Beltane' celebration begins at moonrise on May Day Eve, or April 30th, with main events occurring all day on May 1st. It is a cross-quarter holiday in the Wheel of the Year, marking the halfway point between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice.
Historically, Beltane, a fire festival, represents the awakening of passions, energies and desires. It marked the time of year when cattle released from winter quarters and herded out to pasture for the summer. Cattle were driven between the smoke of two large Beltane fires, lit to bless the livestock with health and fertility. This protection ritual also served a practical purpose, as the heat and smoke helped rid the animals of fleas and other pests.
Villagers carried torches from the bonfires through their houses and around their homes for purification and to rid their homes of any pests or stagnant air. Garlands of yellow flowers adorned houses and livestock. May Boughs, large limbs of trees, crafted with Hawthorn or Rowan, were decorated with ribbons and spring flowers. Later, this evolved into the practice of dancing around the Maypole weaving ribbons under a bouquet of flowers while wearing crowns of braided flowers.
After the sunset fire on the last evening of April, Beltane's daytime celebrations on May 1st (May Day) are all about relishing the Earth's burgeoning life. It's the time of rebirth, joy, fertility, and pleasure. The surrender of self to the unifying thrum of spring is its own magic. Traditionally, the jubilation of sexual union, combined with love's charm, resulted in many unions occurring at this time of the year. Those with little means for having a huge wedding simply jumped over a broomstick while holding hands. The commitment ritual of handfasting, the symbolic tying of a couple's hands together with a ribbon and flower garlands, is often held at Beltane too. After a year and one day, the two may decide to go their separate ways. If a daughter is born during handfasting, the child will keep the mother's last name. If a son is born during handfasting, the child will keep his mother's last name, as well as his father's last name. Hyphenated names are a modern example of this practice. This was done to ensure the mother's lineage continued and was as powerful as the father's.
Ever-fresh, ever-fertile, spring rouses us with its generative spirit. We are reminded that we are meant to be animated, passionate, and deeply kind. The gathering of community around the Maypole symbolizes the gleeful imperative to support one another throughout the year. The time is ripe for the renewal of unifying commitments in love, life, and work.
Notable Mentions
Bel has been translated as 'the bright one' and the Gaelic word 'teine' stands for fire, thus Beltane is 'the Bright fire.'
The symbol of Beltane is the ancient Green Man, whose form and face is composed of leaves and represents the cycle of rebirth that spring embodies.
Calan mai in Welsh means May Day.
Ysbrydnos, or spirit night in Welsh, which is celebrated on May Day's Eve was more important than May Day itself because it was believed the veil to the spirit world was thinner on this night.
How to Celebrate Beltane
Come Now the Fairies
Beltane's celebrations remind us to care for the fairy folk as we do for all the creatures in our forests, mountains, seas, gardens, and fields.
According to lore, fairies are both helpers and tricksters. They are the wee folk who dance among the flower buds and moss, befriending bees and snails. They provide assistance to those with a reverence for nature and trip up those who dare try and destroy any aspect of flora or fauna. We need more fairies today than ever before.
Designing a Fairy-Friendly
There is nothing quite so magical as a tiny home for tiny beings. Making a fairy home is a delightful journey, connecting us to the natural world in ways which create exceptional awareness. We soon see each thing with fresh eyes. If there is a small child in your life, this is an enchanting activity to do together.
Gather
Twigs, dried vines, fallen bark or leaves, flower pods, pussy willows, dried gourds, acorns and caps, sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) balls, thorns, dried grasses, moss and flowers, shells, stones, pinecones, abandoned snail shells, fallen bird feathers, or corn husks, make an excellent start. Please only gather natural items which have completed their life cycle. You may of course include new plantings in your creation.
Construct
As you choose a place to begin, shrink yourself down to fairy size by getting your face close to the ground to view the world. If you don't have a garden, you can build in a park, along a trail, or in the woods. Likewise, you can use a glass globe or terrarium to make an indoor fairy home complete with ferns and moss. Construct a little home with twigs, stones, a hollow log, an old clay pot, a broken basket, or old metal bucket. Imagine a door and windows, little windowsills, a mossy roof, tiny benches, tables, a wee little garden, adding details with what you've gathered. Soon you'll find your imagination going off on its own.
Decorate
Gardening twine is useful for making fences, gates, or furniture, by joining small twigs and vines. Shells and tiny tin cans make wishing wells or little fairy ponds. Try binding stacked stones with a mixture of soil and water. Tuck in some dried moss. Use items for construction which will break down outdoors naturally.
Let Time Unfold
Magic happens as you create and engage your imagination. Your eye will spot more and more tiny things in the world. Add little plantings or seeds in different seasons. Sprinkle some bird seed and see if you attract visitors. Leave offerings of honey or tiny cakes to appease any cranky fairies. If your little fairy home falls down, let it be an invitation to observe change. Then perhaps later, begin anew.
The Beltane Altar
An altar is a collection of items which create a hum in your being whenever you are near. It's a reminded of where you are in the turning of the year — and a soulful expression of who you are in its turning. There are no rules, only suggestions based on those who have come before us.
