Beltane, also known as May Day, is the halfway point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice.
Like many other pagan holidays, Beltane can be traced back to Irish and Scottish traditions. The first written account of it dates from 908 AD and it is celebrated on May 1. Early Beltane festivals were meant to celebrate the coming of the summer season. They would run cattle in between two bonfires to purify them, dance around maypoles, and cover the land in flowers.
The name Beltane comes from the Celtic deity Belenus. According to the Boston Public Library, “They would pass cattle between the two fires, with the belief that it would purify the cattle, and ensure the fertility of the herd.”
Another way the day was celebrated was the crowning of the May Queen and Green Man. The May Queen was selected from the young maidens of a village and dressed in flowers and ribbons. The Green Man was dressed up in leaves and branches, meant to symbolize masculine fertility, and they would dance together throughout the night. Thorn and Claw describe this as “invoking the power of nature to bring forth new life, growth, and prosperity in the coming year.”
Beltane is one of the simpler pagan holidays, now viewed as the celebration of the height of spring. Many people use it as a day to plant their gardens or start letting their animals out to pasture. Pagans and Wiccans will light bonfires, plant gardens, and dance around a maypole.
This holiday is not specific to just Pagan and Wiccan practitioners, anyone of any belief system is welcome to join in and celebrate spring. Reconnect to the world around you, go walk barefoot in the grass, or dance in the rain. Have a spa day for yourself, or light a bonfire to make yourself some smores.
