Traditions | How We Celebrate | Recipes | Correspondences

Beltane occurs on May 1st and is also known as: Mayday, Walburga, Bealtinne, Beltine, Beltain, Beal-tine, Beltan & Beltaine amongst other names. The days lengthen and warm, and we are greeted by the rebirth of the earth. Trees are budding, spring flowers blooming , birds sing as they build their nests. All around us are symbols of fertility, growth, warmth and light. It is the perfect time to celebrate the greening of the earth. This festival celebrates the height of Spring, the coming of Summer, and the flowering of life. Beltane is about consumation. Beltane is a time of new beginnings, of celebrating new ventures, and new starts. We rejoice in the new life around us. Beltane marks the return of vitality and passion. The projects inspired and planned for at Imbolc, and begun at Ostara are now alive and growing.

In older times Beltane was a time of fertility and unbridled merrymaking, when young and old would spend the night making love in the Greenwood. Older married couples were allowed to remove their wedding rings (and the restrictions they imply) for this one night. Women traditionally would braid flowers into their hair. Men and women alike would decorate their bodies. They would process back home, stopping at each house to leave flowers, and enjoy the best of food and drink that the home had to offer. In every village, the maypoleusually a birch or ash polewas raised, and dancing and feasting began. Many communities elected a virgin as their "May Queen" to lead marches or songs. To the Celts, she represented the virgin goddess on the eve of her transition from Maiden to Mother. Depending on the time and place, the consort might be named "Jack-in-the-Green" or "Green Man," "May Groom" or "May King." The union of the Queen and her consort symbolised the fertility and rebirth of the world.

The God & Goddess At Beltane This is the Love Dance of the Gods, the Wedding of Heaven and Earth, the Bridal feast of the Goddess! It is customary that Handfastings, for a year and a day, occur at this time. These are the trial marriages that typically occur between a couple before deciding to embark on life eternal. It was understood by our ancestors that one does not really know another until they live with them, and things change. With this understanding unions were entered upon, first as a test period, and then a further commitment. It was kept in mind that only through the choice of both to remain, could the relationship exist. Robin Hood and Maid Marian are the archetypal images of the May King and Queen and can be found as such in early ballads. Visit Robin and Marian’s wedding feast in meditation on Beltane in honour of the sacred union of God and Goddess. Wear a garland of Mayflowers and drink honeyed mead from the wedding chalice. Dance around the Maypole with Robin and Marian and celebrate the return of the summer and the fertility of the Earth.

Beltane Traditions

Fires were one of the ways pagans celebrated the coming of spring. They called these fires Spring fires. Until 752 A.D these fires were forbidden by the Christian laws. The meaning behind these fires is "Life and light triumph over death and darkness.
Some Pagans still like ringing bells, singing of songs, and decorating of hard boiled eggs. Eggs were a symbol of both the sun god (the golden yolk) and fertility (the white shell symbolising the White Goddess) and were used both as talismans and eaten in ritual. The eggs of wild birds were gathered. As it isn't an ecologically sound practise to do that today, instead we dye eggs and display these instead for our Ostara celebrations.
Another tradition for Pagans at this time of year, particularly those with small children, is the tradition of knocking on the ground (with a hand, stick, or wand) to "wake up" Mother Earth. This can be done ceremonially, marking a four-pointed circle/compass on the ground. The child who will do the "wake up" call starts at the southernmost point, walks to the northernmost point - representing the cold north - and knocks there. Children can take turns doing this. If you're inclined to noisier celebrations, drums or rattles could be used, or shouting out the door at the moment of the Equinox, or even fireworks could be used.

Beltane has long been celebrated with feasts and rituals. Outdoor feasts are most appropriate for this Sabbat if the weather permits. Breads and cereals are popular, as are fruits, salads and aphrodisiac foods. Try oatmeal cakes or cookies sweetened with a dab of honey. Dairy foods are appropriate. Look upon it as a Wedding Feast!

A large part of the Beltane festivities revolved around dancing the maypole.The danced Maypole represents the unity of the God and Goddess, with the pole itself being the God and the ribbons that encompass it, the Goddess. Colours are the rainbow spectrum.Forms include pole, tree, bush, cross; communal or household; permanent or annual. * In Germany, a Fir tree was cut on May Eve by young unmarried men, branches removed, decorated, put up in the village square, & guarded all night until the May Dance occurred on May Day. * In England, permanent Maypoles were erected on village greens and used every year, in some small villages around England May Day celebrations still occur.

