Harlequin Dreamer, on 17 August 2012 - 11:12 PM, said:
Thats a very celtic tradition
Well Europe has always had a very high exchange of culture and traditions between tribes and people.
Generally it's suggested that Proto-Celtic and Celtic populations originated from central/eastern Europe around Hallstatt (the Hallstatt culture ca 800BC-450BC and the La Tene culture) and in its eastern zones. Northern Germany and Scandinavia had a very high exchange of culture with Hallstatt particularly in the pre-roman iron-age (in Scandinavia around 500BC-1AD) -- so there was definitely some cultural exchange and influences to Scandinavia AND from Scandinavia.
But the lake and bog sacrifices in Denmark goes back into the bronze age and there have been many finds such as the sun chariot:
it's dated to 1350BC so long before the Hallstatt culture and the majority of the Celtic tribes - so maybe this is one tradition they picked up from their contact with Scandinavia? I actually don't know - but I do know yet another topic a have to look into now