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CELTIC SUN WORSHIP
The sun was a very powerful device in the cosmology of the
Celts. Often confused for a gorgon head in ancient sculpture,
the sun was seen as the giver of life, healer, and promoter of
fertility.In order to keep the Gods and Goddesses pleased
so the crops would continue to grow and people would be
spared from natural hazards, worship had to be offered to
the deities of the sun
and moon.
Stonehenge, the world-famous megalithic monument in
Wiltshire, England, was perhaps erected in order to honor the
sun. To signal the beginning of summer on May 1st, the Celtic
peoples held the Beltana fire ritual. By driving cattle though
the smoke of enormous fires, the Celts believed their
livestock would be purified and fertile. The Celts also
celebrated Lugnasad on August 1st, which was in honor of the
light at its zenith. |
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