PAGANISM(and the Festival of Lugh)NOT TO MENTION THE SIGNIF ICANCE OF THE ABOVE IN IRELAND

PAGANISM

• Paganism is the idea of worshipping the land, and life

• Before the Catholic Church got their righteous mitts all over it, Ireland was a Pagan country.

• Come to think of it, so was England.

• And Scotland.

• Either way, the Catholics busied themselves with thoroughly purging Paganism from the British isles by any means they were allowed to.

TO WHAT EXTENT WAS PAGANISM IMPORTANT?

• Paganism was fairly important in the sense that it had all the cool festivals. December the 25th, what we know as Christmas day was not Christmas day to the Pagans; they called it Yule.

• They also had the festival of life and rebirth and babies, which we know as Easter. That’s where the egg symbol for new life originates.

• There is one festival that a certain play looks at.

DANCING AT HALLOWE’EN NO, BLAST, THAT’S NOT RIGHT

DANCING AT LUGHNASATHAT’S MORE L IKE IT

LUGHNASA

• Lughnasa is a Pagan festival of harvest.

• The idea of the whole show is to thank Lugh (pronounced Loo) for giving out a good harvest, and not letting people die of famine.

• This thanks is shown by having a sod-off-massive bonfire and dancing around it.

• Kate describes this behaviour as “savage” (seemingly disregarding how awesome such an activity would be).

• Incidentally, Lughnasa is on the 1st of August this year.

WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS IN THE PLAY?

• Well, on a basic level, Lugh is the God of life, and thanking him is normally shown through dance. The sisters are barely eking out an existence in Ballybeg, and by dancing uncontrollably, they come to life, as their real selves.

• In this state, they are liberated, no longer bound by their situation. After this point, they all become reasonable Catholics again, and stop living.

• This is understandable, a Catholic party is on the Right, with a Pagan party on the left. Can you tell who looks more alive?

THAT WAS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF PAGANISM AND LUGH IN DANCING AT BONFIRE NIGHTWAIT, NO

DANCING AT LUGHNASAWE CAN SEE FROM THE PLAY THAT PAGANISM REMAINS IN ALL S ISTERS, EVEN IN JACK, WHO IS SUPPOSEDLY A MISSIONARY.