The Celtic Tribe

Today is June 27th and it’s “Decide to Be Married” day.  It seems that the following poem was the inspiration for this day.

 “It’s in the deciding to be united in love,

 to express your joyful oneness to every person you meet,

 and in every action you take

 and together a perfect marriage you’ll make.”

 I went on line hoping to track down more information about this holiday and the reason they chose this poem.  Heck, I even spent an hour searching on line for the name of the person who wrote it.  Needless to say, I failed.  I did find out there were many other like souls who have failed on the same quest.

 I would love it if any of you know who the author is so please message me.  I would even love to hear about your story about how your engagement/wedding came about.  If you would like to share it with us, send it to us and we can post it here.

I hope you will follow our posts throughout the month of June.  We will cover many of the old Celtic customs and ways, and show you how they have evolved over time.  It might surprise you to see how the new ways developed from the old.

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Celtic marriages often required what was termed, “A Bride Price,” which could include livestock, properties, and monies. This was also referred to as “Bride Wealth,” and was not the same as the Bride’s dowry or a dower. The dowry was given to the family of the groom, by the bride’s family and the dower was a gift from the groom to his bride, usually offered to her on their wedding day. The “Bride’s Price” amount was traditionally set by the Bride’s family, usually after much negotiating. Today, many see this as the daughter being sold by her family. They feel that this is an archaic and barbaric tradition. Others see it as a way to show the bride is of value, forcing the groom and his family to offer up something of value in exchange for the hand of a desirable woman It might interest you to know, that the Bride Price is referenced in the Bible and other ancient texts as well.

I hope you will follow our posts throughout the month of June.  We will cover many of the old Celtic customs and ways, and show you how they have evolved over time.  It might surprise you to see how the new ways developed from the old.

Check out our online store at: www.mysticalmoonsilver.com
Follow us on twitter: twitter.com/CelticTribe
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Today is UFO day. One of two UFO days we will tell you about, the next one is in July.

On this day, June 24 1947, Kenneth A. Arnold, a businessman and pilot, from Idaho, reported seeing the first objects that would be called Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOS), in the United States.  He was flying near Mt. Rainier, where he witnessed a chain of 9 flying objects.  He estimated their speed was about 1700 MPH.  The incident he witnessed was the first time the term “flying Saucer” had ever been used.

There has been UFO sighting down through out history, and from all over the world.  So I feel pretty safe in saying that the Celtic people must have seen “visitors” as well in their day.

So tonight be sure to go out and watch the night sky.  See if you can see any Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) of your own.  We will keep an eye out tonight, watching the night skies, hoping we will catch sight of a UFO.

Check back on July 2^nd for the next UFO day and a special surprise.

So watch those skies tonight?

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Over time, the wedding cake has evolved into being what they are today, frosted, tiered, and beautiful.  But they weren’t always like that.  In the days past, they were made from just wheat and barley; they were broken over the bride and groom’s heads.  This was to insure that the couple would be fertile and bear lots of children. (I am sure they wanted lots of children, since farming and even survival was a hard thing.)  Those in attendance would scramble to get pieces of the cake (from the floor, table and even the couples heads) for good luck

The new couple would spend their first night in a barn or their new abode.  The women would prepare the new bride and after tucking her in, they would leave.  Once she was all settled in, all of the male guests would come in to kiss the new bride goodnight.  Then the real fun would begin, the male guests would do everything and anything they could, to delay the new groom from reaching his new wife.  Eventually, after much relentless peaking and pranks, the new couple could expect to finally be alone, if only because the men would be too drunk and tired to do anything else.

I hope you will follow our posts throughout the month of June.  We will cover many of the old Celtic customs and ways, and show you how they have evolved over time.  It might surprise you to see how the new ways developed from the old.

Check out our online store at: www.mysticalmoonsilver.com
Follow us on twitter: twitter.com/CelticTribe
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There was an interesting marriage tradition called Creeling, that involved the Groom filling up a large creel* basket with heavy stones and carrying it throughout the village and countryside looking for his bride. Once he found her, he had to convince her to give him a kiss, only then could he remove the heavy stone filled creel from his back.  (I wasn’t able to find out the reasoning behind this tradition, but I am pretty sure it was to prove he was up to the job of supporting his soon to be wife and family).

*Creel: a large woven basket used to hold fish.

Foot washing was an old tradition where the bride had her feet washed by all of her bridesmaids, the night before her wedding.  The ring of a happily married woman would be put into the water filled tub and whichever woman found it, would be the next to be wed.

I hope you will follow our posts throughout the month of June.  We will cover many of the old Celtic customs and ways, and show you how they have evolved over time.  It might surprise you to see how the new ways developed from the old.