How We Celebrate Beltane...

Submitted by Moonshadow - Beltane is also a good day to work in the garden, plant flowers and finish any jobs that need doing that you started at Ostara and I take the time to do this after breakfast.

On almost every sabbat we take a walk and just drink in nature and give thanks and Beltane is no exception, our first picnic of the year is always held on May 1st, if the weather is warm we 'celebrate' outdoors <g>. It's wonderful to see all of nature coming alive, part of our day will also include taking a rubbish bag and picking up litter that other thoughtless people have discarded, we see nature conservation to be important all the year round but Beltane always seems the 'time' to do this.

We don't jump a bonfire here, we haven't the space and the neighbours would object, so instead we jump over a candle and make our wishes for the year ahead.

Other Things To Do

Dress in green to celebrate nature’s renewal through fertility.

Sprinkle cinnamon on a candleflame (carefully!) and watch the Beltane fires glow.

Make love (be safe!) with a special partner in celebration of the sacred union of God and Goddess.

Decorate your house and garden with ribbons, baskets, flowers, white candles, fruit and any other summery items.

Make garlands and wreaths - ivy and flowers for women and oak leaves and flowers for men.

Make crescent shaped biscuits to eat, leaving some on your altar as an offering to the God and Goddess.

Make a miniature Maypole from a tree branch (taken with permission) and decorate with ribbons and flowers.

Beltane Recipes

Beltane Salad Serves 6 4 tbsp Salad Oil 2 tbsp Wine Vinegar 1/2 tbsp Fresh Parsley, finely chopped 1/2 tbsp Fresh Tarragon, finely chopped 1/2 tbsp Fresh Chervil, finely chopped 1/2 tbsp Fresh Chives, finely chopped 1/2 tbsp Fresh Basil, finely chopped Salt and Pepper 225g/8oz Pasta Twists 100g/4oz Tuna (in spring water drained) 300g/12oz New Potatoes 4 Hard Boiled Eggs, cut into quarters

Method : Whisk the oil, vinegar herbs, salt and pepper together in a bowl. Cook the pasta in boiling water for 10 mins or according to packet instructions. Place the eggs in a small pan of cold water in another pan and bring slowly to the boil, then cook for 7 mins. Drain, rinse in cold water, tap the shell all over and remove. Wash the potatoes and cut in quarters (depending on their size). Place in a saucepan, cover with water and season with salt then bring to the boil and cook gently for 10-15 minutes. Drain thoroughly and allow to go cold, then place in a salad bowl with the green salad leaves and tuna. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well. Add the hard boiled eggs just before serving and serve cold.

May Wine Cup - Makes 6 - 8 Glasses 1 Bottle White Wine (sweet or dry depending on your taste) 12 Sprigs Sweet Woodruff 1/2 cup Strawberries Sliced Edible flowers (to be sprinkled on the top after all ingredients have been mixed together)
Method : Soak the dried woodruff overnight in the wine. the following day mix the wine, strawberries and woodruff in a large bowl and let it sit in the fridge for an hour. Strain out woodruff, add the decorative flowers and serve cold.

NB: More Beltane recipes including one for incense can be found on the Sabbat recipes page.

Beltane Correspondences

Beltane Herbs: All flowers, Angelica, Lavender, Apple, Ash, Bluebell, Marigold Flowers, Cinquefoil, Daisy, Hawthorn, Honeysuckle, Meadowsweet, Lilac, Primrose, Rose, Rowan, St. John's Wort, Violet, Strawberry, Sweet Woodruff.

Beltane Incense: Rose, Violet, Lilac, Passionflower & Vanilla..

Beltane Colours: Pastel Pink, Grass Green, Egg Yellow, Pale Blue & White.

Beltane Decorations: Maypole, Spring Flowers, Daisy Chains, Fairy Statues, and any items that speak of spring and fertility.

Beltane Foods: Dairy Foods, Oats. Wine Punch (eg traditional May Day Punch made with sweet woodruff), red soft fruits eg strawberries and cherries, green salads, shortbread and cakes.

Spellwork appropriate for Beltane: Spells for fertility, love, spiritual links with Deities, safety, prosperity, the future, joy, happiness and Conservation.