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"As the weather heats up and the plant world burgeons, an exuberant mood prevails. Folk dance around the Maypole, emblem of fertility (the name "May" comes from a Norse word meaning "to shoot out new growth"). May 1st was the midpoint of a five-day Roman festival to Flora, Goddess of Flowers. The name "Beltaine" means "Bel's Fires"; in Celtic lands, cattle were driven between bonfires to bless them, and people leaped the fires for luck. The association in Germany of May Eve with Witches' gatherings is a memory of pre-Christian tradition. "Wild" water (dew, flowing streams or ocean water) is collected as a basis for healing drinks and potions for the year to come." (from the Covenant of the Goddess) "This holiday celebrates the merging of the Goddess and the God, and the passing of the Young God into manhood. The symbol of Her fertility is celebrated as well. This is the time of May Poles, representing the phallus of the God, while flowers and greenery represent the Goddess. This has always been my favorite time for Handfasting (Wiccan marriage) ceremonies. Beltane is usually celebrated in a forest, or near a living tree. Weaving is popular at this time to join two separate things into one." (from Celebrated Holidays Decorations Food ACTIVITIES Bonfire Jumping Maypoles Green Man SONGS EVENTS Other cultures' celebrationsDecorations Appropriate decorations include candles, (always! but particularly during festivals, like this one, which have fire as a central element), maypoles or lots of decorative ribbons, woven centerpieces, and abundant greenery and flowers and fruits to celebrate the coming of Summer!Culinary Possibilities "E. Beltaine -- May Day Beltaine is sometimes translated as 'bright fire' and so it is. It is one of the festivals celebrated with a bonfire, over which it is customary to jump. Traditional foods include May wine, grain foods, and violets (which are edible and are a good source of Vitamin C.) To prepare a May bowl, put a few blossoming sprigs of sweet woodruff in a large, clear bowl with a bottle or two of white wine, a cup or two of strawberry wine (or a wineglass or so of strawberry liqueur if you have no strawberry wine), sugar to taste, and halved strawberries to float in the bowl. This drink is said to induce the subtle shift in consciousness necessary for Pagan ritual. Other foods would be dairy foods, or a marigold custard. This is because goats and rabbits were sacred to the Beltaine Sabbat both because of the goat's horns which symbolized the Horned God, and for their reputed randiness. The goat also provided the milk, cheese, and butter, so dairy products figure heavily in the Beltaine feast. Marigold Custard 2 c of milk 3 egg yolks, slightly beaten 1 c unsprayed marigold petals 1/8 tsp allspice 1/4 tsp salt 1/8 tsp nutmeg 3 tbsp sugar 1/2 tsp rose water 1-2 in piece of vanilla bean whipped cream Using a clean mortar and pestle, pound marigold petals. Or, crush with a spoon. Mix the salt, sugar, and spices together. Scald the milk with the marigolds and the vanilla bean. Remove the vanilla bean and add the slightly beaten yolks and dry ingredients. Cook on low heat. When the mixture coats a spoon, add rose water, and cool. Top with whipped cream, garnish with fresh marigold petals. (from Cunningham's Wicca)" (Quoted from Pagan FoodActivities Bonfire Jumping To jump over a bonfire with someone is a traditional way of announcing betrothal, but it's also more generally a way to honor or commit to relationships with family and friends, and to renew the fire of a current relationship. Keep the fire small; a few feet high is generally safe, but the more athletic among us can test by jumping it first and adjusting the size. Wishes can also be made: you are jumping the fire to cement your wish, because wishing for something represents a commitment to bring that thing into our lives. It's also an exciting and visually enthralling activity. Take all the proper precautions when working with fire: make sure the fire has strong boundaries such as a ring of rocks around a sand pit in which the fire is built, or build the fire in a non-flammable trash can; make sure that it is completely out before you leave; don't put anything extremely flammable or toxic on the fire; and have water, sand, or a fire extinguisher (as well as the number of the local fire department!) ready in case things get out of hand after all.Maypole Creations Bryn Mawr's maypole pix A wonderful maypole dancing poem An article by Jill Yarnall, on The Craft's home page, says: "The Maypole, focal point of the traditional Beltane celebration, has a long and interesting history. It is believed that the original Maypoles were fir