The Southern Celtic Year 2008

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Mids SAMON Mat

Mids: May 12 - May 26, 2008 Atenoux: May 27 - Jun 10, 2008

Lun GIAMMON Deas

Mids DVMAN Anm

Mids: Jun 11 - July 25, 2008 Atenoux: July 26 - July 9, 2008

Lun SEMIVISONNA Deas

Mids RIVROS Mat

Mids: July 10 - July 24, 2008 Atenoux: July 25 - Aug 8, 2008

Lun EQVOS Deas

Mids ANAGANTIOS Anm

Mids: Aug 9 - Aug 23, 2008 Atenoux: Aug 24 - Sept 6, 2008

Lun ELEMBIVOS Deas

Mids OGRON Mat

Mids: Sept 7 - Sept 20, 2008 Atenoux: Sept 21 - Oct 5, 2008

Lun AEDRINI Deas

Mids CVTIOS Mat

Mids: Oct 6 - Oct 22, 2008 Atenoux: Oct 21 - Nov 4, 2008

Lun CANTLOS Deas

Mids GIAMMON Anm

Mids: Nov 5 - Nov 21, 2007 Atenoux: Nov 20 - Dec 3, 2007

Lun SAMON Deas

Mids SEMIVISON Mat

Mids: Dec 4 - Dec 18, 2007 Atenoux: Dec 19 - Jan 2, 2009

Lun DVMAN Deas

Mids EQVOS Anm

Mids: Jan 3 - Jan 17, 2009 Atenoux: Jan 18 - Jan 31, 2009

Lun RIVROS Deas

Mids ELEMBIVOS Anm

Mids: Feb 1 - Feb 15, 2008 Atenoux: Feb 16 - Mar 1, 2009

Lun ANAGANTIOS Deas

Mids AEDRINI Mat

Mids: Mar 2 - Mar 16, 2008 Atenoux: Mar 17 - Mar 31, 2009

Lun OGRONNOS Deas

Mids CANTLOS Anm

Mids: Apr 1 - Apr 15, 2008 Atenoux: Apr 16 - Apr 29, 2008

Lun CVTIOS Deas

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

Australia and the Southern Lands experience the passage of the seasons in an off-set manner compared to the Celtic homelands of Europe and the Northern Lands. For Celts and those who mark the Celtic passage of time, the marking of the Fire feasts and the progress of the Celtic calendar presents a dilemma. For at the time of Beltaine and Calan Mai on the eve of May, the southern seasons are turning to the winter; at Samhain and Calan Gaeaf on the eve of November, the southern seasons are at the time of rebirth at the start of summer.

The offset seasons have presented their dilemma for all of the time of European settlement in the Southern lands, and the great seasonal celebrations of the Christian calendar, Easter and Christmas, have continued to be marked with springtime and snowflake imagery in deference to their place of origin. Santa has adapted well to the warm summer nights around Christmas and takes his tea from the billy with the stockman and inquisitive roos.

For Wicca, Druids and Pagans in Australia and throughout the Southern Hemisphere, the Wheel of the Year, symbolising the cycle of life, death and rebirth, the eight Sabbats and the Esabats all have a complementary/opposite seasonal theme to those being celebrated in the Northern Hemisphere because of where they fall on the Wheel of the Seasons. On the Wheel, southern Samhain is on May eve, southern Yule is at the winter solstice in June, southern Imbolg is on August eve, southern Ostara is at the vernal equinox of September, southern Beltaine is on November eve, southern Litha is at the summer solstice in December, southern Lughnasa is on February eve, and southern Mabon is at the autumnal equinox in March. The Sabbats are seasonal festivals, so their timing changes from the Northern to the Southern Hemisphere.

The Celtic calendar and its Fire Feasts are more strongly associated with their seasonal placement for they are celebrations of life and the world about us as well as ourselves and our aspirations. It is simply not possible to reflect in assembly in November when the land has come alive with the onset of summer - in the Southern lands, this is the lucky time, the fortunate time, the summertime. The flourish of red bottle-brushes is at full bloom, oak trees have placed on their green mantles and the migratory birds have returned from the north.

Seasonally, the European feasts are able to be transposed by six months and successfully celebrated in complementary fashion. November eve marks the Southern year's first weather-movement of summer, its cet-Samhin, its Samon month, its opening of Samhradh. As such the Celtic Fire Feast of Beltaine is able to be marked with great satisfaction at this time - Southern Beltaine. May eve marks the Southern year's repose, its Giammon month, its opening of Geamhreadh. As such the Celtic Fire Feast of Samhain is able to be celebrated in like manner, the assembly at summer's end. High summer and the Lughnasa is seasonally matched at February eve; and Springtime's feast of Oimelc/Imbolg and Brigid's fiery inspiration attended at the eve of August. Seasonally these all may be marked under their traditional Celtic names.

