The Celtic Year 2008

YEAR 2 of FIVE YEAR CYCLE 2007-2011: CYCLE 2 of THE THIRTY YEAR AGE 2002-2031

The months of the Celtic Year 2008: May 12, 2008 - April 29, 2009

| Samon | Duman | Riuros | Anagantios | Ogronnos | Cutios || Giammon | Semiuisonna | Equos | Elembiuos | Aedrini | Cantlos |

In the Celtic calendar 2008, the meanings of the Celtic month names are given by comparing the Gaulish language to Irish and Welsh, etymology and myth. Understanding that the Celtic year commenced at Beltaine across the Celtic world, knowing the day of the moon when the months began, and pin-pointing the start of the 30 year age allows this calendar of correspondences.

Celtic 2008 is the second year of the second five year cycle of the 30 year age that opened in May 2002 at the return of Saturn to the constellation of Taurus. In the presentations of the individual months of 2008, we follow the dawn skies of Europe in 503 BC which opened with a spectacular planetary display - that year co-incides with the opening of the archaelogical La Tène Period.

After the expansion of Rome, the Celtic calendar was supplanted by the calendar of the Empire and Christianity. However, the Celts maintained their important days of their culture and so even today, marking the Celtic fire feasts keeps Celtic calendar alive.

2002: Saturn Return - The Current Celtic Age

Shown above (using Cybersky) is the European sky of late June 2002, at the heliacal rising of Aldebaran.
Anciently, the heliacal rising of Aldebaran was in May, and signalled the Trinox Samoni, in Irish cét-Samhin.
This festival developed into Beltaine, set at May eve on the Gregorian calendar.

In 2002 the planet Saturn returned to the constellation Taurus and at the heliacal rising of Aldebaran and the Pleiades it rose side by side with the red star, like the two Beltaine fires. The ancient sources Pliny the Elder and Plutarch recorded that this was the astronomical event that marked the Celtic Age, and thus the Celtic Thirty Year Age of 2002 - 2031 began that May.
2007 begins the second Five year cycle of the current Age, detailed below.

The Celtic Calendar - Introductory Sections