Festivals & Sacred Days
The four great Irish festivals mark the year’s wheel: Imbolc (1 February, Brigid), Bealtaine (1 May), Lughnasa (1 August, Lugh), and Samhain (1 November). The seasons themselves carry mythic weight.
15 entries.
| Irish | Ogham | How to say it | English | Source | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aoine an Chéasta | ᚛ᚐᚑᚔᚅᚓ ᚐᚅ ᚉᚆᚓᚐᚄᚈᚐ᚜ | EE-nyuh un KHAY-stuh | good friday | WiktionaryFoclóir | Good Friday — literally ‘Friday of the Crucifixion.’ |
| Bealtaine | ᚛ᚁᚓᚐᚂᚈᚐᚔᚅᚓ᚜ | BAL-tin-uh | bealtaine | WiktionaryeDILgaelspellFoclóir | Bealtaine — already covered. |
| Domhnach Cásca | ᚛ᚇᚑᚋᚆᚅᚐᚉᚆ ᚉᚐᚄᚉᚐ᚜ | DOW-nukh KAW-skuh | easter sunday | Foclóir | Easter Sunday. |
| earrach | ᚛ᚓᚐᚏᚏᚐᚉᚆ᚜ | AR-ukh | spring | eDILgaelspelleDIL | Spring (the season). Begins on Lá ‘le Bríde, St Brigid’s Day, 1 February — the old Irish spring is a month earlier than the English. |
| fómhar | ᚛ᚃᚑᚋᚆᚐᚏ᚜ | FOH-vur | autumn | WiktionaryTatoebaeDILgaelspelleDIL | Autumn. Begins on Lúnasa, 1 August. Also means the harvest itself. |
| geimhreadh | ᚛ᚌᚓᚔᚋᚆᚏᚓᚐᚇᚆ᚜ | GIV-ruh | winter | WiktionaryeDILgaelspelleDIL | Winter. Begins on Samhain, 1 November — the old Irish year began here, in the dark. |
| Imbolc | ᚛ᚔᚋᚁᚑᚂᚉ᚜ | IM-uh-luk | imbolc | gaelspellFoclóir | Imbolc — already in batch 2; for the festivals theme. |
| Lughnasa | ᚛ᚂᚒᚌᚆᚅᚐᚄᚐ᚜ | LOO-nuh-suh | lughnasa | gaelspellFoclóir | Lughnasa — already covered. |
| Lá ‘le Bríde | ᚛ᚂᚐ ᚂᚓ ᚁᚏᚔᚇᚓ᚜ | law leh BREE-juh | saint brigid’s day | Rosmerta editorial | Saint Brigid’s Day, 1 February. The first day of spring in the old Irish calendar. |
| Lá an Dreoilín | ᚛ᚂᚐ ᚐᚅ ᚇᚏᚓᚑᚔᚂᚔᚅ᚜ | law un DROH-leen | wren boys’ day | WiktionaryRosmerta editorial | Wren Day — 26 December (Saint Stephen’s Day). Wren Boys went house to house with a wren (real or symbolic), singing for money. Tradition lives on in West Kerry. |
| Lá Caillí | ᚛ᚂᚐ ᚉᚐᚔᚂᚂᚔ᚜ | law KAL-yee | hag’s day | Foclóir | Lá Caillí — Hag’s Day. The end of winter when the Cailleach turns to stone (or back to a young woman); marks the cusp of spring. |
| Lá Fhéile Pádraig | ᚛ᚂᚐ ᚃᚆᚓᚔᚂᚓ ᚚᚐᚇᚏᚐᚔᚌ᚜ | law AY-luh PAW-rig | saint patrick’s day | WiktionaryRosmerta editorial | Saint Patrick’s Day. Lá fhéile means ‘feast day of.’ |
| Lúnasa | ᚛ᚂᚒᚅᚐᚄᚐ᚜ | LOO-nuh-suh | august | WiktionaryeDILgaelspelleDILGrimoire XI.9 | August. Also the festival of the harvest, named for the god Lugh. |
| Samhain | ᚛ᚄᚐᚋᚆᚐᚔᚅ᚜ | SOW-in | november | WiktionaryeDILgaelspelleDILGrimoire XI.9 | November. Also the festival that opens winter, the original Halloween. |
| samhradh | ᚛ᚄᚐᚋᚆᚏᚐᚇᚆ᚜ | SOW-ruh | summer | WiktionaryTatoebaeDILgaelspelleDIL | Summer. Begins on Bealtaine, 1 May, in the old Irish reckoning. |