Colors | lush green, fiery yellow, gold, vibrant orange
Nature | dandelions, antlers, hawthorn, rowan, bird nests
Symbols | bees & honey, fairies, robins, stags, Green Man, Athena, circles, rings, goblets, wands, maypole, sexual energy
Botanicals | primrose, honeysuckle, lilacs, marigolds, ferns, budding branches
Stones | carnelian, citrine, emerald, agate, jasper, olivine/peridot
Spiritual | deities, amulets, talismans, images, all personal to you
Elemental | earth/soil, air/feather, fire/candle, water, feminine & masculine symbolic items
Atmosphere | delight, sensuality, fertility, union, dance, cleansing, passion, heat, freshness
Cast Your Circle
To cast a circle is to invoke a sacred vessel to hold your ritual. Guidance is provided here.
Prepare
Clean your space and cleanse your body with a bath or shower. Turn off all devices, be still and remember your intention. Choose a location indoors or out. You can use a compass to locate and mark the directions of north, south, east, and west with a stone or crystal. Walk your circle clockwise and purify its entirety with incense. Place your ritual tools and offerings in the center and light your candle. Here are some suggested offerings for Green Man: Spring water, fresh herbs, green apples, and fresh flowers.
Begin
Invoke the Four Elements
East - Air - Knowledge
I face East, the direction of the rising sun & all beginning. I call upon the element of Air & the creatures of flight. I welcome the beauty of new life & understanding to this circle.
South - Fire - Action
I face South, the direction of sustained activity & service. I call upon the element of Fire's forms of flames, lightning, & electricity. I summon the quick coyote & welcome powerful action to this circle.
West - Water - Intuition
I face West, the direction of the setting sun & visions. I call upon the element of Water in all her forms & depths. I trust my emotional strength & welcome its true instinct to this circle.
North - Earth - Wisdom
I face North, the direction of guidance & all paths home. I call upon the element of Earth in her nurturing solidity. I feel my body grounded by soil & stone. I stand & welcome its wisdom to this circle.
Green Man Ritual
I call on Green Man, the Spirit of Nature. I honor your life force energy of growth, decay, death, and rebirth.
Weave your green magic wisdom. Teach me your ancient ways. Dance with me on May Day Eve.
Walk with me as the Wheel turns so all living beings can ebb and flow. For the greatest good of all.
And so it is.
Close
Release the elements by speaking a simple phrase of dispersal and gratitude, such as:
The elements and energies of the four elements, I thank you for your presence here and I release you with gratitude and love.
Devotional Inquiry
What do you allow yourself to desire?
What do you feel you don't deserve to desire?
What does your inner lover want you to know>
How will you honor your inner lover during Beltane?
When pleasure arise, how shall you claim your exuberance?
How do you resist pleasure?
What lights you up the most in this phase of your life?
Beltane Recipes
Beltane Bonfire Ritual
View the lineage of ritual in every culture and you will find fire. The flame transforms all to ash. From such transformation, new life occurs. Greek mythology aptly captures this cycle in the Phoenix. A majestic bird of red and gold and associated with the sun, it senses its own end, builds a nest of twigs and so bursts in flames. From its ashes the bird is reborn.
Decide if you shall have a big or little fire, then prepare.
Gather
- A smuudge bundle
- Matches
- For a little fire & for blessings using your bundle, choose a fireproof container
- For a big fire, prepare an outdoor fire pit or space
Have water or a hose nearby for safety. Clear space around the perimeter to prevent sparks from igniting other materials. Observe fire bans and safe practices for your area.
Ignite
Set your bundle burning as you set your intentions for this ritual. Bring to mind that which you wish to transform or purify. Hold in your heart the power of fire. Know in your bones how the light of its flame illuminates darkness, transmuting sorrows to hope, negativities to compassion. Think of how fire's heat and flames naturally loft upwards, raising energy, lifting the heart and mind to a higher plane of awareness and understanding.
Ritual & Celebration
Once your fire is established, put its potency to good use.
- Leap over or pass nearby small fires to cleanse energy in its smoke.
- Join hands to dance around the flames, singing, laughing, toasting!
- Hold handfasting ceremonies or rituals of recommitment.
- Write down challenges you wish to release and burn in the flames.
- Pass items through the smoke to purify and bless.
- Ring bells, play musical instruments, share food around the fire.
Purify & Bless
At the beginning or end of your fire ritual, carry your smoldering bundle or a small piece of smoking wood from your bonfire through your home allowing a passage for the smoke to carry stagnant energy up and away by opening windows and doors. Circle your home so you finish at the farthest points of your property. Circle humans and creatures in your life to smudge with the smoke. Bless them by your devoted actions, perhaps stating your care and love for each of them aloud.
Recommended Resources
- Celebrate the Earth by Laurie Cabot
- Welsh Witchcraft : A Guide to the Spirits, Lore, and Magic of Wales by Mhara Starling
- Beltane: Rituals, Recipes, and Lore for May Day by Llewellyn & Melanie Marquis
MFC Credits
Jessica Rigney
Elizabeth Marglin
Sheila Ellis
Maddie Block
Kim Brain