| Beltane |
| Beltane is a Sabbat that takes place on the first of May. This is also known as May Day or May Eve. The night before, 30th of April is called Walpurgis Night and many pagans celebrate this holiday on this night. In Wicca Beltane is the height of spring. This is the time when the Goddess is seen as the May Queen or goddess Flora (Roman goddess of flowers). The God is seen as the May King or Jack in the Green during this time. The maypole dance represents their unity; the pole represents the God and the ribbons the Goddess. This is a festival that celebrates fertility, sensuality, flowers, and delight. Also, it is a solar holiday and fires are very important. Common activies for may day are to give May Baskets, dance around the Maypole, Go "A'Maying" and with your sexuality. The gathering and exchange of flowers and greens is a traditional May Day activity. To gather the flowers before dawn is called to "go a'maying." An old rhyme tells us of Queen Gunivere going "a'maying." Another practice is to wash one's face in the morning dew. This is said to presever beauty and sometimes you will find this as a way to remove freckles. The giving of May Baskets is an old tradition. These baskets are filled with flowers and small gifts. When giving a May Basket it is said you should remain anonymus. Often the baskets are left on doorsteps before dawn on May morning. Not getting caught leaving the baskets is half the fun! Making love and May are old friends. During the middle ages all the young men and women of Celtic villages would run into the woods together. Usually during the night lovemaking would take place. This was believed to bless the earth. In the peoples minds, this made sense because they were making love and were fertile young people thus they were promoting the fertility of the earth. This is still a traditional way to bless the earth and garden. Other old activities are jumping the fire (or candle stick!) and making a wish. There is much history attached to May Day and the month of May. In ancient Rome the festival of Floralia, or festival of the flowers and springtime took place from around the 27th of April to the 3rd May. This festival was in honour of the goddess Flora, Roman goddess of Flowers. Bona Dea (Mother Earth), Maia (Goddess of Bounty), and the Lares (household garudaians) were honoured on May 1st. In Celtic countries May Day was the complement of Samhain. Like Samhain, it was a time of faery magick and divination; a "between time" between summer and winter. This was illustarted in Scandinavia by mock battles between the Winter and Summer. Today in other coutnries May Day is a labour holiday, or a day to honour workers. Another modern practice that has passed down for generations is the Catholic practice of crowning the Virgin Mary with flowers on May Day. Beltane fires are large parts of May Day celebrations. In Celtic countries livestock were dirven though the fire or between two fires as a fertility blessing and for purification. After the blessing, the livestock was put out to pasture. Likewise, today the jumping over and dancing around fires is common. Druids originally started the fires each year, and later Catholic priests would start them. Another blessing to do with the fire was Rown twigs were gathered together and carried around the fire five times; after this they were hung in homes over hearths as blessings. |