Tag Archives: Gaulish Custom

Adaððus Aidoniâs (Hearth Rite)

Aidonâ is the sacred fire, the hearth personified in your home or wherever a flame is present. She is our Hearth Deuos.

Aidonâ is a reconstructed hearth goddess whose name derives from aidus, meaning flame, fire, or ardor. This rite follows a structure widely attested across Proto-Indo-European religious traditions, adapted here for Bessus Nouiogalation. Your hearth is where your flame resides—whether a fireplace or a single candle—Aidonâ is there with you. Our Adaððus Aidoniâs, is designed to be simple and accessible. Members are encouraged to perform this rite at least once a week, as it strengthens your Dêuocariâ (Piety), Luxtiâ (Duty), Decos (Honor), and helps nurture Sumatreiâ (good relationship) as well as Cantos Roti (Gifting Cycle).

This rite helps your connection within our Touta and with the Dêuoi. Since Aidonâ is present in all homes, she unites us across our Touta.

Below is the Adaððus Aidoniâs with an invocation to Galatos, our Toutatis. You may substitute invocations for other Dêuoi or Regentiâ as you see fit.

  • A list of invocations can be found here.
  • Daily devotional structure can be found here.
  • Guidance on creating a sacred space and offerings can be found here.

1. Glanosâgon (Purification)

Wash hands and say:
Glanolamâs – “Clean hands”

Swipe your forehead and say:
Glanobritus – “Clean mind”

Swipe down your face with both hands and say:
Glananation – “Clean soul”
(Based on the belief that the soul resides in the head.)

2. Louceton (Lighting the Flame)

Light the Dagilâ(s) candle(s).

Gaulish:
Dauiûmî aidun sondon Aidoniâs

English:
I light this flame of Aidonâ

Demarcate your sacred space:

  • Demarcation (fixing the boundary) of our space happens with circumambulation (walking a ritual circle) to outline our space.
    If you have mobility issues or no space, you can use your hand and circle over the flame.
  • Move sunwise around the flame three times, passing Ponem (Mugwort) lit from the fire.
    Three represents Drus.
  • Mugwort is an herb of connection, used for purification, calming the spirit, and aligning oneself with the cycles.

Visualize:

  • Roots in Dubnos (below)
  • Trunk in Bitus (middle)
  • Canopy in Albios (above)

As you move, recite:

Gaulish:
Albios ux nos, Bitus ambi nos, Dumnos uo anse, exugriûmî in sindon mediolanon do legiû nemeti mou. Aidona aidus tou berait teððin eti leucetun, ac cei butâ tou anauâit comadberon anson.
datiûmî addatun sindon tei

English:
Albios above us, Bitus around us, and Dumnos below us. I enter this sacred center to establish my nemeton.
Aidonâ, may your flame bring warmth and illumination, enriching our communion.
I offer you this gift.

3. Gatekeeper (Optional)

The Gatekeeper mediates between realms. For BNG, Carnonos is our Gatekeeper, a guardian of thresholds and liminal spaces. Carnonos embodies chthonic and intermediary qualities, guiding transitions and ensuring safe passage between realms.

Gaulish:
Adgariomos/Adgariūmī Carnonon
Ancorios mantalon
Agios matos alami
Arxiomos/Arxiumi agnî eri adaððun sondon
Uêdiâs anson/imon cluâontor
Rodâmos/Rodâmî addatus etic bratun tê

English:
We/I call upon Carnonos
Opener of the ways
Wise guide of the herd
We/I ask for your guidance during this rite
May our/my prayers be heard
We/I give offering and thanks to you

Note: If you invoke Carnonos later in a main invocation, this step can be skipped.

4. Adgarion (Invocation to the Dêuoi)

Prayer Position:

Our words are not the only part of communicating. Our position of how we hold ourselves helps us communicate. It allows us to focus our thoughts.

  • Stand with your elbows close to your sides
  • Hands outstretched, palms up

Example: Invocation to Galatos, Toutatis

Gaulish:
Adgarion Galatû Toutatî
Adgariomos/Adgariūmī Toutaton
Latis Toutiâs
Nertos urittosergios
Uernos Anson
Anegestûnis etic rodîestû tancon
Rodâmos/Rodâmî addatus etic bratun tê
Addatus
Arcimâs (Optional)
Arcîumî ratobo Galatîs

English:
Invocation for the Toutatis Galatos
We/I invoke the Toutatis Galatos
Hero of the people
Mighty against disease
Our guardian
You protect us and give us peace
We/I give offering and thanks to you
Offering
Requests (Optional)
I ask for blessings from Galatîs

Commune:

  • Kneel, bow, or sit in reflection after the invocation and offerings.

