War stories

So, we had a great time at Pennsic as always. The United Celtic Front (UCF) was together again this year, and as expected, we wreaked havoc on the field. The UCF is comprised of four Celtic (reenactment) clannes, all with our primary base of folks in the DC area: Preachain, Anglesey, Concusare, and Galatia. As a Mercenary unit, we do not fight for a kingdom or barony consistently. Instead, we receive bids from different kingdoms at the Bar-Bar, and our warlords make a decision on who we will fight for. This year, we ended up fighting for the East, and Preachain ended up with about 50 lbs of copper wire. Here's a video of the UCF causing major destruction on the first day of battle. At about 0:42 seconds, you can see the UCF coming across the field on the side closest to the video camera, causing major destruction!



What fun is fighting without some strong Celtic women at your side??

Of course, there was much more to Pennsic than just hitting people. On Lughnasadh, we had a beautiful ritual night, which ended with Arianrhod, in the guise of our own Morag, truly bringing the Lughnasadh fire to life:

As always, there were lots of friends, family and music to enjoy as well. What would Pennsic be without the people we call kin?

Another highlight, as always, is the Women in White ceremony. As discussed in the previous post on the practice, it is a practice that is not necessarily grounded in accurate historical accounts; however it is a very powerful, very spiritual time for our clanne and the allies with whom we fight. Here are some pics from this year's Women in White:

As always, we made our way through the marketplace, so that our many talented friends who have booths in the merchant area can partake in our celebration of the might and power of our clanne. As we rounded the last corner to head for the battlefield, we saw Scot the Viking (of Viking-u-like) with a sword raised high over his head, shouting "Lager and Blood!" The sight filled my heart with joy (and a little bloodlust, to be honest):

We also had an early period Arts and Sciences day, which was open to the public. We had several craftsmen doing demonstrations, from inkle weaving, to glass working, to bog dress construction, to bog shoe making, and more.

All in all, Pennsic was everything we always hope it will be. A time to enjoy the Celtic family that we've found, learn more about the time period we reenact, and a time to hit people over the head. As more pictures and videos become available, I'll post them here for your enjoyment!!

~Ceanag