Different cultures around the world have their own
superstitions. Some overlap while others are unique. This is true for the
Celtic world. Here are a few of the most common superstitions within the Celtic
nations!
General
The Irish consider to be green to be a lucky color. It is
the color of leprechauns and shamrocks! One of the most well-known Ireland:
Kiss the Blarney Stone to receive the gift of the gab. In Ireland, if someone
comes into your house through one door, they must leave through that door.
Otherwise, they take all the luck with them.
Samhain
Samhain is the Celtic precursor to Halloween. It is
considered to be the Celtic New Year and is a day when the veil between Earth
and the Otherworld is at its thinnest. This means that the souls of those who
have died are able to move between these planes. Samhain is a fire festival,
with fire being a crucial part of its celebrations and superstitions. It is bad
luck to allow a fire to go out on All Hallows' Eve. During a meal, a thimble full of salt was placed on each plate. If the salt fell out, the person whose plate
it was on is said to die within the next year.
Brittany has its own Samhain superstitions. Family members
are to remove the tripod from the fire so the spirits of their loved ones do not
get burned. It is said that people should walk in the middle of the road so
they do not step on the souls of the spirits walking around. If you leave
horses out on the eve of Samhain, they may be used to transport death to other
beings. The next day, if the horses were sweaty and tired, they should be given
the day to rest as they were used by death. It is crucial to have things done on time so the things do not become an issue in the next year.
Farmers would leave crops out after Samhain/Halloween so the
Puca could have something to eat on November 1. After that, the Puca would spit
on any fruit in the fields that had not been harvested before, making these
food items dangerous.
In some celebrations of Samhain, fire is forbidden so they
do not attract the attention of the Sluagh. As we will see later, the Sluagh is
a creature that requires to be fed and if they do not receive the feast they
need, they will kill animals and livestock with a poison dart.
Winter Holidays
The winter holidays are a time of joy and happiness, but some superstitions are essential for good luck in the coming year.
Having mistletoe around is said to bring fertility to the family. It is
considered bad luck to put the Christmas tree up before December 8 and take it
down before January 8. In Ireland, people rub the tail of a herring across the
eyes of children to prevent future disease.
Mythological Creatures
The Alp-Luachra is a creature that can get inside
humans and consume the food the human it inhabits, causing its host to get
thinner and thinner. Do not sleep outdoors near any body of fresh water so this
creature does not get inside you.
Fear Gorta is also known as Hungry Man. He would rise from patches
of grass (Fear Gortach) when inhuman acts occurred or when sacred sites were desecrated.
He is known to bring about widespread hunger and famine. It is said he was seen
before the Great Hunger. One way to satisfy him is to keep a crust of bread in
your pocket or sprinkle bread over the hungry grass. Salting and burning the
field would see it off for good. Feed him if he comes to your door.
Changelings are creatures that are left in place of children
that are stolen by fairies. Babies are most at risk. Fairies are terrified of
fire and iron, so leaving a crib by a fire or putting scissors or tongs by the
crib can help prevent babies from being stolen. It is also said that draping an
article of clothing that belongs to the father over the crib can help prevent
fairies from stealing babies.
A Sluagh is a creature that slaughters animals and livestock
if they are denied the “rightful” feast. They are also known to attack humans. To
prevent an attack, avoid places like dark forests or empty streets that will
leave you being the only one around being open for attack. People in Ireland,
especially in the countryside, keep the windows on the western-facing side of the
house closed at all times, but especially during wakes or illness in the house.
Animals
In Scotland, if a strange dog wanders into your house, you
will make a new friend soon. If your stomach is empty when you hear the
cuckoo’s first call in spring, you will have a bad year. People used to leave
biscuits under their pillow so they could have a bite before getting up in case
the cuckoo made their call before the person had breakfast. In Ireland, if you
tuck blackbird feathers under someone’s pillow, they will tell you their
deepest secrets.
Groundhog Day has its origins in Celtic culture: When
February came each year, Celtic farmers wanted to start planting their crops
since the food supply from the previous year’s crops were running low. February
1 and 2 became their weather-predicting days. A bright, sunny day meant there
was a cold front on its way, which would make the soil too hard to plant in.
Clouds and rain meant that warmer weather would thaw out the ground, making the
ground ideal for planting.
Natural
Four-leaf clovers have been said to be lucky since ancient
times. Druids carried four-leaf clovers to keep evil spirits at bay. In Ireland,
a lone hawthorn tree in a field is home to fairies and anyone who tries to cut
it down will have bad luck for the rest of their life
Body
In Scotland, it is said that a newborn baby is under a
fairy’s spell and their first sneeze releases this spell. In Wales, if parents
cut a baby’s nails before their first birthday, they would grow up to be
thieves. To combat this, parents would bite their nails until they turned one.