The history of witches is old and dates back to times, which have not much written history. What is known, though, is that before the Roman Empire conquered modern-day France, Germany, Ireland, and Romania, the ancient Celtic culture, Druidism was as close as to ancient witchcraft as possible. The difference between Druidism and modern Wicca is amazingly small. This leads many witches to believe that Celts are the missing link between the ancient practices and the modernized practices.
One of the more obvious rituals that Wiccans and Celts share is Halloween. Both cultures believe that the on Octorber 31st the spirits that had died the previous year roamed the earth on Samhain, the Celts word for Halloween. The Celts sought to protect themselves from the evil spirits by building bonfires and performing purifying rituals.
Druid priests trained for almost twenty years their work. They were the ones who interpret the magic from the gods to or the common people. Druids were to be exempt from taxes, war, military service, and acted as arbitrators for disputes. Julius Caesar commented that these Druids were very educated. In fact, every druid along training half of his life, would specialize in one area of knowledge, such as, astronomy, poetry, or mathematics.
When the Roman Empire conquered the land of the Celts, the Roman culture assimilated Druidism with traditions, such as, Halloween being incorporated into the Roman culture. While in some places, Druidism was left virtually untouched the change on Druidism by having most of its followers convert to a balance between Roman culture and Druidism changed ancient Druidism forever. Yet, even more transforming took place when the Roman Empire declared itself a Christian empire and a general trend toward Christianity took place in Europe. Christianity religion directly conflicts with Druidism rituals, such as, Halloween. These type of practices changed rapidly from religious practices to fun and games. The beliefs of the Celts soon became embedded into British folklore and tales.
People that once where left untouched by taint from the Roman culture, either changed religions or secretly held their rituals. Over time, these secretly practiced traditions changed and modern-day Wicca evolved.
