CIALLOS

Sense

III

IIII

VII

VIII

VIIII

XII

XIII

XIIII

Apr24

Apr25

Apr26

Apr27

Apr28

Apr29

Apr30

May1

May2

May3

May4

May5

May6

May7

May8

First Quarter
April 24, 2007
At zenith at sunset

Full Moon
May 2, 2007
Eastern horizon

Last Quarter
May 10, 2007
At nadir at sunset

New Moon
May 16, 2007
Western horizon

III

IIII

VII

VIII

VIIII

XII

XIII

XIIII

May9

May10

May11

May12

May13

May14

May15

May16

May17

May18

May19

May20

May21

May22

May23

CIAL

SAMHRADH - SAMON - SUMMER

GEIMHREADH - GIAMMON - WINTER

SAM

DUM

RIUR

ANAG

OGR

CUT

GIAM

SEMI

EQU

ELEM

AED

CANT

Ciallos is the presumed name for the intercalary month of Year One prior to the first regular month Samon and the summer - its name is is lost from the Gaulish bronze tablet; It is partner to Ciallos, the other intercalary month in Year Three prior to that year's Giammon and winter half. The name Ciallos means 'Sense' (transl. sense, understanding) as seen from the Irish cial and its Welsh counterpart pwyll. The name meaning for the intercalary months indicates the 'sense' of how these months keep the lunar and solar cycles in line, and produce a truly luni-solar calendar. At the start of each Five Year Cycle the Ciallos month acts as a leap month on the Celtic calendar to maintain the proper alignments or sense of the sun and moon, and the months and seasons. Further to the meaning of the month name, in Ciallos of Year Three appears the statement 'Ciallos sonno cingos' translating as 'sense on account of surrounding' - *EI ciall son cengal - the flanking intercalary months bring the 'sense' of the cycles to order. In the mabinogi of Pwyll, the prince meets Rhiannon (the great queen) and they produce a son five years later at Calan Mai, the start of summer. Pwyll was invited to Annwn to defeat Havgan, 'Summer White'. As the head of the Celtic Five Year cycle, the single lunation of Ciallos succeeds to the previous cycle in a manner akin to the 'single blow' dealt by Pwyll to Havgan. Ciallos in Year Three is noted as Mids Antaran Mat (...Antaran M) and it occurs prior to the heliacal rise of Antares, anciently in November. By analogy Ciallos of Year One may have been noted as Mids Tarvos Mat as it occurs prior to the heliacal rise of Aldebaran, anciently in May.

Etymology

Ciall - I. sense, understanding
Ciall - W. cognate: Pwyll
Ciallos sonno cingos:
son - sake, cause, E.I. word
air son: I. on account of
I. ceangal, E.I. cengal,
W. cengl - to tie, bind,
Lat. cingulum, cingo: to bind
I. dearc - behold *dedorka: see

MacBain's

"Then Arawn gave to Pwyll prince of Dyfed his proper form and semblance"
- Mabinogi of Pwyll Prince of Dyfed, 14th Century

This month in the Southern Hemisphere

In Australia and the Southern Lands the seasons are offset by half a year. The Ciallos lunation precedes the winter half of the year. As in the Gregorian Calendar, in the Southern Hemisphere all month names retain their Northern Hemisphere attributes. The lunations may, however, be named for the Celtic month six months hence to express the intrinsic seasonality of the Celtic calendar. The Southern Celtic Year 2007 explores the southern hemisphere perspective.

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 sky of early May 503BC, Ciallos.

The Celtic Calendar - Introductory Sections

Celtic Year 2007
Ciallos | Samon | Duman | Riuros | Anagantios | Ogronnos | Cutios || Giammon | Semiuisonna | Equos | Elembiuos | Aedrini | Cantlos