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~Magickal Graphics~
NOTE: This is a repost of a previous Beltaine post.
The start of May is celebrated as Beltaine (Beltane), 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.
May the 4th is known to many pop culture fans as Star Wars day!
'Sumer is icumen in', significant early English partsong, c1240 (Anon).
On the name:
[T]the origin of the name “Beltane” is disputed. The holiday was also known as “Roodmass” in England and “Walpurgisnacht” in Germany. Alternately spelled Bealtaine, Beltaine, and any number of Gaelic derived-spellings, it is also the Irish word for the month of May, and is said to mean anything from “Bel-fire” Feast of the god Bel” to “bright fire.” Janet and Stewart Farrar, in Eight Sabbats for Witches offer an excellent tracing of the holiday’s Irish roots, and particularly the European fire-god Belenus whom they believe this festival is named for (a name possible traced back to Baal, the bible’s only pagan god, whose name simply means “Lord”). Ronald Hutton states that since the Celtic word “bel” means bright or fortunate, this is adequate to explain the translation as being “lucky fire” or “bright fire.” (x)
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.
Magpie Lane - May Song, A song inspired by the May Day celebrations at Padstow in Cornwall where an ancient "Obby 'Oss" has for centuries been paraded through town, rec'd by this article.
( read more about Beltaine and other May festivals )
And if you're in the Southern Hemisphere, it's time for Samhain aka Halloween.
~Magickal Graphics~
NOTE: This is a repost of the 2017 post
The start of May is celebrated as Beltaine (Beltane), 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.
May the 4th is known to many pop culture fans as Star Wars day!
'Sumer is icumen in', significant early English partsong, c1240 (Anon).
On the name:
[T]the origin of the name “Beltane” is disputed. The holiday was also known as “Roodmass” in England and “Walpurgisnacht” in Germany. Alternately spelled Bealtaine, Beltaine, and any number of Gaelic derived-spellings, it is also the Irish word for the month of May, and is said to mean anything from “Bel-fire” Feast of the god Bel” to “bright fire.” Janet and Stewart Farrar, in Eight Sabbats for Witches offer an excellent tracing of the holiday’s Irish roots, and particularly the European fire-god Belenus whom they believe this festival is named for (a name possible traced back to Baal, the bible’s only pagan god, whose name simply means “Lord”). Ronald Hutton states that since the Celtic word “bel” means bright or fortunate, this is adequate to explain the translation as being “lucky fire” or “bright fire.” (x)
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.
Magpie Lane - May Song, A song inspired by the May Day celebrations at Padstow in Cornwall where an ancient "Obby 'Oss" has for centuries been paraded through town, rec'd by this article.
( read more about Beltaine and other May festivals )
And if you're in the Southern Hemisphere, it's time for Samhain aka Halloween.
~Magickal Graphics~
The start of May is celebrated as Beltaine (Beltane), 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.
May the 4th is known to many pop culture fans as Star Wars day!
'Sumer is icumen in', significant early English partsong, c1240 (Anon).
On the name:
[T]the origin of the name “Beltane” is disputed. The holiday was also known as “Roodmass” in England and “Walpurgisnacht” in Germany. Alternately spelled Bealtaine, Beltaine, and any number of Gaelic derived-spellings, it is also the Irish word for the month of May, and is said to mean anything from “Bel-fire” Feast of the god Bel” to “bright fire.” Janet and Stewart Farrar, in Eight Sabbats for Witches offer an excellent tracing of the holiday’s Irish roots, and particularly the European fire-god Belenus whom they believe this festival is named for (a name possible traced back to Baal, the bible’s only pagan god, whose name simply means “Lord”). Ronald Hutton states that since the Celtic word “bel” means bright or fortunate, this is adequate to explain the translation as being “lucky fire” or “bright fire.” (x)
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.
Magpie Lane - May Song, A song inspired by the May Day celebrations at Padstow in Cornwall where an ancient "Obby 'Oss" has for centuries been paraded through town, rec'd by this article.
( read more about Beltaine and other May festivals )
And if you're in the Southern Hemisphere, it's time for Samhain aka Halloween.
~Magickal Graphics~
The start of May is celebrated as Beltaine (Beltane), 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.
May the 4th is known to many pop culture fans as Star Wars day!
16 The Cuckoo Song (Sumer is ycomen in ... Sumer is icumen in)
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.
The weather this year has been odd though, spells of bright sunshine interspersed with snow showers and hailstorms!
On the name:
[T]the origin of the name “Beltane” is disputed. The holiday was also known as “Roodmass” in England and “Walpurgisnacht” in Germany. Alternately spelled Bealtaine, Beltaine, and any number of Gaelic derived-spellings, it is also the Irish word for the month of May, and is said to mean anything from “Bel-fire” Feast of the god Bel” to “bright fire.” Janet and Stewart Farrar, in Eight Sabbats for Witches offer an excellent tracing of the holiday’s Irish roots, and particularly the European fire-god Belenus whom they believe this festival is named for (a name possible traced back to Baal, the bible’s only pagan god, whose name simply means “Lord”). Ronald Hutton states that since the Celtic word “bel” means bright or fortunate, this is adequate to explain the translation as being “lucky fire” or “bright fire.” (x)
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.
Magpie Lane - May Song, A song inspired by the May Day celebrations at Padstow in Cornwall where an ancient "Obby 'Oss" has for centuries been paraded through town, rec'd by this article.
( read more about Beltaine and other May festivals )
And if you're in the Southern Hemisphere, it's time for Samhain aka Halloween.
~Magickal Graphics~
The start of May is celebrated as 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 the 4th (known to many pop culture fans as Star Wars day!)
16 The Cuckoo Song (Sumer is ycomen in ... Sumer is icumen in)
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.
On the name:
[T]the origin of the name “Beltane” is disputed. The holiday was also known as “Roodmass” in England and “Walpurgisnacht” in Germany. Alternately spelled Bealtaine, Beltaine, and any number of Gaelic derived-spellings, it is also the Irish word for the month of May, and is said to mean anything from “Bel-fire” Feast of the god Bel” to “bright fire.” Janet and Stewart Farrar, in Eight Sabbats for Witches offer an excellent tracing of the holiday’s Irish roots, and particularly the European fire-god Belenus whom they believe this festival is named for (a name possible traced back to Baal, the bible’s only pagan god, whose name simply means “Lord”). Ronald Hutton states that since the Celtic word “bel” means bright or fortunate, this is adequate to explain the translation as being “lucky fire” or “bright fire.” (x)
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.
Magpie Lane - May Song, A song inspired by the May Day celebrations at Padstow in Cornwall where an ancient "Obby 'Oss" has for centuries been paraded through town, rec'd by this article.
( read more about Beltaine and other May festivals )
And if you're in the Southern Hemisphere, it's time for Samhain aka Halloween.
~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
( Read more... )
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.
~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 6th.
( Read more... )
Happy Beltaine/Samhain
May. 1st, 2012 09:36 am
~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 7th.
Today it's raining heavily in my part of the world and not at all summery!
( Read more... )
~Magickal Graphics~
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 insure 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.
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 fire.
Correspondences include: Maypoles, dancing, bonfires, growth, green, bluebells, daisies, primroses, red, white, birdseed. Any bright colours, any fresh flowers, and anything else that symbolises creative growth.
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.
