National Day of the Isle of Man: Laa Tinvaal Sonney Diu – Happy Tynwald Day!

Tynwald Day (Manx: Laa Tinvaal), the National Day of the Isle of Man (Mannin) is held on the 5th of July. It is traditionally when the government for the Isle of Man go to Tynwald Hill to read a summary of the laws passed over the last year. The reading is given in Manx Gaelic and English. The artificial hill, which is thought to have started as a Bronze Age burial mound, is made up of four circular platforms. It is said to have been a meeting place for the Celtic midsummer assembly. Hence there is a large Celtic Cross on the site representing the Celtic god, Lugh. This past is still remembered by the laying of the rushes on the Processional Walkway to the hill in homage to the Celtic sea God Mannanan.

Tynwald is the parliament of the Isle of Man, it is of Norse origin and over 1,000 years old. It is the oldest parliament in the world with an unbroken existence. The Norse governed the island for over four hundred years from 800 AD to 1265 AD. In 1079, Godred Crovan, the Norse-Gaelic ruler, invaded the Isle of Man and held power for 16 years. It is believed that under his rule the Tynwald Parliament was established. The name Tynwald is derived from the Old Norse word Þingvǫllr, meaning the field of the thing. Thing associated sites and place names are located in Norway (Tingvoll), Sweden, Iceland (Þingvellir) and in the Faroe Islands (Tinganes). More such meeting places are found outside of Scandanavia and in a number of Celtic countries, reflecting the strong Norse influences that were spread by the Vikings from the 8th century onwards.