Exhibition: Sacred Brittany, Celtic Brittany

Sacred Brittany, Celtic Brittany: the calendar, festivals and their folk traditions Are Celtic festivals part of a distant past that is gone forever? What is the significance of the Tromenies, the festivals of St John’s Day and Christmas, and the tradition of hanging a beech branch on houses in early May? Today we are faced with a highly scattered heritage, a sort of jigsaw puzzle whose pieces represent myths, tales and legends, and research across various disciplines such as archaeology, ethnology, topometry and hagiography…; a puzzle whose pieces are a delight to piece together. The exhibition, curated by Hélène Barazer, brings to light a past that is still very much present: the solstice festivals echo ancient celebrations in honour of a sun god, Samhain has become All Saints’ Day… all structured around the division of the year following a Celtic lunisolar calendar. A brief journey through time and space, through the traditions, rites and popular beliefs of today, in search of those traces of a vanished past that are discernible everywhere... on the surface, at least! Themes: The sun and the moon; Some key Celtic principles; The Celtic year; Day and night; The stag and the wolf; The winter solstice; The summer solstice; The four Druidic festivals: Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh