EXT6-OLD ENGLAND,OLD SCOTLAND AND OLD IRELAND

BY Pragyansharma  Polavarapu

(1)  Centuries before  arrival of Anglo-Saxons in Britain   , there lived  all over the British isles  the Celtic people . The Celtic people  ,though entirely different in culture and customs from Anglo-Saxons   ,were   of same Aryan ethnic  origin as the  Anglo-Saxons but chose different lands to settle millennia ago. History tells that the  Celts lived in   central Europe around  1300 BC  and later spread to other parts of Europe . The European sub culture called “La Tène culture” (c. 450–50 BCE) is said to be a pure  Celtic culture. La Tène-culture  spread into the  British isles from around 500 bc and came  in multiple waves.The earliest Celtic-speaking inhabitants of Scotland were said to be Picts( 500 BC ).

(2) The majority of the Celtic people of  Brittan accepted Lord Jesus Christ’s message of love even from  times of Roman occupation. The Anglo-Saxons arrived in Britain only around 510 AD. Roman rulers who ruled Britain from 43AD  to 410AD decided to leave the distant British isles because the Celtic populations were quite uncontrollable . The Scottish Celtic tribes were creating lot of trouble to Roman armies in the northern parts of the main island. But already during  that time a new threat came from mainland Europe. Historians say that due to changing weather conditions and frequent flooding etc  some groups of Germanic tribes the Angles,Saxons,Jutes  started to settle in the eastern coastal regions of England and Scotland . First there  were only probing attacks for years ,then the invaders  came with war bands and weapons and whole families  started to settle permanently.

(3) The most significant thing is they brought English language ---the language now spoken by all people of British Isles as mother tongue and the language which is now treated as one of the two or three languages suitable for  global communication. In a few centuries Anglo-Saxons became the majority and  established large number of Anglo-Saxon towns and villages. (4) The Celts slowly moved almost entirely to Scotland and Ireland. The area known as Wales in western side of the main island is said to be having  big Celtic influence racially.  Christianity was established in Celtic Britain by the 3rd and 4th centuries AD-- long before the Anglo-Saxons arrived. The holy and gentle message of Christianity arrived in Britain in the Roman times. Evidence from the early 4th century indicates that organized churches existed in  Celtic britain . Even after Romans left , the Celtic Christian monks travelled  widely to preach Lord Jesus Christ’s message.  The Celtic Church represents a long religious  tradition  independent of the  Anglo-Saxon  traditions though both finally merged. (5) Following  the withdrawal  of Rome’s powerful armies around 410 AD from British Isles the  Anglo-Saxons started  settling in southern and eastern Britain, gradually consolidating their power. They began settling  in the period of  roughly 5th–7th centuries . Only   isolated  groups of celtic people speaking Scottish and irish dialects perhaps continued to live in Anglo-Saxon lands . The customs and religion  of Celtic people created a separate  Celtic identity. It is said that some of them lived in  hillforts and  islands   nominally controlled by  Anglo-Saxons. (6) Celtic populations remained majority in Ireland and  northern Scotland because of geographic isolation (mountains, islands, marshes). While in Scotland it is high mountainous land ,in Ireland there is  a ring of high mountains and forests and a  low flat land inside. In Celtic lands Celtic priests called Druids  performed  as judges and  guides  for moral teaching.

It is said that the lands in Scotland were mountainous and forested and mostly cloudy, foggy and rainy. It is said that it was very cold on many  days at a stretch. However the  Atlantic ocean  spread for 3000 miles in the east and modifies the weather throughout the year. There is  sea   everywhere near the British Isles.

It is most sure that in spite of the ever changing weather(cloudy days, sunny days, rainy days following one another) ---Ancient  Christianity brought great happiness to the mostly rural populations of both Celts and Anglo-Saxons. The spirit of merriment and happiness must have been  visible everywhere in festival times .Now ,today the 25th day of December 2025 ,is Merry Christmas . We wish Happy  Cristmas to all. Wish Happy  New Year 2026 coming in the next few days.