Thread: I was recently told about an Irish family who didn’t have a ‘Christmas’ tree as they were not Christians. My sister was happy to tell them that actually the decoration of sacred trees is an ancient Irish-Celtic tradition due to my research. Here’s the facts

Sacred trees are found everywhere in Ireland. Some are said to be healing & others have roles in divination & identity Many were appropriated by the early Christian Church & Celtic Gods they represented turned to Christian Saints. Irish nature & heritage inspires my art work too.

The name for a sacred tree is a Bile in Irish. This is pronounced ’Bill-eh’. Some Irish place names record these trees & often appear Anglicised as ‘billy, villa, villy, bella’. An example is Rathvilly in Carlow & many town lands including Annaghvilla in Leitrim.

One role of a Bile was as symbol of a kingdom or people. (Similar to the American view of their flag). It was a grievous act to chop down a sacred tree & meant all out, no holds barred, war. There’s an interesting summary of such scenarios in the link: http://irisharchaeology.ie/2013/08/sacred-trees-in-early-ireland/

My own original drawings include Celtic inspiration in my love of pattern, colour & line - take a look! https://twitter.com/robertbohan/status/1329844134933356546

These trees are dotted across Ireland & even occur in urban areas. They have ancient ancestry & are associated with traditions. The site is the key thing with one tree often handing over to the next, as it grows old. Bile is pronounced ‘Bill-eh’ in Kerry Irish.

In Celtic religion trees, woods, mountains, cairns, wells & other features could be the abode of a god. Thus the association of trees & offerings. The tree itself could be sacred or may, by a process of translation, become the locus of a god from a living place nearby.

Fairy trees (often Hawthorns) were associated with fertility & healing - the Church appropriated some as MayBushes & dedicated them to the Virgin - even hanging them with fertility symbols - eggs. (This was Bealtaine) Bad luck is said to haunt those foolish enough to attack them

A number of trees are scattered across the country, termed Rag Trees. They are associated with healing & have articles of those who wish to be cured hung from their branches. They are often associated with holy wells or ancient (3-4th C) graveyards.

There’s a fine example at St Brigid’s Well in Clondalkin. It’s healing powers were associated with eyesight & articles were dipped in the water, rubbed on the eye/forehead & hung from the tree. Again we have locus of Christianity, paganism, well & tree.

A feature of Sacred Trees was the power of prophecy or divination. A tree in the Midlands used to have coins pushed into it to ensure that the act would bring the migrant home (sadly it died of metal poisoning). The tree was beside a Relig (circular shaped 3-4th C graveyard).

The trees are mostly protected by superstition with the belief that cutting one down would bring ‘bad cess to you’ (Bad luck). A famous example of this is the Fairy Tree & the Motorway:
https://thejournal.ie/fairy-bush-co-clare-4604485-Apr2019/?amp=1

Sacred woods are mentioned in early medieval writings. These were places of sanctuary when people were attacked. We know of only one Daingean Choill (Fortress Wood) that survives & thats Reenadinna Yew Wood nr Killarney. It has an unearthly beauty

The survival of the over 2,000 year old tradition past the 1840s great hunger is remarkable. Some trees were associated with Saints & had annual masses. In many 19th C houses holly & ivy were placed above the kitchen hearth.

It is this ancient association of trees with sanctity which made the continental pagan tradition of bringing trees inside so popular in Ireland in the 20th C. So decorating a tree with lights & hope at the darkest time of the year has ancient Irish roots.

Here’s more on my artwork. For Christmas I have a gift for you, when you buy an original drawing - you can choose a second free!. Happy Holidays (ancient & new). https://twitter.com/robertbohan/status/1329342101373542400

The photos in this thread were taken from official sources where possible. If however one of them is yours, I will be happy to identify your work or if you prefer delete it. The thread is for educational purposes only.