Celtic paganism

Celtic paganism
Family	Indigenous / Celtic
Origin region	Celtic-speaking regions of Europe and the Atlantic world
Founding period	Iron Age and Roman periods; modern revival from the 18th century onward
Estimated adherents	Historical traditions with modern reconstructionist and neo-pagan forms.

Celtic paganism is celtic paganism refers to the pre-Christian religious traditions of Celtic-speaking peoples and later modern movements inspired by Celtic myth, sacred landscapes, seasonal festivals, and druidic imagery.

Overview

Celtic paganism is known through archaeology, classical sources, medieval Irish and Welsh literature, inscriptions, folklore, and modern reconstruction. Ancient practice varied widely by region. Modern Celtic pagan traditions may emphasize gods, ancestors, spirits of place, seasonal cycles, poetry, and ecological spirituality.

Key beliefs

Regional gods and goddesses associated with sovereignty, healing, war, craft, rivers, animals, and land
Sacred landscapes including groves, wells, rivers, hills, and boundary places
Heroic and mythic narratives preserved in later literature
Cycles of life, death, sovereignty, and seasonal change
Ancestral memory and local tradition

Practices

Seasonal rites
Offerings at sacred places
Poetry, storytelling, music, and ritual speech
Divination and omen reading in some modern traditions
Ancestor and land-spirit veneration

Places of worship

Sacred grove
Holy well
Hill or outdoor sanctuary
Home altar
Modern druid circle

Sacred texts

Irish mythological cycles
Welsh Mabinogi
Classical accounts of Gauls and Britons
Inscriptions and folklore collections

Holidays and observances

Samhain
Imbolc
Beltane
Lughnasadh
Solstice and equinox rites in some modern groups

Branches and related traditions

Druidry - Modern spiritual and religious movements inspired by druidic tradition.
Celtic Reconstructionism - A modern effort to reconstruct Celtic polytheistic practice.
Modern Paganism - A broad family of contemporary pagan movements.