5. Incoron (Closing)

Gaulish:
Albios ux nos, Bitus ambi nos, Dumnos uo anse,
nu adgabiûmî / adgabiomosnîs mediolanon sindon.
brâton tei, Aidona, are teððun etic leuceton.
brâton tei, Carnone, are ancoriaton mantalonon.
molâiûr / molâmor te.
exiâiûmî / exiâmos tancû.
eðði senâtun.

English:
Albios above us, Bitus around us, and Dumnos below us.
We/I now leave this sacred center.
Thanks to you, Aidonâ, for warmth and light.
Thanks to you, Carnonos, for opening the ways.
We/I praise you.
We/I go in peace.
It is done.

  • Circle the flame three times while reciting, then extinguish it by covering or pinching.
  • Take a moment of silence to honor the rite.

6. Pronunciation Guide (Nouiogalaticos)

Purification:

  • Glanolamâs → Glan-oh-lam-ahs
  • Glanobritus → Glan-oh-bree-tus
  • Glanaanation → Glan-ah-nat-ee-on

Lighting:

  • Dauiûmî aidun sondon Aidoniâs → Dow-yoo-mee eye-dewn son-don Eye-don-ee-aws

Gatekeeper:

  • Adgariomos/Adgariūmī Carnonon → Ad-gar-yo-mohs Car-no-non
  • Ancorios mantalon → An-cor-yos man-ta-lon
  • Agios matos alami → Ag-yohs mat-ohs a-la-m
  • Arxiomos/Arxiumi agnî eri adaððun sondon → Ark-yo-mohs ag-nee eh-rih ad-ast-oon son-don
  • Uêdiâs anson/imon cluâontor → Way-d-yaws an-son clue-aw-on-tor

Closing:

Iâmos in tancê → Ee-eye-oo-me in tan-kay

Bratûn te → Brat-oon tay

Molâmos Galaton Toutaton → Moe-law-me eye-don-ah

What is Bessus Nouiogalation?

Bessus Nouiogalation is a tradition that centers around the historical Gaulish language and material culture from the La Tène archaeological period, roughly spanning 450 BCE to 50 BCE. It also involves the worship of entities known collectively as Dêuoi, with Dêuos being the singular term, and these Dêuoi are named in the Gaulish language itself.

The primary aim of Bessus Nouiogalation is to establish a stable cultural and religious revival, creating a New Galatis tradition that draws lessons from the past while remaining open to influences from various times, cultures, and places to different extents. Though it focuses on a specific historical period, it embraces broader elements. Recognizing that the tradition must be relevant to everyday life, Bessus Nouiogalation places significant emphasis on its Îanoi (virtues) and cultural aspects. Cultural influence has historically been pervasive and touches all aspects of life, and the tradition seeks to honor this connection. We hope to share content to support and inspire those interested in being a part of this tradition.

A major component of our bessu is to live life in accordance with Assus (order, according to ritual, with connotations of sacred or universal law). What this means is to live in a way that is beneficial to the world, our communities, and ourselves. There is no order without Uîrolaniâ (Justice).

There are many different ways to express and live our Bessus, but the emphasis on all of the aforementioned characteristics: culture, ethics, worship, all parts of worldview, factor into it. Certainly, some may be more interested in one of these things more than others, but it is understood that all of them are necessary for a whole and complete bessus.

Comoinicaunos (being alone together)

comoinicaunos ā on

This is a concept rooted in our bessus, that embodies the idea of being alone together while sharing a collective worship experience. This distinctive interpretation of Gaulish Monasticism reimagines solitude as a means of connecting with both oneself and the divine, emphasizing the value of spiritual unity within a community. Comoinicaunos, invites individuals to explore a Gaulish monastic approach that celebrates the beauty of solitary devotion while remaining connected to a larger spiritual Touta. Comoinicaunos blends Gaulish worldview with the modern need for introspection and connection, offering a unique path that encourages both solitude and togetherness. This concept is a testament to the evolving nature of spiritual traditions, adapting to meet the contemporary needs of practitioners.

Comoinicaunos encourages individuals to embrace moments of solitude, whether through meditation, prayer, or contemplation. This solitary time allows practitioners to deepen their personal connections with the Deuoi.

Despite the focus on solitude, Comoinicaunos also highlights the importance of collective worship. Practitioners come together periodically to share their experiences insights, and to partake in communal rituals and celebrations. The concept fosters a strong sense of community support. Practitioners provide assistance, guidance, and mentorship to one another, enhancing the overall spiritual growth of the group.

