Ancient Celtic Festivals And How We Celebrate Them Today (Ages 8-12) (O)

Children love holiday celebrations but most don't know why they wear masks on Halloween or dance round the maypole on 1st of May. Now they can discover that many of our modern traditions started with the festivals of the ancient Celts. The Celts were farming people, so their festivals marked the important events of the agricultural year. Imbolc, in very early spring, celebrated the birth of new lambs, while Samhain, in late fall, celebrated the end of the growing season and the beginning of winter. If we look at our modern calendar, we'll find Halloween falling when the Celts celebrated Samhain and a host of other holiday correspondences.

In a world of electric lights and processed foods, THE ANCIENT CELTIC FESTIVALS can help children make the connections to nature that their ancestors did. Whimsically illustrated activity pages invite them to bake a harvest corn bread, stage a spring festival or warm up the cold depths of winter with hot spiced cider. Teachers, librarians, parents and children alike will welcome this book as a fun-filled resource.

• Charming full-color ink and watercolor illustrations throughout.

• This valuable resource for teachers and parents uses hands-on activities, natural science facts and observations to explore the concepts of measuring time, making calendars and marking seasonal celebrations.

• Shows how our popular holiday traditions are rooted in nature, beginning as the seasonal festivals of an ancient society.