Celebrating Beltane

The sun shines brightly down on you.

You take the end of a long ribbon in your hand.

The music strikes and you start weaving around the other dancers, laughing and screaming as you try not to bump into each other.

Once the weaving is done, regardless of success, you and the other dancers cheer and clap before breaking for a meal.

This is just one of the many traditions performed on the holiday of Beltane.

Beltane is a solar festival and fertility ritual that honors the union of the God and Goddess. At this time of year, spring is in full bloom. The air is sweet and warm, animals are reproducing, and children are getting excited for summer vacation.

According to Llewellyn's Sabbat Essentials: Beltane, "[is a festival that] has its roots in the ancient Roman festival Floralia as well as in the early Pre-Christian Celtic festival of Beltaine and other European May Day celebrations." (page 18)

Beltane translates to "Bright Fire." (LSE: Beltane, page 18) It may also have roots in celebrating fire and solar deities such as Belanus, some believe it may also honor Baal or Bel - a God who had been demonized by the Christian religion. Belanus is a God of healing, fountains, and the pastoral lifestyle (watching over livestock, primarily cows and bulls).

It was believed that the bonfires lit at Beltane had mystical properties that aided in health and protection (LSE: Beltane, page 22). Even the ashes were used to aid in building the earth's fertility for the upcoming harvest.

Another tradition that has survived through the ages is the Maypole. Originally a tree that had it's branches, removed, the Maypole symbolized masculine fertility and sexuality. It would be decorated with flowers and vines and danced around to invite growth, fertility, etc. (LSE: Beltane, page 31). The use of ribbons as part of the dance wasn't introduced until the Victorian Age. With the ribbons, the dance became more specific as the goal was to weave the ribbons into a braid around the pole. The task itself requires a little more concentration than expected.

As one might expect, these practices were outlawed in the Americas for a while as early European Americans were fun-hating old farts, but laws were relaxed by the 1800's and it also became a common exercise for ladies attending colleges.

For more adult activities, couples were known to hook up around this time which would be symbolic of the union of the God and Goddess, who were often considered symbolically youthful and at an age of consent. Beltane has often been considered a great time to get married, have a wedding, or even a handfasting (which, technically, is a wedding).

A popular novel from the 1980's, The Mists of Avalon, suggested that one of the traditions of Beltane was an orgy that was meant to symbolize fertility and honor the God and Goddess, who were also honored and led the orgy by symbolically entering two consenting people who became, in a sense, the avatars of the God and Goddess for that night.

Today, Beltane is celebrated by Neopagans around the globe. Often, practitioners will gather for picnics or indoor meals (if the weather is bad for being outside in) such as potlucks.

Being an urban witch - that is, a witch who lives in the city - there are some limitations. I can't exactly light a fire outside, but I can substitute with candles. Flowers can be bought from a florist if I don't have the space to grow my own flowers.

This year, with the COVID-19 virus on the rampage, most of the usual Beltane traditions will not be celebrated. Instead, we make do with what we have available.

I'll come up with two or three rituals that people can practice safely at home and should have them ready before May first.

Until next time!