbolize for us the egg which has been within the goddess growing since Midwinter. The eggs of birds are colored and eaten in celebration of the emergence of the Son from the womb of the goddess on this day. With the birth of the Son, our mother goddess is transformed back into the virgin goddess Boand or Sophia. She celebrates the birth of the Son ……

Sheelahs Day
Sheelahs Day Sheelah’s Day, also known as Sheelagh’s Day, (Ir. Lá ’le Síle) is an Irish cultural holiday celebrated on 18 March which coincides with St. Patrick’s Day. While the holiday is no longer widely celebrated in Ireland, there are still associated festivities celebrated throughout the Irish diaspora in Australia and Canada. …

Happy St. Patricks Day !
Happy St. Patricks Day ! St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is one of Christianitys most widely known figures. Apostle of Ireland, born at Kilpatrick, near Dumbarton, in Scotland, in the year 387; died at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland, 17 March, 493. …

St. David's Day
St. David's Day St. David’s Day is celebrated on March 1st each year, in honor of St. David, the patron saint of Wales. …

Feast of goddess Brigit, also known as Imbolc, Candlemasm, Groundhogs Day, Celtic fertility day
Feast of goddess Brigit, also known as Imbolc, Candlemasm, Groundhogs Day, Celtic fertility day Imbolc, also known as Candlemas and Groundhogs Day. Imbolc was one of the cornerstones of the Celtic calendar. For them the success of the new farming season was of great importance. It marks the middle of Winter and holds the promise of Spring. …

Samhain - Celtic New Year
Samhain - Celtic New Year Samhain marks one of the two great doorways of the Celtic year, for the Celts divided the year into two seasons: the light and the dark, at Beltane on May 1st and Samhain on November 1st. …

Scottish Parliament on The Mound, Edinburgh
Scottish Parliament on The Mound, Edinburgh The original Parliament of Scotland was the national legislature of the independent Kingdom of Scotland, and existed from the early 13th century until the Kingdom of Scotland merged with the Kingdom of England under the Acts of Union 1707 to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. …