This transformation may also be envisioned in the direction of the Sun's path through the Southern skies, rising to the north and traversing a counter-clockwise course - deosil in the Southern hemisphere is leftwards motion and so the natural action in describing a circle. From the east the path travels to the north and warmth, setting from that direction to the west and returning under the earth through a southerly poleward motion back to dawn in the east.

Astronomically and astrologically there are greater considerations. Both North and South, the Celestial Sphere remains constant, the stars rising in their order throughout the turn of the year. Beltaine in its true form is intrinsically linked to the rise of the Pleiades - this is clear from ancient days when the earliest reports of Celtic culture began to be recorded by their trading partners of the Mediterranean, and later in the Medieval manuscripts recording Celtic myth. In this aspect the Southern Hemisphere dilemma comes to the fore, for while the seasons may anticipate the Fire Feasts by simple transformation of date, the Stars do not.

So, too, the calendar, the original masterpiece of the La Tène Celtic culture, upon which the Fire Feasts were highlights that survived into Christian times, is set in both the seasons and the stars. The Celtic calendar began at the first lunation of summer, with Samon, the modern month of May, with the first quarter moon. In this month the rise of the Pleiades, followed by the red star Aldebaran, staged the setting for the Trinox Samoni, the three night feast of Summer, the lucky feast of Beltaine. Midway through the year in the seventh month, Giammon, modern November, marked the first lunation of winter. In this month the rise of Antares staged the prophetic setting of Samhain.

The combination of seasonal and celestial signals defined the Celtic year and described the Celtic calendar. In no different a way than that of January modernly marking the start of the Gregorian calendar throughout the world, the Celtic calendar has a single world-wide beginning, namely the lunation of May. And just as January 1st occurs in the days following mid-summer in the Southern lands, so too does Samon and its feast of Beltaine occur in the first days of winter in the Southern lands.

This arrangement may work well enough in the Gregorian calendar for the Western secular culture and Christian tradition, but it is very unsatisfactory for the Celtic calendar whose very celebrations are overtly seasonal and devoted to life responding to light. And so the dilemma. Recognising that it is the Celtic tradition and its celebrations rather than indigenous traditions whose developments were moulded by the southern seasons and the southern skies, a solution is offerred here that may provide a satisfactory Southern Celtic response.

On a related page on Caer Australis, the Southern Seasons Celtic Fire Feasts offer the names Teine Samhradh Deas, Teine Grian Deas, Teine Geamhreadh Deas and Teine Earrach Deas for the Southern Fires of Summer (November, at Samhain), High Summer (February, at Oimelc), Winter (May, at Beltaine) and Springtime (August, at Lughnasa), respectively which recognise that the celestial arrangements in the South run opposite to those of the Celtic homelands and the Northern lands. And here on the Southern Celtic Year 2007 are shown the months of the year in their order beginning in May with Samon, but adding the annotation that these months are known as the Southern Lunations of their complementary calendar months. Thus the Month of Samon is annotated as the Southern Giammon Lunation, and so on throughout the calendar year. This arrangement of Southern Fires and Lunations express the southern seasons in Celtic terms, while recognising the Celtic year and the Fire Feasts are European in origin and design.

The Celtic Calendar is described in detail in The Celtic Year 2008. In this calendar of correponences to Gregorian 2008/9, 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 living Celtic calendar.

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.

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

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SAMHRADH - SAMON - SUMMER		GEIMHREADH - GIAMMON - WINTER
SAMON	"Summer"	GIAMMON	"Winter"
DUMAN	"The World"	SEMIUISONNA	"The Source"
RIUROS	"The King"	EQUOS	"Horse"
ANAGANTIOS	"Unwonted"	ELEMBIUOS	"The Circuit"
OGRONNOS	"Coldness"	AEDRINI	"Warmth"
CUTIOS	"Hidden"	CANTLOS	"Exhalting"

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The exploration and expression of the Southern Celtic Seasons is widespread and well developed across Australia. Here are some links to further interpretations and views from the Southern perspective that will stimulate further thought:

Temple of the Dark Moon - Sabbats Down Under
Shadows of Oz - Wheel of the Year
Temple of the Silver Oak - A Green Witch's Calendar
Blackthorns Wicca Pages - The wheel of the year
Kids.Net.Au - The Wheel of the Year
Spritual.com.au - Wiccan Sabbats
Spiral Dance - 'The Quickening' Music CD

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The Celtic Calendar - Introductory Sections

| Introduction | The Pleiades Cycle | The Coligny Tablet | Samhradh | Geimhreadh |
| Celtic Calendar 2008 | The Southern Seasons Celtic Calendar 2008 | Celtic Calendar Forum |

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© Caer Australis 2008 PO Box 439 Maylands WA 6931 Australia