Cuardiocht - Ancestral Storytelling Ceremony
In the Celtic calendar, Samhain is a time for honouring those who have gone before us, when the veils of the world are thinnest and the ancestors come close to blend their love and wisdom. Cuardiocht (night visiting) is one of our ancestral traditions, the practice of taking the time to spend time with friends and neighbours, to talk about the weather and the times, tell stories, sing songs, tend the hearthfire, drink from the cauldron of community. It is the cornerstone of our cultural inheritance, the ground on which all of our traditions stand. A place of welcome, for friend or stranger, where the door was always open and the kettle was always on the hob. So we will hold a Cuardiocht, in honour of our ancestors, and in honour of the values they held so dear - hospitality, openness, inclusion - so dear, they were enshrined in Brehon law.
A sacred space will be created in which participants are invited to light a candle and say the name of a loved one who has passed on, or to share a story, poem or song in their memory. And Paddy will share his own memories of Cuardiocht, having grown up in a traditional 'open house' where people came to cuardiocht, to while away dark winter nights and keep the heartfire burning from age to age.
You are welcome to come to listen or share your memories
