Beltane, A Fire Festival

Beltane, May 1st, May Day, 2019

Beltane is the third holiday of the new year, and the fourth holiday on the Pagan Wheel of The Year. Beltane, as well as its counterpart Samhain, divide the Wheel of The Year and the seasons into summer and winter, the light half and dark half of the year. Beltane celebrates life, fertility, sexuality, love, lust, the higher masculine, and higher feminine, and as all Pagan holidays do, the changing of the seasons. This is when Spring is at its peak, and Summer is just beginning.

In the Wiccan and religious witch's belief, this is when the Lord and Lady consummate their marriage, making joyous love (sexuality) that results in the Lady's pregnancy (fertility). This union represents the union between Earth and Sky, and it has been re-enacted by covens and solitary witches for many years, as a form of celebration.

Beltane is a Fire Festival. The word Beltane itself means 'Bright Fire', originating from the Celtic God 'Bel', meaning 'the bright one, and the Gaelic word 'teine' meaning 'fire'. A common way to honor this day is to light a bonfire as a representation of the Sun's light emerging from the gray clouds. In the past practitioners would jump the fires to purify and cleanse themselves. Practitioners today do this in a much safer way, by lighting two pillar candles, setting one on either side of themselves, and then walking between them.

Beltane Associations

Themes of Beltane - Fertility, sexuality, love, lust, marriage, promises, purification, cleansing, and renewal.

Colors of Beltane - Red, white and green.

Crystals of Beltane - Jasper for connecting to nature, rose quartz for love, blood-stone for lust and sexuality, and clear quartz for cleansing.

Herbs and Foods of Beltane - Marigold, sage, rosemary, hawthorn, and rose: Milk, eggs, honey, oats and slices of bread.

Animals of Beltane - Goats, rabbits, honey bees, and stag.

Incense of Beltane - Lilac, passion flower, rose, and vanilla.

Symbols of Beltane - Crossroads, eggs, chalices, besoms, and the Maypole.

Beltane is the Wedding of the Lord and Lady, and so it is a popular time for practitioners to be hand-fasted. As the Lord and Lady are also consummating their marriage, Beltane is also a great time to practice sex magic, and make love. However, as this is a day of fertility, if you are not wanting children right now, take extra care to be safe!

The Maypole

The Maypole is one of the most prominent images of Beltane and May Day. It is a pole, often made from birch, that is inserted into the Earth, representing the Lord. There is a ring of flowers at the top of the Maypole, representing the fertile Lady. Many colored ribbons finish the image off, and the ensuing weaving dance between man and woman symbolizes the spiral of Life and the union of Earth and Sky. It is one of the most popular celebrations practiced by Covens today.

Solitary practitioners have adapted this into their practice as well, but it is slightly altered as the Maypole dance requires at least two people. Instead of the regular Maypole, solitary practitioners like myself can create a mini-Maypole and place it on their altar or in their room somewhere. One year, I used a stick about the length of my forearm, a mini-flowerpot, ribbons from Walmart and superglue. I put the stick inside of the flower pot, surrounded it with small pebbles and then filled the rest of the space up with dirt. I super glued the ribbons to the top of the stick, and voila! My own mini-Maypole. If you try this, be sure to email me your finished product! I'd love to see how you adapt it into your practice.

Honoring May Day

No matter what you do today, if you can do anything at all, be sure to dress in something special. After all, this is the Lord and Lady's wedding, and we should all want to look and feel our best.

Celebrations

Take a walk - Whether it's for five minutes, or two hours, taking some time to observe nature is a great way to honor this day! Note the different sounds you hear, look at all the colors, watch the birds as they fly overhead. Take deep breaths and enjoy just being there in nature.

Gather greens - Pick a few flowers to put on your altar. Be sure to thank nature for her sacrifice. Or better yet, take extra care when tending to your plants this day, or even plant something new!

Give back - Beltane is a merry day, so get into the spirit of giving by setting out a bird feeder, volunteering somewhere, or picking up trash from the local park.

Decorate - Decorate your home in greens and reds and with Hawthorn and birch branches. Place out Beltane foods for the family to snack on!

Light candles - Beltane is a Fire Festival, so light up your home with all types of candles.

However you choose to celebrate, I hope you have a blessed Beltane! If you have any more questions on this Pagan holiday, please feel welcome to email me through the contact section of my blog!