Beltane (May Day)

Beltane is the last of the spring fertility festivals. This sabat is opposite Samhain, which is the Witches New Year by the old Celtic calendar. Because Beltane and Samhain are equally opposite each other they divide the year in half.

Beltane ushers in the fifth month of the year, May. May is named after the goddess Maia, who is a Greek Mountain Nymph and identified as the most beautiful of the Seven Sisters, the Pleiades. Plus she is the mother of Hermes, god of magic. Her parents were Atlas and Pleione, a Sea Nymph.

Beltane is the old Celtic name for May Day. Beltane is derived from the Irish Gaelic Bealtaine or the Scottish Gaelic Beatuinn, meaning Belfire, the fire of the Celtic god of light (Bel, Beli, or Belinus). He in turn can be traced back to the Middle Eastern god Baal.

The Beltane celebration should begin on April 30 at sunset, as sunset is the proper time to kindle the great Bel-fires on the tops of the nearest beacon hill. These fires are said to have healing properties, and sky-clad Witches would jump through the flames to ensure protection. Plus it would dangerous to jump through a fire clothed. One would not want to catch their clothing on fire.

A Beltane celebration is a time of unashamed human sexuality and fertility. This can be seen in the Maypole dance traditionally performed on this day. The Maypole represents the male aspect of the God, as a phallic symbol. While the brightly colored ribbons (traditionally red and white), represent the Goddess aspect and the Goddess transition from Maiden to Mother. Red and white ribbons traditionally represent the blood that flows from the woman when her purity is taken. Thus this holiday represents the Divine Union of the Lord and Lady. For it is this beautiful union that brings forth the spring time renewal of life from the long sleep of winter.

For both ancient Celts and modern day Witches Beltane is a celebration of fertility and life. It is the time when plants and crops begin to sprout, animals bear their young and people can begin to get out of the house where they have been cooped up during the long dark cold winter months. Keep in mind, although it may hard to relate to fertility as a necessity today, without the bounty of the Earth to provide us with food, clothing and shelter, we would be without these basic necessities. Thus, even today the continued fertility of the Earth Mother and all of her children, whether they be plant or animal is of great concern to us and this day should be a celebration of life and the renewal of life.

Other Beltane customs include:
Archery tournaments,
Processions of chimney sweeps and milk maids,
Sword dances,
Feasting, drinking and music,
Maidens bathing their faces in the morning dew of May to retain their youthful beauty,
Unashamed display of human sexuality.

One way to celebrate this holy sabat is to pick a tree in your yard and adorn it with ribbons and bows. Plus you could put out a large bowl of floating flowers. Baskets of fresh flowers picked moments before sunrise can be hung on the front door and the mantle can be laden with greens and flowers. Flower petals can be strewn about the circle and later swept up into a pile distributed around the perimeter of the house for protection.

Special Note:
Beltane has long been a power point on the calendar and zodiac, and is symbolized by the Bull, one of 4 tetramorph figures featured on the Tarot cards the World and the Wheel of Fortune. (The other 3 are the Lion, the Eagle, and the Spirit.) Astrologers know these 4 as the fixed signs of the Zodiac (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius respectively), and these naturally align with the 4 Great Sabats of Witchcraft. Christians have adapted the same iconography to represent the 4 gospel writers.

BLESSED BE.

Sources of information include (1)"Power of the Witch" By Laurie Cabot and
(2)"To Ride A Silver Broomstick" By Silver RavenWolf