Beltaine

[meridian_rose]

~Magickal Graphics~
The first of May is Beltaine, May Day, Calan Mei, and Walpurgis Night. It is a cross quarter day, falling between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. The UK public holiday May Day occurs on the first Monday of May each year – this year it won't be until the 5th.

This article talks about modern celebrations taking place in Britain today:

Held at Butser Ancient Farm, an archaeological site, on paper it had looked like a charming low–key Celtic festival with a few folk bands and a hog roast.
It was so much more than that: dancing women in woad, waving antlers to ancient gods of fertility. Children wearing self-woven blossom and wicker May coronets roaming among picnickers. And, of course, the high point of the night – the burning of a specially built, 30ft-high Wicker Man, stuffed with scraps of paper on which we had written our hopes for the coming year. A large crowd, children perched on shoulders, pressed closer into the insistent heat for a better view as leaping flames licked the man’s torso and consumed his legs. And then he shuddered, buckled, and collapsed sideways down into the dark Hampshire earth. The Pagan watchers revelled in the grisly ritual. The Wicker Man is dead; summer is a-coming in. Afterwards, we all trooped home through a wet field, oddly elated.
In our peripatetic, deeply temporal, modern society, why would anyone choose to spend a long night marking the passing of Winter and greeting Summer? You can sit at home with a boxed set of The Killing and a Waitrose ready meal. Who celebrates change – apart from the Coalition?
Actually, it emerges, increasing numbers of Britons – old, young, and of worldwide origin – still do.

Below the cut is more information and personal reflections about this festival.
Past Beltaine posts are here:
http://meridian-rose.dreamwidth.org/354745.html
http://meridian-rose.dreamwidth.org/253912.html
http://meridian-rose.dreamwidth.org/154384.html

I’ve had some fun celebrations at this festival. One year we went to Lydney Park Estate on May Eve which was lovely. It's usually warmer and more springlike than Ostara with so many flowers in bloom and trees in blossom.

Beltaine/Beltane is believed to get it's name from "fire of Bel" or "bright fire and is named after the god Belenus.

Fire celebration and rituals are an important part of the Beltane festivities, to ensure that the warmth of the Sun's light brings successful growth to the crops. Other May rituals involve Maypole dancing and the Cornish festival in Padstow of the the 'Obby Oss.

There are particular notions of fertility around this festival – notably the young couples going 'maying' in the woods ;D It's also a good time to think about handfastings/renewing your vows, or renewing your spiritual pledge. Abundance and growth are key themes.

A traditional ritual involved two bonfires; cattle were driven through the smoke of the two fires in a purification/fertility rite. In ancient times all the homestead fires were lit from the Beltaine or Bale fire.

Folklore suggest you should wash your face in dew at sunrise on Beltane for beauty in the coming year. (Traditionally the dew from the hawthorn tree, but dew from grass and flowers will do.)

Planting seeds, especially with intent for your goals to also grow, is a great way to celebrate. A small fire into which you can cast wishes written on paper is another appropriate and fun way to begin a season of growth.

Correspondences include:
Goddesses: May Queen, Flora, Brigid, Aphrodite, Blodewedd, Erzulie, Baubo, Rhea, Venus, Prithvi, Artemis, Diana, Faunas, all fertility and love goddesses.
Gods: May King, Horned God, Herne, Pan, Green Man, Bel, Baal, all gods of the hunt/forest and love.
A list of deities and their correspondences can be found here
Food and drink: Strawberries, Cherries, Breads, Cereals (especially ones that contain oats), fruit salads, barley cakes, Wine, Mead, Milk, Ale, Apple Juice, Fruit Punch
Colours: Red, Green, White, Brown, Pink, rainbow colours. Some authors suggest pastels, others bright colours so go with your own traditions or gut feelings.
Stones/gems: Emerald, Malachite, Amber, Carnelian, Sapphire, Rose Quartz, yellow agate, bloodstone, lapis lazuli
Herbs and flowers: Belladona, Clover, Frankincense, Hawthorn, Ivy, Marigold, Orchid, Rose, broom, foxglove, honeysuckle, rowan, sorrel, hawthorn, lily of the valley, meadowsweet, mint, mugwort, thyme, bluebells, daisy, hawthorn, lilac, primrose, any fresh flowers for decoration

General: Maypoles, dancing, bonfires, anything that symbolises creative growth, 4 of wands, dawn, birdseed.

Further reading
Legends and Lore of Beltane
Beltane Magic
Beltane History

And if you're in the Southern Hemisphere, it's time for Samhain aka Halloween – though probably without the traditional commercial trappings since Halloween has become fixed to the October date. I am, of course, happy to be corrected on this matter. But still, I'm guessing, a time for divination, remembering your ancestors, and noticing the shorter days and longer nights of autumn.

Comments

[calissa]

Hi there! I came here via ysabetwordsmith. I'm from the Southern Hemisphere and thought you might be interested in knowing that while Samhain here doesn't have the same trappings it does in the Northern Hemisphere, it does fall about a week after ANZAC Day and thus is still very much rooted in honouring ancestors for Australians and New Zealanders.

I hope you had a wonderful Beltaine!

[meridian_rose]

Thank you for the information, that does interest me :D I'll keep that in mind for any future posts!
I had a wonderful day thank you, and I hope you had a great Samhain!