Gaelic and Celtic Customs
from the Hebrides and BeyondIndex
Fada's Farsaing (Gaelic for "Far and Wide") is a series of articles by Liam O Caiside in English but with Gaelic words and phrases interwoven in the text. The articles describe a wide range of Gaelic and Celtic customs and culture. These pages were originally published in the "Scottish Radiance" e-magazine and have been reproduced here with the kind permission of the Scottish Radiance editor, Sharma Krauskopf.
- Candlemas - Là Fhèill Brìghde - Traditions associated with St. Bridget's day and an even more ancient goddess, Brigantia.
- Proverbs - "The old saying long held true shall never be belied."
- Beltane and the Coming of Summer - The origins and traditions of Bealtainn, a quarterly feast that marks the beginning of summer and the "light" or fertile half of the year.
- Hallowmas / Halloween - This was the celebration of the beginning of winter known in the time of the Druids as 'Samhain'.
- The Shetland Trows - trows are little people who lived in underground caverns in the hills.
- The Njuggle and The Brownies - Two more creatures from the folklore of the Shetland Islands
- Hunt the Gowk - Scottish traditions for April 1
- Michaelmas - The feast day of St Michael (the patron saint of sailors) is celebrated on September 29th each year.
- Identifying a Future Partner - Old Scottish Methods to Find Your Future Mate
- Marriage Customs in Scotland - Some of the customs which used to be prevalent in Scotland and some which have survived to this day.
- Legend of Lucky White Heather - Why White Heather Became Regarded as "lucky".
- Weddings in Shetland, Caithness, West Lothian and Uig on Skye - Different wedding traditions in different parts of Scotland
- Selkirk Grace in Scots and Gaelic - This grace is used extensively in Scotland and by people of Scottish descent all over the world, especially at Burns' Suppers
- Oatcakes - From early times made on a griddle to modern ones bought in a supermarket!
- Naming Customs - First name sequences for boys and girls and sources of surnames in Scotland.
- St Andrew - The story of how St Andrew became the patron saint of Scotland
- Feast of St Barr - The island of Barra in the Western Isles is named after this saint
- Up Helly_Aa - The Shetland Islands' 'hot' party on the last Tuesday in January
- Battle of Stirling Bridge - On 11 September 1297, the forces of Andrew de Moray and William Wallace defeated the combined English forces in the First War of Scottish Independence, near Stirling, on the River Forth.
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