the celtic autumn calendar

The Celtic Calendar, also referred to as the Wheel of the Year, is believed to have been divided into four major sections, each of which had its own Quarter Day that fell on days of a solstice or equinox.

The four sections were then divided into Cross-Quarter days, which marked the beginning of each season: Imbolc for the arrival of spring, Bealtaine for the beginning of summer, Lughnasadh for the start of harvest season, and Samhain for the end of summer and the end of the Celtic year. 

Historians debate whether Quarter Days were actually present in the calendar, or if it only had the Cross-Quarter days as the four significant season markers. As Quarter Days are connected to solstices and equinoxes, which most likely originated from Germanic Paganism or the Neolithic period, it does not have Celtic origins.

The Cross-Quarter days were celebrated with four fire festivals, aligning with the Sun’s seasonal transitions. These transitions were critical to the Celts for spiritual and practical reasons. This is because they informed people of when to plough, sow, harvest and rest their agriculture, therefore also representing the spiritual birth, death, and rebirth of nature and life cycles. 

With the autumn equinox happening in late September, the Celtic autumnal season falls between Lughnasadh and Samhain. Though the Celts referred to this period as the harvest season, marking the end of summer and the year, it can also be understood as their autumn season.

Lughnasadh is celebrated on August 1st and means “the assembly of Lugh”. Lugh is the god of the Sun and light. He asked that Lughnasadh be in honour of Tailtiu, his foster mother, as she sacrificed herself to fertilise the land and ripen crops for early harvest. 

It is from this day until late October that the first corn gets cut and the first wheat, barley, oats, and sunflower grains get collected. Wine goes into barrels, red apples grow on trees, but neither is ready to be consumed.

Lughnasadh’s early harvest also teaches people to have patience with nature and themselves, and that for something new to be born, something else must die and end. That change has always been and always will be our only constant.

Celts marked the August day with many more activities, from fire festivals to making lanterns and gathering to sing, dance and share ripened fruits on hilltops. These activities strengthened bonds and prepared people for the approaching winter.

As months pass, the end of harvest arrives on October 31st with Samhain, which means ‘summer’s end’. The day is now popularly known as Halloween, and marks the thinning of the veil between the realms of the living and the dead, with spirits believed to be roaming from sundown till sunrise.

Crops end, cattle get slaughtered, and spirits cause mischief or bring solace to the grieving. A time of endings and death. This is, according to some historians, the Celtic calendar’s start to the New Year, and the end of their autumn.

Writing by: Leona VC

Copyeditor: Mia Craven