trees or small oak trees which had been stripped of their bark and branches. It was generally cut by young men and erected in the village square or in the consecrated ritual circle on May Eve. Some were left up permanently. The Maypole represented the erect phallus of the male principle in the Divine marriage. The women who danced around it, adorning it with ribbons and flowers, represented the female principle in the Divine marriage. Sometimes, men and women danced together to represent the balance of male and female in the natural world. This dance and other festivities of the May Day celebrations were an important part of European villages' welcoming of Summer. Often the celebrations were beautiful, elaborate, and large: one Maypole erected in London in 1661 was 134 feet tall! "Today, Beltane holds many of the original festivities and meanings, but it has also taken on refreshed meanings as well. The Maypole may represent the World Tree (Axis Mundi) by which the Goddess descends during the dance to contact Her devotees. The clockwise and counterclockwise dance also represents the spiral of death and rebirth."The Green Man Most all earth-centered cultures seem to have had Gods, or a God, who lived and loved and died with the seasons as a consort to the Goddess. The Green Man is a sort of generic catch-all name for these Gods, specifically the Celtic version, whose leafy face can still be found all over Great Britain in carvings and pub names. The Celtic Green Man was Cernunnos. He was the bringer of prosperity. He and the Maiden Goddess celebrate the Great Rite at Beltane, bringing fertility to the Earth and its inhabitants.Chants The Lady's Bransle Oh She Will Bring The Buds In The Spring : And Laugh Among The Flowers In Summer's Heat Her Kisses Are Sweet : She Sings In Leafy Bowers She Cuts The Cane And Gathers The Grain : When Fruits Of Fall Surround Her Her Bones Grow Old In Wintry Cold : She Wraps Her Cloak Around Her (Words by Hope, Music Traditional on the Songs for the Old Religion tape) Horned Stag Horned Stag, Run Through the Wood, The Wood of Gold and Green Lead Us Down the Ancient Paths To Mysteries Unseen Horned Stag, Run Through the Wood, The Wood Both New and Old Teach Us of the Ancient Ways Your Wisdom to Unfold EVENTS 4/24-27 Gathering of the Theme:The way of the Bards Lady Cerridwen of YTT $45 Tribes several Wiccan Bands, P.O. Box 674884 Faire Glen Farm,SC workshops, rituals, etc. Marietta, GA 30006 (770) 516-6115 4/25-27 Beltane Freedom Rituals, workshops, music Church of Iron Oak Festival etc. at clothing optional P.O. Box 060672 St. Pierce, FL camp, with Iron Oak Palm Bay, FL 32903 (407) 722-0291 4/25-27 Foxwood Mayfest Celebrate return of spring White Dove Artemis, PA with Foxwood Temple in the (304) 252-1094 old tradition brussell@cwv.net 4/30-5/4 Nowicki Workshop Dolores Ashcroft Nowicki A.U.U.M Denver Colorado Workshops and Lectures (303) 433-6513 5/2-4 Love Without Polyamory workshop IntiNet Res.Cn. Limits for people with more than P.O. Box 4322 Harbin Hot Spgs CA 1 lover (415)507-1739 San Rafael, CA 94913 5/3-4 Healing Nicki Scully teaches Jan Nagy Michigan personal & planetary heal (313) 783-3830 Nowicki Workshop Dolores Ashcroft Nowicki M. Babwashingh 5/6-7 Bayonne, NJ Workshop (201) 339-8546 5/9-11 Philadelphia, PA Contact Harvest Moon (215) 368-5118 5/9-23 Permaculture & Permaculture design course Sandy Bar Ranch $750-$900 Earth Magic taught by Penny Livingston Box 347 Humboldt County CA Blythe Reis & Starhawk Orleans, CA 95556 5/10-11 Alchemical Healing Nicki Scully teaches Nicki Eugene Oregon three levels (800) 937-2991 5/21-26 Rites of Spring Workshops, rituals, music CCF $225 by Western Mass. Drumming, dance, cabins P.O. Box 502-B 1/1 & food (617)395-1023 Medford,MA 02155 5/30-6/1 Love Without Polyamory workshop IntiNet Res.Cn. Limits for people with more than P.O. Box 4322 Harbin Hot Spgs CA 1 lover (415)507-1739 San Rafael, CA 94913 6/5-8 Stones Rising Workshops, rituals, music White Dove $65 by 5/3 Artemis, PA camping,Laurie Cabot, raise 108 Alabama Ave standing stones @ circle Beckley, WV 25801 brussell@cwv.net (304) 252-1094 6/6-8 Love Without Polyamory workshohes Nicki Eugene Oregon three levels (800) 937-2991 Massachusetts 1 lover (415)507-1739 San Rafael, CA 94913 6/7-8 Way of the Michael Harner teaches Omega Shaman core shamanism 260 Lake Drive Rhinebeck, NY Rhinebeck,NY 12572 6/16-22 Pagan Spirit Solstice, Goddess Cave PSG 1997, Circle Gathering ritual, Rites of passage, P.O. Box 219 SW Wisconsin camping, music, drumming, Mt. Horeb, WI 53572 etc. (608) 924-2216 Mid June Witchcamp Focused workshops, rituals Diana's Grove Missouri etc. with Reclaiming (573) 689-2400
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