Celts Celebrate a New Year

Pumpkin carving, trick or treating, costumes and scary stories mean Halloween to most Americans, but to descendants of the seven Celtic nations (Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, Brittany, Isle of Man, Galicia), it means New Year’s Eve and the dawn of winter.

The Celts believed that time stopped at midnight on Oct. 31, allowing communication with the Other World. That’s probably where stories of ghosts and goblins originated centuries ago, said Sean Walsh, director of the Celtic Arts Center. A Celtic calendar dating to the 1st Century refers to the “Three Nights of the End of Summer” festival. Jack-o’-lanterns carved out of turnips were put outside the doors to guard against unfriendly Other Worldies, young people in disguises would pretend to be returning dead or creatures of the other world, and mystical stories were told.

“They bobbed for apples, pretended to be the dead, played tricks on elders, food was put out--it was the most important day of the Celtic year,” Walsh said.

The celebration of the New Year continues with the Celtic Arts Center’s annual New Year Music and Dance Festival at the Ivar Theatre, 1605 Ivar St., Hollywood, on Sunday from 2 p.m. to midnight. The event will raise money to rebuild the center, destroyed by fire last year. Celtic music and mythology will be featured, along with workshops in Gaelic language and history, traditional foods and Ceili dancing. The event is $10, children under 16 are free. For reservations, call (213) 660-8587.