The bag is held by the player between the arm and the side of the chest. Typically, the bag is made of an animal skin. The bagpipe is a highly preferred instrument to play at funerals because this device sounds mournful and seems to express the deep grievance of the soul, an ineffable mourning that cannot be expressed with words.īagpipes also referred to as the set of pipes or the stand of pipes, are a woodwind instrument that uses enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Bagpipes are very important in the Celtic culture as well as in the Scottish and Irish cultures. Speaking of death, one interesting and well known actuality of the Celtic tradition is the sound of bagpipes playing at funerals. Traditionally, the spirits are present at birth, special occasions and at death. These forces guide, protect, heal and enlighten. And healing is interconnected to the offering made.Īll in all, the Celtics believe that pervading spiritual forces are present in every thing that they do. The conditions of the trees reflect or mirror the wellbeing of the land. Kinship and healing is directly linked to the spirits in nature. Celts make home many sacred spots in nature such as dark tree groves in which to hang ornamental offerings to the gods and goddesses. They believe that spirits reside in trees and that plants have protective powers. Spirits of nature is based on the Celtics’ strong belief in transcendent and mythological guides or forces. The Celtic calendar heavily influences how the Celtics live their lives. The Celtic calendar is split into two parts, summer and winter, which is a way to reconcile lunations and the solar year. They believe in gods, healing and kinship.Ĭalendrical beliefs are related to special events in the Celtic calendar. In Celtic polytheism, the Celts take calendar days and weeks very seriously. The modern day Celtics hold many rituals and traditions dear. There are currently six nations that tend to be the most associated with the modern day Celtic identity and are considered to be the Celtic nations: Ireland, Cornwall, Wales, Britain, Scotland and Isle of Man.īy text book definition, culture is the customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or other social group. Though their identity evolved during the nineteenth century, the modern day Celts have maintained the tradition of the Iron Age Celts by continuing to share similar language, culture, beliefs and artistic histories no matter their home country. The sun, moon and stars were especially important because the Celts found the celestial bodies to be supernatural forces in every aspect of the natural world. The Iron Age Celtics worshiped gods and goddesses in places they deemed sacred such as rivers, lakes, bushes and cliffs. The Celtic religion was closely tied to the natural world. Incidentally, the Iron Age began at the discovery of a new metal called iron and when the production of iron advanced to the point where iron tools such as weapons replaced the use of bronze. Albeit, Celtic paganism was one of the larger groups of the Iron Age roughly between five-hundred BCE to 500 CE. In spite of the fact that throughout the years the Celts migrated across Europe and set roots in Turkey, Ireland, Britain and Spain, this population of people still shared similar beliefs, language and culture. The Celts were seen as having an inner spirituality that endured and shone even after their religion had been destroyed by the authoritarian rule of Rome. The Celts were considered rustic and primitive who were far more spiritual, poetic, and freer from imposed doctrines than their neighbors. The ancient Celts were a collection of people whose beginnings originated in central Europe.

Bagpipe player for funeral