Is a circular calendar that represents the 4 seasons. It is made of eight festivals (each season contains 2 festivals). Out of eight, four festivals are known as fire festivals and the other four festivals are known as solar festivals. Each festival symbolizes unique meaning and celebration. Four fire festivals include Samhain (end of October), Imbolc (beginning of February), Bealtaine (beginning of May), and Lughnasadh. Those days are known as the Cross-Quarter Days since they fall between the Solstices and the Equinoxes and are known as the Cross-Quarter Days.
Four solar festivals include Yule, Ostara, Litha, and Mabon. Beltane: Beltane means “fire of Bels”. It belongs to fire festival. Bel is a Celtic fire God who brings passion and shining energy into the world. Beltane is celebrated with bonfires which represent purification and protection. Also, it honors the beauty of spring season. Imbolc: Imbolc means “in the belly”. It is celebrated in honor of Goddess Brigid. It belongs to the fire festival. This festival represents purification, a festival of light, new beginnings, and fertility.
It is celebrated by lighting candles and placed in the rooms to honor the Sun’s return. Basically, it celebrates the welcome of the spring. Litha: Litha means “the longest day”. It belongs to the solar festival and represents the first day of the summer. Litha represents the celebration of light’s triumph over the darkness. Also, it represents the glorious beauty that light will bring into our lives. Lughnasadh: Laughnasadh means the feast. It honors the funeral games of Lugh, son of the sun, and Celtic god of light.
Lughnasadh is a fall halfway between the Litha and the autumn Mabon. It represents the agricultural year where growing changes into harvesting. It symbolizes the first harvest season of the grains. Often is called ‘First Fruits’. Mabon: Mabon means “son”.
It belongs to the solar festival. Mabon represents the middle of harvest. It is considered the second harvest season. It is very similar to thanksgiving. The community gets together with the families and harvest the grains. Ostara: Ostara is derived from the spring goddess’ name knowns as Eostre. It belongs to the solar festival. It fairly shares Easter traditions which include egg hunting and gift exchanges in the spring. Samhain: Samhain represents the halloween. It belongs to the fire festival. It is celebrated in the end of October. It is the last the harvest festival of three festivals. Samhain represents the end of summer and beginning of winter. It is a celebration of the memories of people that have passed away and a reflection of the life and death cycle. Yule: Yule means the ‘wheel’ which represents the winter. It belongs to the solar festival. It represents the time of rebirth and renewal. It is a festival of life which is celebrated with feasts and drinks.
I.B Charlemagne is a memorable king to be remembered from the dark age era. Charlemagne took many steps to establish and expand his kingdom. During his era, he had done many great things for his kingdom as well as crucified many innocents to gain control over neighboring kingdoms. Charlemagne son of Pepin III and grandson of Charles Martel inherited the western part of the Frankish empire, he eventually inherited central France and southwest Germany after his brother’s, Carloman, death. At the end of his era he had conquered Lombardy, Germania, Bavaria, and Hungry. He had been unsuccessful in gaining control over Spain, encountered a military failure. Under Charlemagne’s authority many of the territories he gained control over, quickly turned those citizens to Christianity. Charlemagne ordered one day approximately 4500 Saxons to be executed for not worshiping the right god.
With the partnership of the Christianity Church, he established a program of education and cultural revival. Monks were the most educated group of the population during the Carolingians era. During the emperor of Charlemagne had produced Carolingian minuscule handwriting. This handwriting was derived from the Latin alphabet, which helped write literature faster. With education, expansion helped improve Charlemagne’s administration of the empire. With territory expansion, it was necessary for the inspectors traveling through the kingdom to carry out Charlemagne’s orders and decisions. Charlemagne delegated much of his authority over to different parts of his government. Before Charlemagne, the Roman culture was in ruin. They were divided into many different parts such there were different levels of education systems in Rome. Many of the Rome culture was divided into two branches either the trivium or the quadrivium. As the Roman empire declined so did the access to the education system. Under Charlemagne’s empire, people had a unified government system. People also had easier access to the education system under the Carolingians Renaissance with help of the Christian Church.
The social structure of the Celts contains commoners, warriors, and priests. Each group had unique roles in society. The priests were assigned religious duties. The warriors fought in the battles and protect society. The commoners played role in day-to-day life. They served society by labor jobs. The Romans developed towns and built roads, initiated taxing landowning class, and as well they spread their culture, language, and laws. The Roman drastically changed the Celt social organization by promoting the development of a ‘middle class. Nobles were allowed to be eligible to hold seats in the Roman senate. Druids were suppressed by the Romans and highly encouraged to worship and respect Roman deities. Eventually, the Celt’s social organization fell apart and they ended up abandoning their ways of living, dressing, speaking and eating. They adapt to the Roman culture.
The role monastery was very important educational institution during the Dark Ages. During the fall of the Roman Empire, access to education was very limited. Monks were the most educated society during the dark ages, they were the source for receiving education and furthering yourself. Monks was responsible for persevering the history as well as capturing any major events that occurred. Other than education, they also assisted the poor by providing food, shelter, and taking care of the sick. As Charlemagne conquered new territories new monasteries were built to spread Christianity through Europe. After the death of Pippin, three sons Lothar, Louise, and Charles went into civil war to acquire the entire Empire. Charles and Louise decide to create an alliance to oppose their brother, Lothar, at Strasbourg. Oaths of Strasbourg is an agreement between two brothers Charles and Louise. This is a significant time period in history for linguists and for historians, oaths were written in bilingual Romance (Old France) and Old High German.
Historian uses this as a reference point to note when the Empires began to split and start forming different languages. Treaty of Verdun came after Oaths of Strasbourg, with an alliance of two brothers Lothar was overpowered and unfit to fight against them. Lothar decide to negotiate a settlement with his brothers, Treaty of Verdun divided the Carolingian Empire into three kingdoms amongst the brothers. Vikings were formed from three Scandinavia countries Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The word is derived from a language called ‘Old Norse’ and the meaning is ‘a pirate raid’. Carolingians had a huge belief around Christianity and the Vikings threatened that belief system. Vikings mainly attacked the Christian monastery, monasteries had many valuable items kept such as gold, jewelry, food, drinks, clothes, and books which attracted the Vikings. Carolingians were able to put a stop to the Vikings by making a deal with the leader of the Seine Vikings, Rollo, to grant feudal rights over the territory around Rouen.
Festival Known As The Wheel Of The Year. (2021, Dec 13). Retrieved from https://paperap.com/festival-known-as-the-wheel-of-the-year/