Concert: Harvest Eve Concert (AUTUMNal Equinox)

Harvest Eve Concert

This program explores the manner in which the Fall and harvest season reflected the ancient cycle of the year for the ancient Irish and Celts.  Tunes such as "Harvest Moon Jig" and "O Boro Braindaí" reflect Harvest as a time of joy and reflection.

According to Minogue  “the old Irish wheel of the year was connected to the agricultural cycle.  They believed that at certain ‘power’ points in the year, including the Solstices and Equinoxes, the veil between the worlds was very thin and made for easier contact with the supernatural.”    

This show can run from late Summer to Halloween

The dead (old) leaves fall like noiseless rain,

The air is calm and warm and sweet;

Upon the woodland and the plain

The ghost of summer rests her feet

Clinton Scollard (2005 Farmers Alamanc)

 

Harvest to Halloween

Áine has done extensive research regarding Celtic solstice and equinox traditions and unearthed some unusual and haunting selections from Scotland, Wales, Brittany and Ireland.

Áine will perform on the Irish harp and sing to highlight the beauty of the fall season and the rich Celtic heritage of the harp. Her songs will be in both Gaelic and English and she may even add a line or two of poetry....

Happy Harvest!

Here is so more info on the old Celtic Calendar:

The Celtic cycle of the year was marked by four major "fire festivals": Beltaine (May 1) ,Lughnasadh, (August 1) Imbolc,(February 1) and of course Samhain(October 31) or Halloween, as it has come to be known These boundaries marked the new season, and allowed for movement between the worlds as lines along which the supernatural were thought to break through to the surface of existence.

These “fire” festivals, as they were known revolved around the agricultural cycle of the year, and they led the people in the union of practical life and the earthly world with that of the spirit.

During these seasonal feasts, the veil between the worlds was thought to be lifted, the obstacles removed, the laws of space suspended, and communion with one's ancestors became a distinct possibility. They celebrated freedom from addiction to the purely visible, in the age-old premise of a life beyond this one, in which our ancestors are no further away than the next world. And that world itself being rather close by.

Beltaine occurred on the First of May, May Day, and marked the beginning of the "light half" of the year. It was symbolized by the white flowering hawthorn tree, around which ritual dancing took place to ensure a good harvest (Lughnasadh – August 1) later that year.

Samhain or Halloween occurred on October 31 and marked the beginning of the “dark half” of the year.

Samhain was the feast that marked the end of the "light half" of the year and the beginning of the "dark half." The light half was that of the people, the dark half belonged to the earth, the cycle of time being expressed in the basic duality of darkness and light. Samhain, or Halloween as it has come to be known, was actually New Year's Eve in the Celtic calendar. For the Celts, the dark always preceded the light, and day began at dusk, not dawn. The children's tradition of otherworldly creatures coming to life on Halloween has its origins in the ancient feast of Samhain. The custom of dressing up in costume was commonplace. It was acceptable to stretch the boundaries by assuming a different identity to welcome the supernatural.

"In her unique Halloween performance, Aine casts a spell on her audience with her ethereal voice, the incredible music she makes on her harp, and the stories she tells of old Ireland. Working with Aine is a pleasure: she is a true professional and a fantastic performer who always draws--and pleases--an audience."

Lauren Wolk, Cultural Center of Cape Cod
http://www.cultural-center.org.

Full house in MV

Martha's Vineyard