So what is a Celtic person’s religion?
The human head was held as sacred by the Celts and if you had a human head on the table in your home, your neighbours would have been especially impressed. The heads were thought to have supernatural powers from beyond. They would cut off the heads of their enemies and attach them to the reins of their horses before embalming them in cedar oil to preserve them and keep them as trophies.
For criminals, they would often construct wicker men and fill the huge wicker contraptions with their enemies and set it alight. It is said that some people would throw themselves into the flames voluntarily to offer themselves to the many gods that the Celts worshipped.
The Celts loved brightly coloured clothes, and tartan from Scotland was probably born from Celtic fashion. They even painted their bodies with colourful paint to produce patterned decorations. If you happened to be an important member of the tribe, you would probably wear a gold, silver or iron torc, again decorated with patterns.
The Celtic soldiers would tie their hair back or sometimes spike their hair up. If you were a very important soldier you would probably be sporting a bronze helmet. Celtic soldiers would paint patterns on their shields. What the Celts lacked in writing systems they made up for in art. They were arguably one of the most artistic cultures around.
The Celts had multiple gods and goddesses and would offer sacrifices to the gods. They would even throw weapons and gifts into rivers or lakes or any place that they considered sacred. The Druids were the Celts’ priests and were very well respected.
And after 400 years of occupation by the Romans, it is nice to see that Celtic tradition still lives on in Scotland, Wales, Cornwall and Brittany. Many people even still regard themselves as Celts, albeit mostly dreadlocked-haired, new age individuals playing acoustic guitars and wearing Bob Marley T-shirts .
