Celtic Folklore

New Moon of the Seasons

From the Highlands and Islands of the West coast of Scotland comes a rich cultural heritage, a wealth of seasonal lore and custom, a living tradition of a people whose lives are still greatly affected by the seasons and the interaction between Man, the land and the elements. Traditional seasonal invocations, recited on feast days all year round, play an important part in Highland life. It comes as no surprise to discover that the sea is of great importance to the people of the Western Isles. At the start of each spring fishing season, all boats had to be blessed and painted with the 'eye of Manannan', to ask the God of the sea for his protection. Libations of ale and porridge would also be offered up to him, asking him to enrich the fertility of the land by washing ashore seaweed, to be used for manure:

"A Dhe na mara,

Cuir todhar 's an tarruinn,

Chon tachair an talaimh,

Chon bailcidh dhuinn biaidh."

(God of the sea, put weed in the drawing wave, to enrich the ground, to shower on us food).

On St. Bride's day the fishermen of Barra would cast lots for their fishing grounds. It was said that the sea became warmer on that day because Lady Bride had put her hand into the waves.

The natural cycle of the tide, the ebb and flow, was of great importance to the islanders. The state of the tide at the time of birth was always noted, for it determined the physical and mental state of the person. The Gaels believed that good fortune would flow from the flood tide, whereas good never came from the ebb tide; it was the bringer of ill-omen and was greatly feared. These two opposing tides of life were known as "rath an lionadh" (luck of the flood) and "rosad an traghaidh" (bad luck of the ebb). A traditional Hebridean chant concerning the ebb and flow runs as follows:

"Ri traghadh

'S ri lionadh

Mar a bha

Mar a tha

Mar a bhitheas gu brath...

Ri tragadh

'S ri lionadh"

(With the ebb and with the flow, as it was, as it is, as it shall be evermore... with the ebb and with the flow).

The women of the isles would bathe and bless their newborn infants in the flood tide, obviously this is but a fragment of a long lost pagan ritual. The fullness of the Spring tide was considered particularly beneficial as the bringer of fertility; it was known as "Bolg Reothairt" - meaning the swollen womb of the Spring tide.

Naturally the close relationship between the tides and the cycle of the moon was observed. The difficulty in catching herring on bright moonlit nights led to the belief that the moon influenced the movement of the shoals. Nevertheless, the sea farers of the Western Isles relied upon the light of the moon to guide their way through the maze of reefs, rocks and channels that are strewn along the coastlines. Many prayers were recited to the moon for their safe passage through the waters.

The reappearance of the Lady in the sky after each new moon brought great joy, and the sight of the first crescent brought a greeting such as:

"Failte dhut, a 'ghealach ur

Ailleagan iuil na h-oidhche"

(Welcome to you, new moon, jewel of guidance in the night).

On the Isle of Skye it was said that at the new moon every well had to be circled sunwise three times and an offering dropped in. It was common for people throughout the Highlands to carry with them a lucky silver coin, peighinn pisich, which they turned over in their pocket at the new moon for good luck. Another traditional moon invocation is as follows:

"Ri faicinn domh na gealaich uir When I see the new moon Is duth domh mo shuil a thogail It becomes me to lift mine eye Is duth domh ma ghlun a leagail It becomes me to bend my knee Is duth domh mo cheann a bhogadh. It becomes me to bow my head.

Toir cliu dhuit fein, a re nan iul Giving thee praise, thou moon of guidance

Gum faca mi thu a rithist That I have seen thee again Gum faca mi a 'ghealach ur That I have seen the new moon Ailleagan iuil na slighe". The lovely guide of the way.

The moon was also linked with the seasonal cycle of the four Celtic fire festivals. Celtic time reckoning was based on a lunar system, with inter-calary days to bring it in line with the solar cycle. The 'Quarter Days' as the fire festivals are still called in the Highlands, were calculated by the number of moons that had passed from Samhain and also by the phase of the moon. Hence Bride fell on the new moon, Beltaine on the full moon, and Samhain during the "Rath dorcha", the waning phase. (Lughnassadh is a later festival and does not form part of the earlier lunar system).

The Quarter Days were considered especially potent for all kinds of charms. At Beltaine and Samhain the "teine eigen" (need fire) was kindled from nine sacred woods for the purification and protection of crops, beasts and people. The first Monday of the quarter was dedicated to the moon and was the best time for divination or augury.

The changing of the moon phases had a great effect on the day to day lives of our ancestors even until recent times. All sowing and planting of crops that grew above the ground had to be done during the waxing phase, whereas root crop planting, ploughing, reaping and cutting peat were tasks to be carried out during the waning of the moon. However, wood to be used in the making of baskets or boats could not be cut on the waning moon for it would be too brittle and therefore useless for the purpose it was intended.

The moon phases also affected the weather, with the new and full moon often ushering in sudden climatic changes. It was believed that the waxing moon encouraged wet weather, whereas the waning moon tended to bring a drier period. Each moon throughout the year brought with it a different seasonal influence. The Gaels have a name for every moon of the year (in fact, each moon can have a dozen names, a different one in each vicinity of Western Scotland). The names are all connected with birds or animals and portray very aptly the seasonal nature of each particular moon. The "gealach nan sealgairean", the hunter's moon, coincides with the stag rut during October. The November moon is the "gealach a' bhruic", the badger's moon, the one that 'catches' winter.

In Celtic mythology the period from Samhain to Bride is ruled by the "Cailleach Bhera", the one eyed hag who ushers in winter by washing her great plaid in the "Coire bhreacain" (the whirlpool of corryvreckan, North of the isle of Jura). She has a venomous temper, blasting vegetation with her ice and snow. Legend has it that on the eve of the feast day of Bride, the cailleach goes to the Well of Youth (Tobar na h' Oige) and drinks of the water at dawn, thus renewing her youth to emerge as the Lady of Spring.

The lunar month of the festival of Bride is "faoilleach", the wolf time. Despite the harshness of this time, it is Bride who breathes life back into the dead winter, spreading her green mantle over the land to bring a revival in the vegetation. From this time on the stirrings of Spring can be felt in the land, and the preparation for the new season, under the influence of the new moon may begin.

[Reference: Traditional invocations are from the Carmina Gadelica, collected and recorded from oral sources in the Western Isles by Alexander Carmichael at the end of the last century.]

[(c) DALRIADA CELTIC HERITAGE TRUST, ISLE OF ARRAN] [Author: L. MacDonald]

------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- The Natural World Menu Dalriada Celtic Heritage Trust, Isle of Arran