One of the eight Sabbats of the Wheel of the Year, Beltane is celebrated on May 1 in the northern hemisphere and November 1 in the southern hemisphere. It’s a fire festival welcoming in fertility and abundance for the summer ahead. It’s an ancient festival with traditions rooted in the pastoral lives of the people. Let’s explore some of the traditions.
The Beltane Bonfire
The center of the Beltane festival is the bonfire. The people came together to build a bonfire. It’s smoke brought protection, health, and abundance. In every home, the hearthfire would be put out in preparation for bringing home a piece of the communal bonfire, which would be used to kindle the hearth anew.
Farmers drove their cattle and other livestock through the smoke from the bonfire to receive the benefits granted by it. People leaped over the flames to gain those benefits for themselves, and couples jumped over the fire together to pledge themselves to each other. (It’s best to skip fire leaping since it’s quite dangerous and you don’t want to spend Beltane eve in the hospital.)
The festivities around the bonfire took place in the darkness on the night of April 30, into the morning of May 1. It is often associated with the god Bel, as is the Sabbat itself. It’s unclear if Beltane was originally for the god Bel or if that association came later because of the name similarity. But don’t let that stop you from honoring Bel if you feel called to do so.
In our modern world, a grand bonfire isn’t usually possible. Instead, you can have a smaller fire in a fire pit. If that isn’t available to you, a candle can suffice. However, you choose to incorporate fire into your Beltane celebrations, use caution and be safe. In particular, watch out for flowy sleeves and synthetic clothing that can catch fire easily.
Dancing ‘Round the Maypole
Beltane is all about fertility. The innocent-seeming maypole has its origins as a phallic symbol. It is a tall wooden pole that is made to stand on the ground. A crown of flowers is placed at the top of it. Brightly colored ribbons are tied at the top as well. Then dancers in spring dresses and adorned in flowers take the ends of those ribbons and dance around the maypole to weave the ribbons around it in a lovely pattern.
The maypole’s connections to uninhibited sexual activity gave the Puritans reason to put an end to the tradition in both the United States and the United Kingdom. But it wasn’t fated to stay buried. The maypole has been revived by many revelers in the modern day, going back to the late 1800s. Hooray for that! So, put up your maypoles and dance until the sun comes up!
Dancing, Music, and Flowers
To welcome abundance in the seasons to come, Beltane celebrants gathered flowers to adorn themselves, their homes, and animals. The flowers are symbols of abundance and fertility. Yellow flowers are most common, but choose the colors that are available and speak to you. Just remember to be kind to nature and don’t take all of them. It’s a good practice to take no more than a third of what is there.
Music and dancing are a part of most festivals and celebrations. Beltane is no different. There are so many Beltane-themed songs available that you’ll have no shortage of music to find. And, of course, any music is suitable if it makes sense to you.
Handfasting
Beltane honors the handfasting of the God and Goddess and the beginning of her pregnancy. So, it only makes sense that couples may choose this time for their own handfasting ceremonies. A handfasting is a pagan marriage where a cord or ribbon is used to bind their hands together (tying the knot) as part of the ritual. It is possible to find and hire ordained ministers who can officially preside over the ceremony.
Wrapping it Up
These are some of the traditions of Beltane. There are many personal rituals, crafts, and more that you can do for yourself based on the abundance you want to draw in the months to come. If you’re part of a coven or group that celebrates together, you’ll have the combined energy of everyone for a feast and party that can last the whole night or day. And finally, if you cannot celebrate Beltane on the day it falls, choose a date before or after that works for you. Our modern world is complicated. The Deities won’t mind.
If you’re looking for more reading about Beltane, have a look at my earlier article, What You Should Know About Blessed Beltane with Total Apex Media