Check out our online store at: www.mysticalmoonsilver.com
Follow us on twitter: twitter.com/CelticTribe
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Today is Litha, also known as the Summer Solstice, Midsummer and Vestali, to name just a few.  Litha is a Celtic holiday celebrated since ancient times, when after the long, cold and harsh winter has passed and fears that your family might not live through it have been vanquished, it is time to give thanks and enjoy the warmth that the sun now brings, with much singing, feasting, dancing and merry making. Traditions tell us that couples would join hands and jump over the Litha bon fire three times, in hopes that it would insure a good and happy marriage, many children, and prosperity in their future lives together. Embers were taken from the bonfires and placed in the home hearth to bless the home. The embers were also placed all around the fields, to help grow abundant crops and to keep bad weather away until those crops have been harvested and safely stowed away for the winter. Litha is a time of innocence and leisure. a time to prepare for harvest (or the future)and a time to give thanks for what you have worked so hard for and those you care about. It is a time to sit back and reflect upon what you have accomplished and what still needs to be done.

Symbols for Litha: The sun, summer fruit, wreaths, fire, stone circles, feathers, and sunflowers.*

Gods: the Oak and Holly kings, and Father Sun/Sky.*

Goddesses: Mother Earth, Mother Nature, Astarte, and all goddesses of love and passion and fruitfulness.*

Herbs: Chamomile, Mugwort, Oak Blossoms, Lilies, Mistletoe and Fern.*

Foods: Fresh fruits and vegetables, honey, breads, and mead.*

Animals: (and Mythical Beings): Dragons, satyrs, faeries, horses and robins.*

Gemstones: Tiger’s eye, Lapis Lazuli, and all green stones, like jade and emeralds.*

Colors: Green, gold, blue, red and yellow.

* = Not a complete list.

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I got my dad a lawnmower that he really wanted for Father’s day.  Unfortunately they did not have one with Celtic knotwork on it, but he seemed to like it anyway.  It is not too late to order your father something Celtic, like a manly Celtic knotwork ring, sure it won’t arrive till well after the big day but I am sure he would not mind, after all it is the thought that counts.

So happy fathers day, and please show your father how much you love him today.

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Following is a list of some wedding traditions from Scotland:

Scammy (the Scramble) – the groom tosses out a hand- ful of coins for the children in attendance of the wedding, a token that the Bride and Groom will get back throughout the course of their marriage.

Crossing the broom – After the ceremony is finished, a broom is placed across their path on the floor.  The newly married couple has to cross it either by jumping over it together, the bride being carried over it by the Groom or walking over it togather hand in hand.  This ritual was symbolic of by them working together, they can overcome any obstacle.

The Piper’s dagger – The piper would hand over his Dirk (dagger) to the new bride. The groom places his hand on hers and together they would cut the cake.

Ribbon cutting – This was when the father of the bride would cut a ribbon that had been fastened to the gate or door of the church, showing that he is setting his daughter, the bride, free.

Heather – In Scottish marriages, it is a tradition to include Heather in the bride’s bouquet.  It is believed to be good luck for the new couple and can be saved as a keepsake.

Another symbolic tradition between a new Husband and Wife:

The Husband gives the Wife wheat to provide for the home,

The Wife then gives the Husband woven cloth to provide for the home,

The Husband gives the Wife a dagger for the defense of their home,

The Wife gives the Husband a bible for the spiritual defense of the home.

I hope you will follow our posts throughout the month of June.  We will cover many of the old Celtic customs and ways, and show you how they have evolved over time.  It might surprise you to see how the new ways developed from the old.

Check out our online store at: www.mysticalmoonsilver.com
Follow us on twitter: twitter.com/CelticTribe
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How The “Stag Night ‘ Came About

In Scotland, the Bride and Groom could both have a “last fling” before they were wed.  The groom’s friends would take him out for a last “night of freedom.’   This was to reassure both the groom and his friends that they would still play important parts in each other’s lives, even after the wedding.  The groom dresses up and is taken all around town by his friends and good-naturedly tolerates a lot of practical jokes and horseplay, which could include being driven through town in a lorry (wagon) with a lot of noise and singing.  Sometimes at the end of the bachelor’s “Stag Night,” the groom could find himself tied to a fence post or to the trunk of a tree, sans his clothing and tarred, feathered and covered with soot. It was all in good fun.

The Bride was not left out of the fun.  Her “last fling” often started out with the “showing of the gifts.”  Her mother would send invitations to every one who sent gifts to the ‘soon to be wed’ couple.  These gifts were then unwrapped and set out for those who attended to view.  After the “show of presents”, the bride was dressed up and taken out for a night on the town.  They would all sing and bang loudly on pots and pans and shouting to one and all of the bride’s upcoming wedding day.  The bride however, does not get tied to a tree or a fence post.

I hope you will follow our posts throughout the month of June.  We will cover many of the old Celtic customs and ways, and show you how they have evolved over time.  It might surprise you to see how the new ways developed from the old.

Check out our online store at: www.mysticalmoonsilver.com
Follow us on twitter: twitter.com/CelticTribe
Check out our videos at: www.youtube.com/user/MysticalMoonSilver

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