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New Year » Countrywise » Irish New Year
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Irish New Year
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The Irish New Year festival is recognized as Samhain which meant summer ends. New Year marked the beginning of a better tomorrow. Ireland is famous for superstitions and traditions - many of which have surrounded the New Year's celebrations. Very long ago in Ireland it was customary to start a new year with a clean house, so houses were completely cleaned as it was thought that a spotless house was to be good sign for the year ahead.
Irish New Years Eve
1st November is the day when the Celtic celebrated New Year, which is the Celtic feast of Samhain. The word Samhain means "summer's end", and is the most vital festival of the Celts. The Celts have celebrated the opposite forces of life like summer and winter, darkness and light, night and day, death and life. The Celtic New Year starts with An Geamhradh, the starting of the dark Celtic winter and ends with Am Foghar, the Celtic harvest. Samhain celebrations are held to symbolize the starting of An Geamhradh and the Celtic New Year.
Custome on Oidhche Shamhna contain providing hospitality to the dead ancestors. They greeting the dead with drink and food and left the doors and windows of their homes open for the dead to enter. But all spirits from the Otherworld were not well; there were wicked spirits too. To keep wicked spirits away from their home, they carved picture of spirit-guardians onto turnips and put them at the doors of their homes. Boys and girls dress up as members of the opposite sex and play pranks on the elders. When the clock signals the New Year at midnight of 31st December people start exchanging New Year Wishes with their dear ones. While personal greetings along with a warm hug is given to people SMS, emails and New Year cards are sent to dear one's staying in different cities or countries.
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