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Celtic crosses are very popular. They are also being used as tattoos nowadays. The Celtic cross or Ionic cross could have originated as a variation of the solar cross of pre-Christian Celtic times. This may well date back to 5000 B.C. The solar cross, arguably the oldest religious symbol of the world, is composed of an equally armed cross within a circle. The solar calendar is represented by it marked by the equinoxes. The Celtic crosses formed a major part of Celtic art.

Inception of the Celtic cross

The Celtic cross was borrowed by the Celtic Christian Church from the pre-Christian Celtic pagan emblem of the sun god Taranis. Upon conversion of the Celtic people to Christianity the Celtic cross was adopted to act as an emblem of the Celtic Christian Church. The Celtic cross design is also referred to as the Irish Cross or the Cross of Iona.

According to Irish legend this cross was introduced in Ireland by St. Columba. That is why the Celtic cross is also referred to as Columba’s cross. This is also called the Ionic cross because St. Columba’s monastery was located on the isle of Iona. However, there is also a popular myth saying that it was St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, who had introduced the cross to the island. Popular belief goes that he had combined the symbol of Christianity (a cross) with the symbol of the sun. The underlying objective was to convey an idea about the importance of the cross to the pagan followers by drawing a comparison with the life giving properties of the sun.

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Features of the Celtic cross

Celtic crosses have arms of equal length. This is enclosed or backed by a circle. The Celtic cross represents the four corners of the earth or the four elements- earth, air, water and fire. The circle enclosing or backing the equal arms of the cross can be representing infinity. It can also stand for the path of the sun in the sky.

Traditional Celtic crosses were accompanied with ornamental complexities. In recent adaptations of the Celtic crosses such ornamentation has been mostly done away with. These recent avatars of the Celtic cross are also often referred to as sun wheels.

Celtic cross- new political connotations

The Celtic cross has assumed new political connotations and its traditional meaning have become eclipsed because of this. White nationalists and neo-fascist groups have been co-opting for using the cross to serve as their symbol. The symbol is also now at times being identified with radical nationalists of a Third Positionist or Catholic nationalist persuasion.

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