CHRISTMAS AND SATURNALIA 2023
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CHRISTMAS AND OTHER RELATED HERITAGE,
CULTURAL, AND ENVIRONMENTAL |
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| For those who may be interested in knowing more about
the extremely ancient "Festival of Saturnalia" held on (and
for some days before and after) the "Winter Solstice Day"
(Northern Hemisphere), which is nominally December 21st, but
can vary by up to a day or so either side, and the origins
of which probably date back far beyond the period before
written history first appeared, has powerful links with the
Newgrange Monument (circa 5,000 years old), the Hill of Tara
(and its Great Banqueting Hall), Brehon Law, Cairn T (near
Oldcastle), and King Ollamh Fodhla, please see below. === === === SATURNALIA & CHRISTMAS: "For much of life on Planet Earth, NATURE transmits an important signal on December 21st of each year. This is the day of The Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere": http://homepage.eircom.net/~williamfinnerty/SATURNALIA/Dec_21st_2001.htm "It appears also that the changing seasons (and their associated cycles of degeneration and regeneration) were greatly revered and very carefully monitored by the ancient Celts. For example, the great passage-tomb at Newgrange, County Meath (which is now thought to have been built around 3100 BC - making it one of the oldest buildings in the world), seems to have been very skilfully constructed in such a way that on the morning of December 21st of each year (the winter solstice), a pencil-thin shaft of light penetrates the chamber for approximately 17 minutes: symbolic some think of the womb-like compartment being impregnated by the sun - so as to arouse the fertility of the soil, and thus begin the new cycle of annual regeneration." === === === Saturnalia: https://www.google.com/search?q=Saturnalia%3A&oq=Saturnalia%3A&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggA EEUYOTIGCAEQRRg60gEJMzk3MGowajE1qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 Newgrange: https://www.google.com/search?q=Newgrange%3A&oq=Newgrange%3A&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBgg AEEUYOTIGCAEQRRg60gEKMTA0MzhqMGoxNagCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 Hill of Tara: https://www.google.com/search?q=Hill+of+Tara%3A&oq=Hill+of+Tara%3A&gs_lcrp=Eg ZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIMCAEQABhDGIAEGIoFMhIIAhAuGEMYrwEYxw EYgAQYigUyBwgDEC4YgAQyDQgEEC4YrwEYxwEYgAQyBwgFEAAYgAQyBwgG EAAYgAQyBwgHEAAYgAQyBwgIEC4YgAQyBwgJEAAYgATSAQk0NTcxajBqMT WoAgCwAgA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 Brehon Law: https://www.google.com/search?q=Brehon+Law%3A&oq=Brehon+Law%3A&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAE EUYOTIHCAEQABiABDIHCAIQABiABDIHCAMQABiABDIHCAQQLhiABDIHCAUQABiABDIHCAYQA BiABDIHCAcQABiABDINCAgQLhivARjHARiABDIHCAkQABiABNIBCDE3Nz VqMGo3qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 King Ollamh Fodhla: http://www.humanrightsireland.com/KOF/KingOllamhFodhla/index.htm?fbclid=IwAR2o-E- GOsnYcTn3oQt6ltpdXwODjQIcCJhqFeG8r3Y0Kyh4xStG1VYBC5g Cairn T https://www.google.com/search?q=Cairn+T&oq=Cairn+T&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIPCAEQLhhDGLED GIAEGIoFMg0IAhAAGIMBGLEDGIAEMgcIAxAAGIAEMgcIBBAAGIAEMgcIBRAAGIAEMgcIBhAAGIAEMgcI BxAAGIAEMhIICBAuGBQYrwEYxwEYhwIYgAQyBwgJEAAYgATS AQkzMzI0ajBqMTWoAgCwAgA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF -8 === === === WINTER SOLSTICE SCENE FROM INSIDE THE NEWGRANGE MONUMENT: "... a pencil-thin shaft of light penetrates the chamber for approximately 17 minutes: symbolic some think of the womb-like compartment being impregnated by the sun (the male Celtic Sun God Lugh perhaps?) so as to arouse the fertility of the soil (of Mother Earth), and thus begin the new cycle of annual regeneration" ...
