I remember making pastel-colored May baskets with my mom when I was in a little girl. We'd fill them with candy and other treats, then I'd deliver them to my friends in the neighborhood. I didn't know why I was doing that, and I doubt if my mom did either. All I knew was that it was May Day. But it was fun, almost like a second Easter. When I got older I found out what May Day, or Beltane, was all about. Let me tell you... it's still fun!
Beltane is the last of the three spring fertility festivals, the others being Imbolc and Ostara. Beltane is the second principal Celtic festival (the other being Samhain). Celebrated approximately halfway between Vernal (spring) equinox and the midsummer (Summer Solstice). Beltane traditionally marked the arrival if summer in ancient times.
At Beltane the Pleiades star cluster rises just before sunrise on the morning horizon, whereas winter (Samhain) begins when the Pleiades rises at sunset. The Pleiades is a cluster of seven closely placed stars, the seven sisters, in the constellation of Taurus, near his shoulder. When looking for the Pleiades with the naked eye, remember it looks like a tiny dipper-shaped pattern of six moderately bright stars (the seventh can be seen on very dark nights) in the constellation of Taurus. It stands very low in the east-northeast sky for just a few minutes before sunrise.
Beltane, and its counterpart Samhain,
divide the year into its two primary seasons, winter (Dark Part) and
summer (Light Part). As Samhain is about honoring Death, Beltane, its
counter part, is about honoring Life. It is the time when the sun is
fully released from his bondage of winter and able to rule over summer
and life once again.
Beltane, like Samhain, is a time of "no time" when the veils between the two worlds are at their thinnest. No time is when the two worlds intermingle and unite and the magic abounds! It is the time when the Faeries return from their winter respite, carefree and full of faery mischief and faery delight. On the night before Beltane, in times past, folks would place rowan branches at their windows and doors for protection, many otherworldly occurrences could transpire during this time of "no time". Traditionally on the Isle of Man, the youngest member of the family gathers primroses on the eve before Beltane and throws the flowers at the door of the home for protection. In Ireland it is believed that food left over from May Eve must not be eaten, but rather buried or left as an offering to the faery instead. Much like the tradition of leaving of whatever is not harvested from the fields on Samhain, food on the time of no time is treated with great care.
Beltane marks the passage into the growing season, the immediate rousing of the earth from her gently awakening slumber, a time when the pleasures of the earth and self are fully awakened. It signals a time when the bounty of the earth will once again be had. May is a time when flowers bloom, trees are green and life has again returned from the barren landscape of winter, to the hope of bountiful harvests, not too far away, and the lighthearted bliss that only summer can bring.
Celebration includes frolicking throughout the countryside, maypole
dancing, leaping over fires to ensure fertility, circling the fire
three times (sun-wise) for good luck in the coming year, athletic
tournaments feasting, music, drinking, children collecting the May:
gathering flowers. children gathering flowers, hobby horses, May
birching and folks go a maying". Flowers, flower wreaths and garlands
are typical decorations for this holiday, as well as ribbons and
streamers. Flowers are a crucial symbol of Beltane, they signal the
victory of Summer over Winter and the blossoming of sensuality in all
of nature and the bounty it will bring.
The excitement and beauty of Beltane can not be better expressed than
through the gaiety and joy of our children. There is not doubt "spring
fever" hits at Beltane, and hits hard. Children are full of unbridled
energy charged up and ready to go! Children always amplify the seasonal
energies and the thrill of their change, they bring richness and
merriment wherever they go.
It is the child's unrestrained
expression of bliss and delight that is what Beltane is all about. It
is the sheer joy of running through fields, picking flowers, rapturing
in the sunlight, delighting in the fragrance of spring, dancing in the
fresh dew covered grass. Our children guide us through the natural
abandonment of our adult sensibilities and show us how to take grand
pleasure, warmth and bliss from the gift of Beltane.
Blessed Beltane to you and yours!
Excerpted from Beltane -- Holiday Details and History by Christina Aubin
