The Camden Opera House will welcome folk duo Castlebay to its intimate Blue Café on Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m. for an evening of music, poetry, stories and Celtic lore celebrating Samhain, the ancient Celtic festival marking the end of summer and the beginning of the darker half of the year.

 

Known as Halloween, Samhain has long been associated with harvest, remembrance, transformation and the mysterious boundary between the natural and supernatural worlds. Castlebay’s special program will explore these themes through traditional and contemporary songs, poetry and stories drawn from the rich mythology of the Celtic lands.

 

For ancient Celtic communities, autumn was a time of harvest and preparation for the winter months ahead. Samhain represented both an ending and a beginning—a time to honor the past, remember ancestors and gather the wisdom needed for the next cycle of life. Celtic tradition held that at this time of year, the boundary between the ordinary world and the “otherworld” grew thin, allowing the past and future to mingle with the present.

 

The music and poetry of the Celtic tradition are filled with the imagery and symbolism of this mysterious season. Audiences can expect an entrancing evening exploring the myths, magic and traditions surrounding Samhain, including tales of the Cailleach, the “Old Crone of Winter,” and the ancient belief that this was a time when the unseen world could draw close.

 

Castlebay’s Julia Lane and Fred Gosbee have spent decades sharing the music and lore of the Celtic lands and Maine. Both accomplished vocalists and multi-instrumentalists, Lane and Gosbee weave songs and stories together with guitar, fiddle, tin whistle and Celtic harp. Their personable performances have delighted audiences at arts centers, museums, festivals and schools throughout the eastern United States and Canada.

 

Castlebay has released 26 recordings of traditional and original music and has published "Bygone Ballads of Maine: Songs of Ships and Sailors," the first in a planned series of books documenting Maine's musical heritage.  For more information about Castlebay, visit www.castlebay.net.