Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Tranquil Tuesday-Celtic Exquinox

Aran Islands 2003

When travelling in the Aran Islands in 2004 I recall a tale about the equinox. The Celts remember worshiped the sun. When Christianity was spread throughout Ireland the calendar years had to be arranged so that the Kings who were Christian weren't fasting when their Celtic wives were feasting.

There was a custom for the Fall Equinox when the townspeople would leave their homes wide open. The neighbors would all sneak into each others homes and were allowed to roam. Maybe this is where the term Open House came from, I honestly don't know. Everyone would wear masks so no one knew who was looking. Maybe this was the first Halloween costume. Nothing was ever stolen, it was just a matter of curiosity. Isn't that why people go to Open Houses still? I tried to look up the festival on-line but couldn't find any more details. Oral tradition at its best.

The equinox is when the sun and moon have equal playing time on the earth. Equal day and night. There will be a full moon on September 23. 

For this Tranquil Tuesday take a look at the Celtic history of the equinox and how they tied the Celtic traditions into Christianity. I was able to visit Knowth and we had access to the center of the tomb. It was a spooky place. 6,000 years of ghosts. 

Photo credit

Be thankful for the day and night. Wake up early tomorrow and greet the sun. Stay up late and bask in the harvest moon. It is so bright that they used the term because they could harvest during the light of this bright moon.

Owl Moon

Read this beautiful book to yourself at night. It's one of my favorites.

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