< back to main Autumn Festival page
The Laconneau Autumn Festival
Samhain in France is known as Noz Kala-Goanv in the Breton language, and other names in different local customs and dialects. By 43 A.D., Roman armies had conquered the majority of Celtic territory, and during the course of the following 400 years that Rome ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain. The first of these was known as Feralia, a day in late October when Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second Roman festival to be incorporated into the Celtic Samhain festivities was one of which honored Pomona, Roman Goddess of Fruit and Trees. When Christian missionaries undertook the task of changing the religious practices of the Celtic people, Samhain was gradually transformed into a modern celebration. As a result of Christian efforts to eliminate "pagan" holidays (such as Samhain), the Church succeeded in bringing about major transformations to Celtic festivals. In 601 A.D., Pope Gregory the First issued a now famous edict to his missionaries regarding the native beliefs and customs of those peoples he hoped to convert. Rather than attempting to obliterate the customs and beliefs of native races, Pope Gregory instructed his missionaries to employ such traditions. For example, if a certain group worshipped a tree, then rather than cut that tree down, the Pope advised that it be consecrated to Christ and its worship be allowed to continue. In terms of spreading Christianity, this was a brilliant concept and became a basic approach used in the work of Catholic missionaries. Church holy days were set to purposely coincide with native festivals. Christmas, for instance, was assigned the arbitrary date of December 25 because it corresponded with the Mid-Winter celebration of many cults. In the same manner, Saint John's Day was set to take place on the Summer Solstice. Samhain was changed to Hallowmas, or All Saints' Day, to commemorate the souls of the blessed dead who had been canonized that year, so the night before became popularly known as Halloween, All Hallows Eve, or Hollantide. November 2nd became All Souls Day, when prayers were to be offered to the souls of all who the departed and those who were waiting in Purgatory for entry into Heaven. Throughout the centuries, pagan and Christian beliefs intertwine in a gallimaufry of celebrations from October 31st through November 5th, all of which appear both to challenge the ascendancy of the dark and to revel in its mystery.
|
Autumn Festival Schedule
Workshop Cost
Artemis House More information, directions, accommodations & reservations |
