an interactive, magical experience

last month, we gathered on ‘all hallows eve’ in collaboration with wilderthorn wild ones, to celebrate the peak of autumn and the very beginnings of winter, drawing on the ancient origins of the celtic nature-based festival ‘samhain’ (meaning ‘bright fire’) among the trees with storytelling, live music, crafts, fire, ceremony and festivities. there was live guitar, violin and drums, many songs to singalong with, ‘the little fox’ storytelling, tinder bundle making and nature wand crafting and flapjack made by graces cakes. at the end of this blog you will find one of the songs written and performed by wilderthorn wildones as well as photos from the gathering.

kin gatherings are reimagined celtic nature-based festivals. many of the occassions we know today, such as ‘halloween’, ‘easter’ and ‘christmas’ have their origins in ancient celtic festivals. these were celebrations amongst communities of people who were in close relationship with the natural world. we are taking inspiration from the nature-based traditions of celtic peoples who were very much connected to nature in a way that modern people are not. our understanding is that these traditions have not come out of any particular religion but we practiced across the culture at the time and came about organically (as opposed to being imposed as a belief system) by virtue of being connected to the land which people had to be for their very survival. many of these traditions are shared by other cultures because there was a time when everyone lived in this way and so we consider them somewhat universal - we've chosen to refer to and use the names that relate to the traditions of the uk for obvious reasons. we aim to create a culture that is respectful and inclusive of different beliefs.

“i simply love your events, they have left me and my children mesmerised, therapeutically nourished, calm peaceful, present and thoughtful. they have reignited my love and passion for being at one with nature, and fulfilled a yearning to remain connected to a world outside of the busy and hectic city, and be reminded of our ancient celtic culture. can’t wait for the next one!” ~ shay, kinship parent