Celebrated on May 1 - 2, Beltane is the third Greater Sabbat of the Celtic calendar, the Wheel of the Year. Named for the sun god, Bel (also called Belenos), it is also one of the Fire festivals, where the “Bel fires” are lit. It celebrates both the strengthening sun as it moves towards Summer--indeed, Beltane marks the beginning of Summer, as Litha marks Midsummer--and fertility. In the British Isles, farmers walked their livestock through the smoke of the Bel fire to ensure health and fertility. Women and girls jumped the flames to ensure their own offspring would be healthy, strong, and many! (Any farm family will tell you that lots of strong hands and backs are needed to sow, tend, and harvest the crops.) A woman--married or single--might take the man of her choice--who might or might not be her husband--out to the fields to mate. This served as a sort of ritualistic “sowing of the seed“, but might also have allowed married women whose husbands were infertile or impotent the possibility of having a child. In Wales, it is still considered impolite to question the parentage of a child whose birthday indicates s/he was probably conceived during Beltane.

Today, this holiday is a favorite for many Wiccans and other Pagans, and marks the beginning of “festival season“, when Pagans gather at various campgrounds for weekend (or weeklong) gatherings to celebrate, connect, and learn. However, many of the traditions and symbolism of Beltane (now more commonly called “May Day“) are observed by non-pagans, both in the British Isles and North America. The May Pole, which may have been introduced to Britain by the Romans, involves a tall pole topped with a wreath of flowers and festooned with colorful ribbons. Men and women hold the ends of the ribbons, dancing in and out until the ribbons are completely woven around the pole . A May Queen and King are still chosen to re-enact the sacred marriage of the God and Goddess of Nature. The Green Man appears in several guises during Beltane, including the Fool (Trickster) and John Barleycorn, the spirit of the growing grain. The Hobby Horse--a mysterious character whose roots are unknown--is a common sight in England in May Day parades and is most likely the precursor of the Pantomime Horse. Morris Men (and Women) with bells on their legs perform the same ritualized dances with sticks, swords, and even handkerchiefs, as they have for centuries. 

Blessed Beltane Everyone!