We can aspire to a vibrant and positive set of customs that are helpful to us today, as opposed to reactionary or romanticist thinking. As tradition is not unmoving or unchanging.

Tegobessus I: Nemeton (Sacred Space)

Choose a place in which to do Dugiion, that is worship in your home. If you live in a fancy and/or very rustic establishment, you might already have something like a hearth. Odds are, you don’t. In that case, simply use a good surface as an Uentâ, or place of offering/sacrifice. This place will be the focal point of your Tegobessus (House Custom).

Place relevant stuff on it. At minimum, a candle and a bowl. Images or symbols of Dêuoi are all the better! Added dishes for offerings are fine too. Optimally, you’ll want this to face Ari (East). If not Ari, then try Dexouâ (South). If it has to face Eri (West) or Tutos (North), so be it. While East is optimal, something is better than nothing.

Now, what to put upon this Uentâ? At bare minimum you’ll need a Cumbâ (Bowl, also means “valley”, but is not pertinent to this) and a Dagilâ (candle). Whether or not it’s electric isn’t a big deal. But these are the bare minimums. The Cumbâ to hold the Addatus (offering), the Dagilâ for the Aidû (flame), of course.

Of course, many will want to add Deluâs (images) of various Dêuoi (Worshipped Beings). Or symbols: A Rotos (wheel) for Taranis, an Epos (horse) related symbol for Eponâ, and so on. These certainly add character and help focus attention in a ritual on the deuos in question.

We have the why and how. Now for the when:

Planning rites are essential. Try to do them on a regular basis. The point is not to be perfect but to make an attempt at regularity. Do your best, but don’t beat yourself up over not being perfect. Just make it a goal to do the rites on a regular basis. This will allow for a rhythm to your rituals.

There are plenty of intervals on which one might choose to do rites. They could be done daily, weekly, bi-monthly, but at minimum once a month. Another suggestion is moon phases.

One of the most important things to do before a Rite is that of Glanosâgon (Purification). That means making yourself clean and ritually pure. To do this, you may wish to bathe or shower before ritual. At the least it is important to wash the hands and face. As the Gauls were known for using soap, some kind of bar soap would be a nice continuation of that tradition.

Wash hands and say: Glanolamâs “Clean hands”
Swipe your forehead and say:  Glanobritus “Clean mind”
Swipe down the face with both hands and say: Glananation “Clean soul” (This is based on the idea of the soul residing in the head.)

Purify the sacred space

One must purify the sacred space. To do this, we will invoke Nemetonâ. This is vital to establish your space or making a new one.
We will use Juniper as this was used by the Senogalatis to clear away snakes and to help with bits from poisonous creatures. So we will use it to clear away any unwanted energies in our space.
You will now need a Dagilâ (Candle) to represent Aidona.

Light your Juniper and walk around your area or make a motion around your area in a sunwise circle three times to represent the three realms of Drus (Albios, Bitus, and Dubnos). As you do this, say the below invocation.

Adgariomos/Adgariūmī Nemetonan
Donâ anton
Uernâ caddî
Delgaunâ Marâ
Rodâi caddion uentî, etic aneges uritto duscâxslûs
Datiomos addatun etic brâtun tei
Addatus
Arcimâs
Arxiomos inedon sindon uregetorio caddon
Slanon tei
Brâtun tei
Molâmos/Molâmî Nemetonan
Uregetor

We/I invoke Nemetonâ
Lady of the Borders
Guardian of the Sacred
The Great Keeper
You give sacredness to the offering space, and you protect against bad spirits
We/I give offering and thanks to you
Offering
Request
We/I ask that this place be made sacred
Cheer to you
Thanks to you
We/I praise Nemetonâ
It is done

Welcoming Aidona

Aidonâ is the name we give to the spirit of the fire; basically, the hearth personified. We are introducing Aidonâ into our space for the first time so this is a very important step for us.

After the invocation, say

Oibelumî/Oibelomos sinaidû Aidoniâs.

I/We light this flame of Aidonâ.

Say some words welcoming Aidonâ
This is very personal and needs to come from you.

[Addatus – Offering]
After the offering, take a few moments to kneel, bow, or sit and commune with the recipient(s)

Bratûn te,
Aidonan
(Thanks to you,
Aidonâ)

Take a moment of Tauson (Silence).

Îuoi (Holidays)

Jump to the list of Îuoi (Holidays)

As with any other custom, a Gaulish custom one needs holidays. Those special times of year where we come together to observe specific Dêuoi for specific reasons. As well as attuning ourselves to the cycle of the seasons and what that means for us. Bessus Nouiogalation is no exception.

