A Celebration of Arthurian Tradition

If you and your loved one are considering getting married in a Celtic-themed ceremony — for instance, exchanging Celtic wedding rings or claddagh wedding rings — Christmas time is a good time for this. Many of the roots of Christmas as we now know it stem from Alban Arthuan, the Celtic equivalent of Christmas.

Alban Arthuan is celebrated on the winter solstice, December 21. Translated into English, the name means “The Light of Arthur.” The holiday is also called Yule, and many of the traditions were adopted by Christianity. In fact, you would be surprised how many of the Christian traditions you are familiar with actually have Celtic roots! But we’ll talk about that more in a future post.

The name Alban Arthuan, or “The Light of Arthur,” is assumed by many to refer to King Arthur. Legend had it that King Arthur was born on the winter solstice, much like Christian tradition celebrates Jesus’ birthday on December 25. Although the name may refer to one of the purposes of the holiday — celebrating the rebirth of the sun, and the coming of longer days — legend also had it that the great King Arthur was sleeping in a mountain. Someday when his people needed him again, he would awaken and return to save them.

Arthurian legend has gone through many changes over the years. The earliest accounts in literature hailed him as a great warrior rather than a king, while later writings established many of the legends of King Arthur that are still well known today. All of these legends of Arthur establish him as a hero in the fight against the 6th century Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain.

The legends of King Arthur may also have stemmed from earlier myths about a god named Artaius, found in the early mythology of the Celtic country, Gaul. Many of the other names in Arthurian legend can be found in Gaulic mythology, as well: Gwenhwyvar (Guinevere), Myrddin (Merlin), and Medrawt (Mordred), just to name a few. Some scholars theorize that the god Artaius evolved into a legendary warrior and king, who was credited with doing great things in battle and as a ruler. In fact, his feats may have been real, just performed by many different people instead of just one man. The Celts needed a savior, and they found one in Arthur.

Regardless of how the Arthur legends came about, one thing is for sure: The Christmas season is rich with Celtic heritage, and therefore a meaningful time for lovers to exchange Celtic wedding rings.