CUTIOS - the sixth month

G. Cutios eqiv. W. Cuddio corresp. October: transl. 'Hidden'

III

IIII

VII

VIII

VIIII

XII

XIII

XIIII

Oct6

Oct7

Oct8

Oct9

Oct10

Oct11

Oct12

Oct13

Oct14

Oct15

Oct16

Oct17

Oct18

Oct19/td>

Oct20

First Quarter
October 7, 2008
At zenith at sunset

Full Moon
October 15, 2008
Eastern horizon

Last Quarter
October 21, 2008
At nadir at sunset

New Moon
October 29, 2008
Western horizon

III

IIII

VII

VIII

VIIII

XII

XIII

XIIII

Oct21

Oct22

Oct23

Oct24

Oct25

Oct26

Oct27

Oct28

Oct29

Oct30

Oct31

Nov1

Nov2

Nov3

Nov4

SAMHRADH - SAMON - SUMMER						GEIMHREADH - GIAMMON - WINTER
SAM	DUM	RIUR	ANAG	OGR	CUT	GIAM	SEMI	EQU	ELEM	AED	CANT

The sixth month of the Celtic year is the last month of the Celtic summer. Cutios completes the turn of the seasons toward the winter: in Welsh, the word cuddio means to cover or conceal. While this is apt in terms of the weakening sun, it is even more pertinant to the stars that mark the summer sky: during the transition to winter, the dawn sky shows the Pleiades and Aldebaran setting as the morning rise of Scorpio begins, with its red star, Antares marking the onset of winter. At Halloween, disguises are put on to become hidden. Summer's end marks the completion of the harvest and all the activity to which effort was exerted over the preceding months has come to an end. In pastoral communities the cattle are taken in for over-wintering. Summer's end is written on occasion as samfuin and from this derives part of the meaning of the Samhain assembly soon to be called. Some accounts have the Assembly beginning a fortnight before the fire of Samhain itself. The middle of the year provides an opportunity for grievances to be settled, laws to be set and an assessment of the success of the summer toil. At this time the Fennians wound up their activities and came into the towns for lodging, 'and during the second half of the year, namely from Samhain to Bealtaine, there was not a chief or a great lord or a keeper of a house of hospitality in the whole country that had not nine of the Fena quartered among them' - Giolla Dacker, sixteenth century. The lament for the end of summer is met with its counterpoint six months hence at Cantlos, the month of song. The summer lulls to sleep at Cutios, and Celtic poetry laments the end of summer, 'Cold til Doom!'.

Etymology

EW. cuddyaw, cuddio - to cover
W. caeadau - a cover
Indo-E. *[s]-keu - to cover
keu, ku : hence I. cuaran
a covering for the foot and leg
Lat. cut-is: skin *kûtí-

MacBain's

"Obtain the Birds of Rhiannon, they that wake the dead
and lull the living to sleep"
- From the tasks set before Culhwch by Chief Giant Ysbaddaden, Tenth Century Wales

The Grove
     Celtic literature richly embraces the changing seasons -
       In The Grove Caer Oz presents songs and poems
         Of the Celts, from early times throught to today
           Come and enjoy these songs in The Grove

503BC: CELTIC DAWN

In 503BC, the planet Saturn appeared in Taurus marking the start of a Celtic 30 year cycle as described by Plutarch.
Caer Australis presents the hypothesis that this was the first 'Celtic Calendar Year', at the dawn of the La Tène Period.
Shown above (using Cybersky) is the European dawn of October 503BC, Cutios, around the setting of the Pleiades.

This month in the Southern Hemisphere

In Australia and the Southern Lands the seasons are offset by half a year and so the month of Cutios occurs at the end of winter. As in the Gregorian Calendar, in the Southern Hemisphere all month names retain their Northern attributes. The lunation of Southern Cutios may be named 'the Cantlos moon' to express the seasonality of the Celtic calendar. The Southern Celtic Year 2007 explores the southern hemisphere perspective.

The Celtic Calendar - Introductory Sections

Celtic Year 2008
Ciallos | Samon | Duman | Riuros | Anagantios | Ogronnos | Cutios || Giammon | Semiuisonna | Equos | Elembiuos | Aedrini | Cantlos