In a previous article, we talked about the Sequanni / Coligny Calendar. The IVOS clusters on the calendar are thought to denote holidays. That being the case, it gives us an idea of where to put at least some holidays. Therefore, it’s fitting to use those clusters to put forth a kind of list of holidays. Along with that, using their placements in the year, we’ll try to use that as a guide to figure out both what to call these holidays and what they may be about. In this way, even if we don’t know the original traditions, we can be inspired to develop some of our own. For reference sake, we use the BNG Coligny Calendar.

In the history of the calendar, the length of an age, or where the calendar completed its cycle, went from 30 to 25 years as time went by. As the Metonic cycle is the most accurate as far as lunisolar timekeeping goes, as without it, there is quite an eventual drift. It seems to be a good borrowing. This puts the calendar’s full cycle at 19 years. Remembering that the calendar was originally in a temple to Apollo, who was said to make a journey to the land of the Hyperboreans (a mythic people who lived “beyond the lands of the Celts”) every 19 years. So, it’s far from the least plausible leap. By retaining the names of the months and being able to keep up with the same methodology of a lunisolar calendar, we see a synthesis of retaining the old while being able to adapt and borrow as the Gauls themselves did.

So, with that reference noted, we should also say that even without the Metonic adaptation, the holidays are still in the same time range. Though the purpose of this article is not to discuss the calendar, we wanted to give some background into the frame of reference we use for the holidays. What we see when looking at the calendar is that there are several points in the year where the notation ‘IVOS’ is attached to several days in a row. As Iuos notations cluster around certain times of the year, it can be assumed that they are likely holidays. It cannot be said for sure how long a given holiday was observed. As the clusters may point to a range of time in which it was acceptable to observe a given holiday. The pain with the Iuos clusters is that though they are consistent, they still show up in different months on the calendar throughout the years.

Though intercalations are involved with that slight distortion, the timing of the holidays themselves are actually completely consistent. So, on the calendar, the clusters will show up in one month or another, at most two. However, it is still consistent because these clusters are marked by one specific moon. In other words, an Iuos cluster may show up around 1 Simiuisonna one year, and near 1 Equos the next, but it will be the same moon in the lunar cycle. The months start at the first quarter moon, in line with Pliny the Elder’s statement that the Gauls started their months six days after the new moon. This assumes a first-quarter start, and a first-quarter moon is easily visible. If this sounds confusing —and it did to us at first —it will be made clear in this list of holidays.

Remember that the moon (Lugra) is your friend.

A side note: not all of our holidays fall within the calendar clusters. But most do.

Our wheel of the year.

  • Sonnocingos Nouios “New Year” – This one needs the calendar linked above for reference.  As it’s the first day on the calendar itself. 1 Samonios is the date most years. Whenever there is an intercalary month of Quimonios, it is 1 Quimonios.
  • Diios Nouiogalation “Day of the New Galatîs” – The Birthday of Bessus Nouiogalation always falls on 9 Samoni.
  • Cintusamos “Start of Summer” Also called Îuos Nantosueltiâs etic Sucelli. Always two first-quarter moons before the summer solstice.
  • Samolitus “Summer Feast” Also called Îuos Taranes.
    Always the first quarter moon before the summer solstice.
  • Trinox Samoni “Three nights of Samonios” – This one also requires the app linked above. Starts on 17 Samonios. Usually, the third quarter moon closest to the summer solstice. However, it can be on or just after it. No more than a week after.
  • Cerdolitus “Crafting Feast” Also called Îuos Gobanon.
    Third quarter moon before Cintumessus below.
  • Cintumessus “First Harvest” Also called Îuos Lugous
    Always two first-quarter moons after the summer solstice.
  • Noxsās Decan Grannī
    The second first-quarter moon before the autumn equinox.
  • Catus Alisiâs “Battle of Alessia” – Third quarter moon closest to the autumn equinox. Always 17 Ogronios.
  • Cintugiamos “Start of Winter” Also called Îuos Ogmi.
    Two first-quarter moons before the winter solstice.
  • Giamolitus “Winter Feast” Also called Îuos Eponiâs.
    The full moon closest to the winter solstice.
  • Adbiuos “To Life, Quickening” Also called Îuos Suleuiânon.
    Two first-quarter moons after the winter solstice.
  • Ducospia Carnuton “Rebellion of the Carnutians” – Closest to the full moon before the Spring Equinox. Always 9 Elembi.
  • Uisonnalitus “Spring Feast” Also called Îuos Sironiâs.
    Just after the new moon closest to the spring equinox.

Îuoi in Îanê (Holidays in Virtue)

These are the holidays, or as has been jested about, “Gaulidays”

More Information on the Coligny Calendar Here