Concetti Chiave
- The Celts, who settled in Britain during the Iron Age, were tribes of warriors with distinct social structures, where women had equal rights and could own property.
- They practiced iron working, significantly impacting trade and agriculture, thus promoting local independence due to the accessibility and cost-effectiveness of iron.
- Celtic culture was transmitted orally through bards, with religious rites conducted in natural settings like woods and near sacred waters.
- The origins of Halloween trace back to the Celts, who believed in spirits returning on the night of October 31st, prompting the use of costumes and fires to ward off evil.
- Modern Halloween customs, such as wearing costumes and making lanterns from pumpkins, have roots in medieval Irish traditions associated with All Souls Day.
The Celts
During the Iron Age the Celts settled in the country between about 500 and 100 BC. They are tribes of warriors composed by numerous clan with its own social structure and customs.
However the women were equal to men. In fact they choose the man they wanted to marry and retained their own property. There were also warrior women like Bodicea who was queen.
Then they relied on the oral transmission of culture, especially through bards.
They introduced the iron working in Britain with amazing effects. It affected trade and helped develop local independence because iron was quite cheap and easily available. Furthermore, they practiced agriculture using iron plough, which made the cultivation of the soil easier.
But we don't know if the hill forts were built by the Celts as they moved into hostile territory or by the native Britons to defend themselves. Hill forts consisted of a small ditch and bank surrounding a hilltop. However we know that they lived in huts made of timber with thatched roofs.
The origins of Halloween
The Celts believed that the witches and the ghosts returned that night and that evil spirits entered the body of person or animal. For this reason they used to wear frightening costumes and make fires to send the spirits away. Later, the Roman Catholic Church decided to call November 1st "All Hollows Day" and the evening of October 31st became "All Hollows Eve"
Nowadays is used to wear costumes for take a part a party or "trick or treating". This custom originated in the 9th century in Ireland, where on November 2nd - All Souls Day - Christians used to walk from village to village begging for "soul cakes", made of bread with currants. More soul cake so more prayers for dead relatives. Furthermore the custom of buying a pumpkin and making a lantern comes from Irish folklore and it served to send away the evil spirits.
Domande da interrogazione
- Chi erano i Celti e quale impatto hanno avuto in Gran Bretagna?
- Quali erano le credenze dei Celti riguardo alla notte di Halloween?
- Come si è evoluta la tradizione di Halloween nel tempo?
I Celti erano tribù di guerrieri che si stabilirono in Gran Bretagna durante l'Età del Ferro, tra il 500 e il 100 a.C. Introdussero la lavorazione del ferro, che influenzò il commercio e favorì l'indipendenza locale. Le donne erano considerate uguali agli uomini e potevano scegliere il loro marito e mantenere la propria proprietà.
I Celti credevano che la notte di Halloween le streghe e i fantasmi tornassero e che gli spiriti maligni potessero entrare nei corpi di persone o animali. Per allontanare questi spiriti, indossavano costumi spaventosi e accendevano fuochi.
La tradizione di Halloween si è evoluta quando la Chiesa Cattolica Romana ha istituito il 1° novembre come "All Hollows Day" e la sera del 31 ottobre come "All Hollows Eve". Oggi, le persone indossano costumi per partecipare a feste o fare "dolcetto o scherzetto", una tradizione che ha origine nel IX secolo in Irlanda.
Accedi a tutti gli appunti
Tutor AI: studia meglio e in meno tempo
