Na Féilte Tine
Na Féilte Tine (The Fire Festivals) is a four-part series exploring the four indigenous Irish festivals of Samhain, Imbolg, Bealtaine and Lúnasa. The festivals have been celebrated for millennia in Ireland and in this series, we will explore their history and continual evolution as they respond to the spiritual and communal needs of the Irish in the 21st century. The symbolism and mythology central to the festivals will be examined, and we will explore the impact that these ancient traditions have on Irish culture and identity.
Episodes
Runtime: 50m
Samhain: the festival celebrated after Summer and with the arrival of Winter - when the storehouses are being filled with the fruits of the harvest, when the threshold of this world and the next is open. This relates to our myths as a tribe, as a people, as a human race.
Runtime: 50m
This episode explores the rich traditions and cultural significance of St Brigid's’ Day. Beginning in Killorglin with the Biddy Festival, Imbolg looks at the tradition of crafting effigies and other symbolic representations of the welcome to Spring. Culminating in the Killorglin Biddy's Day parade, these symbolic creations are presented to the community in a spirit of celebration with song and dance. It then explores the contemporary manifestations of ancient rituals connected to Bríd, Goddess and saint, with a group from Woman Spirit Ireland. The programme ends with the festival parades in Clondalkin and Kildare village delving deeper into the theme of Belief and how it has manifested in Ireland across the millennia.
Runtime: 50m
This episode explores the festival of ‘Bealtaine’ and the theme of Nature.
Runtime: 50m
This final episode traces the spirit of Lúnasa from myth to modern festival. The great gatherings and fairs of Lúnasa can be said to have manifested in the summer musical festivals of the modern day, with the Night & Day festival in Roscommon featured as an example of the modern equivalent. The episode includes a visit to Eamhain Mhacha, the sacred hill of Ulster and ancient ceremonial center of the North. It introduces the Armagh Rhymers and attends the vibrant contemporary Lúnasa Festival, where old customs find renewed meaning through performance, gathering, and ritual.
