"Meet the Celts"

CELTS:

During the Iron Age( ca 600 BC-50 AD), a Celtic culture established itself throughout the British Isles.

WHO WERE THE CELTS?

• The Celts were tribes of warrior who shared a similar language,religion and culture.The Romans,who fought against them,reported about their culture but presented them as barbarians.

WHEN DID THEY COME TO BRITAIN?

• It is not correct to say that they invaded Britain. They gradually settled in the country between about 500 and 100 BC.

WHAT DID THEY BRING TO THE BRITISH ISLES?

• They bought ironworking to the Britain Isles, which had amazing effects. It affected trade and helped develop local indipendence because iron was quit cheap and easily available.

DID THE CELTS BUILD HILL FORTS?

• 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 (fosso) and bank surrounding a hilltop.(sopra una collina).

WHAT WAS THE BASIC UNIT OF CELTS LIFE?

•  It was the clan,which was like today's extended family.

WERE CLANS BOUND TOGETHER?

• Yes, clans joined together with other clans to form tribes,each with its own social structure and customs.

WHERE DID THE CELTS LIVE?

•  They lived in huts made of timber with thatched roofs.(Capanne in legno con tetti di paglia)

WERE THEY FARMERS?(agricoltori)

• The Celts practised agriculture when they were not fighting in wars. They introduced the iron plough, (aratro) which made the cultivation of the soil easier. In the countryside in Britain it is still possible to see the long and narrow pattern of the Celtic field.(stretti modelli di campo celtico).

 WHAT WAS THE ROLE OF WOMEN?

•  They were almost equal to men. They could choose the man they wanted to marry and retained their own property. They could also lead other warriors in war,like Boadicea- a warrior queen of the early Britons who fought against the Romans.

DID THE CELTS WRITE LITERATURE?

•  They relied on the oral transmission of culture,especially through bards. Much of what we know of their traditions comes to us today through the old tales( racconti) and poems that were handed down (tramandati) for generations before being written down.

WHAT DID THEY WORSHIP?

• They worshipped ( adoravano) the natural elements,like the sun, the moon and water. They held          (praticavano) their religious rites in the woods and near the sacred water of wells and springs.

Approfondimenti:

THE ORIGINS OF HALLOWEEN:

October 31(st) is Halloween. This festivity has Celtic origins: in the 5(th) century BC, the Celts believed taht summer ended on October 31(st). The holiday was called Samhain and celebrated the start of winter and of the new year. The Celts believed that ghosts and witches returned on that night and that evil spirits entered the body of a person or animal. This is why they used to wear frightening costumes ( costumi spaventosi) and make big fires to send the spirits away. Later, Christian practices replaced pagan ones; the Roman Catholic Church decided to call November 1(st) all Hallows Day' or ' All Saints Day' and the evening of October 31(st) became ' All Hollows Eve'(vigilia)- that is Halloween.

Nowadays at Halloween children and teenagers wear skeleton,which,ghost and monster costumes for parties and 'trick or treating'(dolcetto o scherzetto). They visit they neighbours house and when the door opens , they say' Trick or treat'? and people usually give then sweets or money. This costum originated in the 9(th) century in Ireland, where on November 2(nd)- All souls Day- Christians used to walk from village to village begging for 'soul cakes', made of bread with currants.(ribes)

The more 'soul cakes' the beggars ( mendicanti) received, the more prayers they promised to say for dead relatives.(promettevano preghiere per i parenti defunti).

The custom of buying a big pumpkin and making a lantern comes from Irish folklore.(Acquistare una zucca e posizionarci una lanterna).
Irish people put lit, hollowed-out turnips in front of their windows and in their garden to frighten evil spirits away.

Origini di Halloween:( video):