Celtic Festival Weeks

The Wheel of the Year

The Celtic Festivals celebrate the times where the turning of the Wheel of the Year becomes tangible through the changes that can be seen, felt, heard, smelled and tasted in the natural world around us. The change in light and temperature, in the colours and growth of trees, flowers, crops, in the food we harvest and eat, in the sounds and scents carried on the breeze and in the rhythms of our own personal life. Each season holds different qualities and experiences - outer changes reflecting within our inner landscape.

The Eight Celtic Festivals

Every significant seasonal change is celebrated in one of the eight Celtic Festivals, which are honouring the four big solar events of the year - the solstices and equinoxes - and the midpoints between them. The four quarter festivals mark the the longest day of the year (Summer Solstice) and the longest night of the year (Winter Solstice). Spring and Autumn Equinox mark the two times of the year where day and night are of equal length all around the planet.  At the midpoint between each Solstice and Equinox are the four cross-quarter festivals: Imbolc in the beginning of February, Beltane on the night to the first of May, Lughnasadh in the beginning of August and Samhain on the night to the first of November.

Outer, Inner and Other Worlds

Each festival carries its own energy which is closely connected to the seasonal changes in nature. The yearly cycle of sowing, growing, ripening and dying. These changes in our outer world are mirrored by the seasonal changes of our inner world: In spring and summer we move forward with new dreams, ideas and projects and in autumn and winter we withdraw into our inner worlds to rest and dream into our future.

During many of the Celtic Festivals it is said that the veil between the worlds is thinning and contact to the otherworld more easily made. So each festival offers us the opportunity to let go, transform, renew and manifest our dreams and desires with the love and support of the unseen worlds.

Celebrate the Magic of the Celtic Festival Weeks at Erraid

On Erraid we invite you to step into the heart of Celtic traditions, where each festival offers a doorway into the dance that moves within ancient rhythms and elemental forces, calling you to reconnect with nature, spirit, and self. These sacred times mark our deepest connections with all our kindred spirits of the unseen worlds which are part of land, sea, sun, and air — each homecoming reunion becoming a celebration, a vibrant dance with the shifting energies of the year.

Every week is crafted around one of the eight Celtic festivals, honouring the ancient cycles of nature and life through meditation, ritual, and co-creation with fellow participants. From the promise of Imbolc’s budding life to the peak of summer’s light at Solstice, from Beltane’s fiery passion to Samhain’s mysterious veil between worlds, each festival embodies the magic of transformation.

Join us to experience the powerful renewal and mystical momentum these times bring by connecting to the earth’s cycles of transition and harmonising these outer energies with your inner journey. Together, we light fires, share stories, and honour both our ancestors and our dreams, our past and future, fostering a profound connection that grounds and uplifts.

Come to Erraid and feel the deep pulse of the Celtic spirituality which is anchored in the island's ancient landscape and nourishes your spirit with every turning of the Wheel. Embrace the mystical, timeless essence of these sacred traditions and find your place within their rhythms.