Introduction

Beltane (fire in the sky), celebrates the spring holiday and is a significant fire and fertility festival that begins at sunset on 30th April. Halfway around the year from Samhain, when we honour the dead, Beltane is the festival that honours all of the living.

During Beltane, the young God has blossomed into manhood, and the Goddess takes him on as her lover. This is a time to celebrate the coming together of the masculine and feminine creative energies.

It is the second most important Sabbat after Samhain, when the veil between the worlds is once again at its finest. During Beltane it is believed that mischievous elves and fairies make themselves known and care should be taken during magical practices.

Beltane is a time of Fairy Magic, and the Queen of fairies is represented by the Queen of the May. With her consort at her side, she rules over the celebrations and serves as a representative of the Goddess.

Fires were burned as beacons across the land to symbolize the sun’s return to the sky and fertility to the land. Livestock were driven between the fires to protect them from disease. Fertility to the ancients was a matter of life and death, and so the sick and frail passed between the fires to obtain the sun’s healing blessings.

In Scottish Gaelic Bealtuinn means May Day. The word originally meant “Bel Fire”, and Beltane is associated with the Celtic God Bel. Fires were traditionally built at Beltane, and people would jump over the fire. Wishing for a husband or a wife, young unmarried people would leap the bonfire, and young women would leap it to ensure their fertility, couples leaped it to strengthen their bond. Older married couples were allowed to remove their wedding rings (and the restrictions they imply) for this one night. Women would braid flowers into their hair, and men and women would decorate their bodies.

Beltane is a time of self-discovery, love, union, and developing personal growth. It is a time to look forward to the future and to prepare for the warm summer months ahead.