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| === === === ANCESTRY, ART, CIVILISATION, CULTURE, POLITICS , POWER, REGENERATION, RELIGION, SURVIVAL, SYMBOLISM: http://homepage.tinet.ie/~williamfinnerty/protest/nov21_stone.htm === === === THE PRESENT LOCATION OF THE WORLD FAMOUS TUROE STONE? https://www.facebook.com/HumanRightsIreland/posts/pfbid03zq1JZ6h8Mu wwR6eNDXo5qbbfq2Qmw6Ts6FvgpsLubKp1SDVpW3PX1Gq892ACfCkl === Arguably the most important -- and possibly PRICELESS -- piece of ancient, circa 200 BC, Celtic stone art in the world? "The Turoe Stone was removed by the OPW (Office of Public Works) a number of years ago to be cleaned and to be returned under a weather proof cover. We are still waiting for this to happen. Check here for updates": Text in quotes above copied from: https://www.turoepetfarm.com/about-us/turoe-stone on January 30th 2022. === The text in the section just above has been copied from: http://www.humanrightsireland.com/index.htm#Turoe-Stone (NOTE: Viewers who click on the link immediately above are advised to anticipate a delay of up to 10 seconds or so before reaching the correct "www bookmark" page location, and this because the page is a lengthy one that contains several images and several "www bookmarks".) === THE TUROE STONE (Believed to have been carved sometime between150 BC to 250 BC):
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| === === === CLOSELY RELATED "SATURNALIA TYPE EVENT" AT NEW INN IN COUNTY GALWAY (REPUBLIC OF IRELAND) The New Inn Mummers Festival (January 6th and 7th 2000) "In a variety of forms most (if not all) of the early cultures and races all around the world seem to have adapted and developed the custom of mummery. As to which culture was first with the idea, nobody seems to know. However, the ancient Celts, if not themselves the originators, would almost certainly have been involved at a very early stage. Their remarkable love of dressing up and celebrating has been commented on many times in the writings of pre Christian Greek and Roman writers. "As a further indication of possible early Celtic involvement, there are some archaeologists who suspect that the search for gold may have been one of the main reasons for the ancient Celts coming to the Island of Ireland in the first place: because they had used up all that was easily available to them on mainland Europe. Their reason for wanting more gold seems to be that they needed it for the fabulous jewellery they liked to be seen wearing at their public celebrations. "Amongst the earliest written references to mummers are those connected with the Winter Solstice Roman Festival of SATURNALIA: which appears to have been well established as long ago as 400 BC, and which by all accounts was a period of wild revelry and unrestrained merry-making. To begin with at least, it seems to have been started by (and was for) farm labourers. "In Roman mythology (largely based on a mixture of earlier Celtic, Egyptian, and Greek myths), the God SATURN was greatly revered: because his reign was thought of as a golden age. He was the God associated with agriculture and vegetation. Rome dedicated a day of the week (Saturní diés) to him. Eventually, "Saturní diés"(day of Saturn) became our "Saturday". "The Romans at that time also had a particular God (unique to their culture) called JANUS, who often appeared on Roman coins as a figure facing in two directions. The month of January was called after him: because the winter solstice was a popular time of the year for many people to relax and to look back at the old year, and at the same time look forward to the new. (In contrast, the period around the Summer Solstice on June 21st would probably have been a very busy time for most of the many people connected with the land.) "Eventually, Rome embraced the idea of the winter solstice marking the point in time where the "old year" ended and the "new year" started; and from 153 BC onwards the official Roman New Year began in Jánuárius (i.e. the month of Janus, or January as we now call it). "A few hundred years or so after officially making January the start of the New Year, Rome replaced the Saturnalia Festival with the Festival of Christmas. "To this day, mistletoe is very strongly associated with Christmas; and to the Celtic Druids of ancient times there was nothing it seems more sacred than mistletoe: provided it grew on an oak tree. FROM: "MUMMERS IN THE VERY EARLY STAGES" at http://homepage.eircom.net/~williamfinnerty/mummers/festival.htm#ten and "SATURNALIA" at http://homepage.eircom.net/~williamfinnerty/mummers/festival.htm#thirteen ALSO, "THE THINKING BEHIND THE MUMMERS IDEA": http://homepage.eircom.net/~williamfinnerty/mummers/festival.htm#seven === === === Young local musician dressed up for the "Saturnalia" type Mummers Festival in New Inn during January 6th and 7th 2000 ...
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RELATED SET OF FACEBOOK POSTS |
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https://www.facebook.com/groups/1503748466572584/posts/3703951769885565
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