Wicker Man

In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions

Reconstruction of Celtic tradition of burning wicker fires.

Despite being covered in a classic 1970's horror film, the tradition which the Celts named 'Wicker Man' had a much more innocent purpose, They would burn the wicker man at night on their equivalent of Halloween, which fell at the end of the Celtic year and represented an important milestone in the Celtic calendar. This was done to appease their gods of fire.
From: The Celts A Pagan Trinity
First broadcast : 28 May 1987

Teachers' notes

Age Group : 7-9

Subject : History

Topic : Celts

Keywords : Celtic religion, God of fire, Celtic gods, Wicker man, Halloween,

Notes : Points to study - What type of religion did the Celts have? Which gods did they worship? Who is being worshipped here?


BBC © 2014 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.