Recently there have been many significant efforts to preserve and recover the old Celtic and Saxon languages, literature, music, customs and the religious rites of pre-Christian people. This is not a new thing – preservationists and reconstructivists have been making an attempt to save the old ways for nearly a thousand years.

In Wales, some practices were revived with the national Eisteddfod, or poetry festival, which was established after the Norman Conquest in the hope of preserving the Welsh language, culture, and Celtic Christianity, as well as Celtic Pagan traditions. The festival included re-telling the King Arthur tales, which were originally pre-Christian legends. Some of the Welsh mythology was written down as The Mabinogion, a cycle of stories transcribed in Latinized Welsh. With the anglicization of Wales, the Eisteddfod petered out, until it was revived in 1792 by Edward Williams, whose Welsh Bardic name was Iolo Morganwg. (He was also called Myfyr.) A stonemason by profession, Mr. Morganwg had an interest in Welsh folklore, language and custom, as well as the Druids. He drew upon the folk traditions of working-class people, the romanticized Arthurian stories, the poetry of historic bards, local legend and customs, and original works. Myfyr appointed an "Arch-Druid" to oversee the Eisteddfod festivities, and speculated about ancient Druidic ceremonies, including the possibility that they used stone monuments for their rituals. He drew conclusions about astronomy and the architecture of sacred sites, based on folklore, fully one hundred years before the discovery of the Sequani Calendar by archeologists in 1897. Some of Mr. Morganwg’s material was fabricated, but much of it may be an authentic representation of Pagan tradition. There is a current study, conducted by the University of Wales, to determine what of Morganwg’s works are authentic. As for now, it’s impossible to determine what is ancient and what has been recently created. Scholars can only guess.

In England, folklore societies are actively working to preserve the folkplays, dances, legends, harvest rituals, songs and traditions such as hoodening and the Mari Llwyd. Many town festivals and customs have been resurrected or have continued from olden times. Straw bears, plough Jacks, Mollys, pace eggers, Jack-in-the-Greens, Furry dancers, skeklers, May queens and horn dancers perform each year on their particular holiday. Wells are dressed, thorns are baumed, and maypoles are beribboned by schoolchildren learning about their cultural heritage. Morris societies are reviving the art form as well as inventing new dances for the enjoyment of participants and onlookers. To find some of the more popular celebrations, surf tourist websites and individual villages’ holiday notices. Several of the town council websites openly brag about their Pagan heritage. Others dismiss any connection to pre-Christian religions.

Modern Wiccans, Druids and other neo-Pagan groups have also re-created some of the older rituals. Check them out; many of their websites have amazing pictures and text.

From the 1790s to the 1930s, thousands of people moved to America from Ireland, Wales, Scotland and the European continent. These immigrants carried many of their old family traditions and ethnic religions to the "new world". Their folklore was most likely to survive in isolated places where there was not much formal education available, such as Appalachia, the Ozark Mountains, the Cumberland Gap, Newfoundland, the upper peninsula of Michigan, the French Quarter of New Orleans, and northern New England. Farming families often had twelve or more children, some of whom were certain to be interested in preserving the old ways. This body of tradition includes music, crafts, recipes, holiday rituals and the practice of magic. For instance, Grandma’s double wedding ring quilt pattern may have been a form of Celtic knotwork, designed to protect the sleeper from bad dreams. Broom lore or use of a besom for magical purposes was documented by folklorists in the American regions of the Cumberland Gap and the Ozark Mountains in the 1950s. Divination practices using well water, moonlight, ordinary playing cards and Bible verses were common in rural areas right up to the 1960s. And don’t forget that dumb supper, documented in Appalachia. These older customs coexisted alongside modern Christianity, sometimes without the individual’s knowledge of their Pagan origins, but often with full appreciation of their history. Some of the immigrants married Native Americans and adapted their customs, as well. Many of these folk traditions are still alive today.

Numerous folklore societies and ethnic foundations exist here in the United States to preserve these ancient traditions. Often the material is not presented as a religion, but as a cultural heritage. There are many folklore web sites and cultural centers, sponsored by universities, the government, and private organizations. A good place to start is the American website www.loc.gov/folklife/ , which contains a treasure trove of lore, folk music and arts, some of which can be purchased as copies. Included are a few pre-Christian Celtic customs, such as the origin of Halloween. There are also online sources through university folklore departments, at various neo-Pagan organizations and even here at the Witches’ Voice. Another great resource is talking to elders at ethnic gatherings, town festivals and local "old time" commercial stores like the small-town feed and grain elevator. Find the eldest person present, and politely ask them if they remember any Mayday celebrations, granny magic, folk crafts or harvest customs. Visit nursing homes and talk to the elderly residents. You might be surprised how many oldline Pagans you find!