List of Celtic festivals

Celtic festivals celebrate Celtic culture, which in modern times may be via dance, Celtic music, food, Celtic art, or other mediums. Ancient Celtic festivals included religious and seasonal events such as bonfires, harvest festivals, storytelling and music festivals, and dance festivals. This list includes Celtic festivals held throughout the world.

History

There are several specific and often ancient types of Celtic festivals. A fèis (plural fèiseannan) is a traditional Gaelic arts and culture festival, currently used referring to Irish dance competitions. In Ancient Ireland communities placed great importance on local festivals, where Gaels could come together in song, dance, music, theatre and sport. Today the Fèis has experienced something of a rebirth, both for ethnic Gaels and for enthusiasts of the Gaelic culture in Ireland and Scotland, and worldwide.[1] Other ancient festivals include the eisteddfod, which is a Welsh festival of literature, music and performance dating back to at least the 12th century. The present-day format owes much to an eighteenth-century revival arising out of a number of informal eisteddfodau.[2] Comparable to the eisteddfod but without the ancient roots, the Mòd is a festival of Scottish Gaelic song, arts and culture. There are both local mods and an annual national Mòd, the Royal National Mòd, which take the form of formal competitions, with choral events and traditional music including fiddle, bagpipe and folk groups. There are spoken word events, original dramas, and competitions in written literature.

The concept of modern Celtic identity evolved during the course of the 19th-century into the Celtic Revival and the growth of Celtic nations. After World War II, the focus of the Celticity movement shifted to linguistic revival and protectionism, e.g. protecting Celtic languages.[3] The Celtic revival also led to the emergence of musical and artistic styles identified as Celtic. Music typically drew on folk traditions within the Celtic nations, and instruments such as Celtic harp. Art drew on decorative styles associated with the ancient Celts and with early medieval Celtic Christianity, along with folk-styles. Cultural events to promote "inter-Celtic" cultural exchange also emerged, including festivals.

Celtic festivals by country

Oceania

Australia

Europe

France

Ireland

Spain

United Kingdom

Scotland
Wales
Northern Ireland
Cornwall
  • AberFest, held in Falmouth (Aberfal) (alternating with Breizh-Kernow Festival in Brittany)
  • Perranzabuloe, Lowender Peran, held at Perranporth, Cornwall, in honour of St Piran

Isle of Man

North America

Canada

Further reading

  • Armao, Frederic (2022). Uisneach or the Center of Ireland. New York City: Routledge. ISBN 978-0367697709.
  • Danaher, Kevin (1972) The Year in Ireland. Dublin, Mercier ISBN 1-85635-093-2
  • MacKillop, James (1998). Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. New York City: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-869157-2.
  • Weissmann Irish 2008
  • St. Augustine Celtic Music & Heritage Festival

References

  1. ^ Feiseanna for dummies Archived 2011-05-01 at the Wayback Machine : a comprehensive explanation of the basics of feiseanna
  2. ^ Harper, Douglas (2001–2011). "Eisteddfod". Online Etymological Dictionary.
  3. ^ "Celtic League – About us".
  4. ^ "Home". kernewek.org.
  5. ^ "Site Officiel du Festival Interceltique de Lorient". Festival Interceltique de Lorient website. Festival Interceltique de Lorient. 2009. Archived from the original on 5 March 2010. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
  6. ^ "Inicio - Festival de Ortigueira". festivaldeortigueira.com.
  7. ^ "Celtic connections:Scotland's premier winter music festival". Celtic connections website. Celtic Connections. 2010. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
  8. ^ "Hebridean Celtic Festival 2010 - the biggest homecoming party of the year". Hebridean Celtic Festival website. Hebridean Celtic Festival. 2009. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
  9. ^ "Russell CelticFest". celticfest.ca.

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