them
occur over the whole Celtic area, but the fourth has now been merged in
S. Brigit's day. Beltane and Samhain marked the beginning of the two
great divisions, and were perhaps at first movable festivals, according
as the signs of summer or winter appeared earlier or later. With the
adoption of the Roman calendar some of the festivals were displaced,
e.g. in Gaul, where the Calends of January took the place of Samhain,
the ritual being also transferred.

None of the four festivals is connected with the times of equinox and
solstice. This points to the fact that originally the Celtic year was
independent of these. But Midsummer day was also observed not only by
the Celts, but by most European folk, the ritual resembling that of
Beltane. It has been held, and an old tradition in Ireland gives some
support to the theory, that under Christian influences the old pagan
feast of Beltane was merged in that of S. John Baptist on Midsummer
day.[891] But, though there are Christian elements in the Midsummer
ritual, denoting a desire to bring it under Church influence, the pagan
elements in folk-custom are strongly marked, and the festival is deeply
rooted in an earlier paganism all over Europe. Without much acquaintance
with astronomy, men must have noted the period of the sun's longest
course from early times, and it would probably be observed ritually. The
festivals of Beltane and Midsummer may have arisen independently, and
entered into competition with each other. Or Beltane may have been an
early pastoral festival marking the beginning of summer when the herds
went out to pasture, and Midsummer a more purely agricultural festival.
And since their ritual aspect and purpose as seen in folk-custom are
similar, they may eventually have borrowed each from the other. Or they
may be later separate fixed dates of an earlier movable summer festival.
For our purpose we may here consider them as twin halves of such a
festival. Where Midsummer was already observed, the influence of the
Roman calendar would confirm that observance. The festivals of the
Christian year also affected the older observances. Some of the ritual
was transferred to saints' days within the range of the pagan festival
days, thus the Samhain ritual is found observed on S. Martin's day. In
other cases, holy days took the place of the old festivals--All Saints'
and All Souls' that of Samhain, S. Brigit's day that of February 1st, S.
John Baptist's day that of Midsu