Beltain, celebrated on the eve of April 30th and 1st May, is one of the major fire festivals in the pagan calendar; and celebrates the union of the God (sun) and the Goddess (earth).
The harsh winter is over and the unpredictable months of February and March are behind us and the true spirit of Spring is alive and coursing through our veins. The union of the God and Goddess restores fertility to the earth as we witness new life being created all around us.
Lambs and other cattle are born and taking their first tentative steps, crops are poking their heads out of the earth and basking in the rays from the sun, feeling his power safe in the womb of the Mother.
Life and fertility abound and the cycle goes on.
There are many traditions associated with this festival which has become synonymous with May Day, and probably one of the most well known is the Maypole.
The Maypole is a phallic symbol and represents fertility; the ribbons represent the weaves in the tapestry of life (some people think the ribbons represent male sexual fluid, which works for me too). Young maidens would dance around the pole each holding a ribbon and perform intricate steps to create a weave that symbolized the union of male and female.
Another custom was for everyone to go A-Maying on the eve of Beltain. This involved staying out all night to gather flowering hawthorn, watching the sunrise and making love in the woods, if you were of age. Many betrothed couples shrugged off their impending vows for this celebration and would freely tumble in the fields with other partners for this one night and one night only.
Fairies and spirits are especially active at this magical time of year and young girls would wake early and wash their faces in the dew from the grass, believing this had a magical potency and would make them beautiful for the following year when they would be old enough to partake in the carnal pleasures of this festival.
The decorating of houses was also very traditional and people would gather flowers and greenery in honour of the Earth spirits so that they would bring good fortune for their household in the coming year.
I can’t talk about Beltain without mentioning the union of the May Queen with the Green Man. A young man and woman who had just come of age would be chosen respectively. There would be fires and feasting and dancing for the whole community and the night would end with an entourage leading the May Queen to her consort the Green Man. Both would be splendidly dressed and adourned – the woman with flowers and the man with the antlers of the king stag.
They were then left in private to consummate the union of the God and Goddess.
So as you can see, fertility is the major theme of this festival and one that isn’t hard for us to incorporate into our modern pagan lives. Apart from the obvious let’s look at other ways of honouring and celebrating this time of year.
Many feel that human actions are at their best when they reflect the actions of nature, so as the Earth celebrates her fertility let us look to ourselves and realise our dreams and ambitions are also fertile and bursting with life.
Now is a good time to re-evaluate our goals and dreams. Take strength from the Earth and the Sun and bask in the glory of possibilities.
A nice way to celebrate is by adorning our homes with plants and greenery. Don’t cut or buy flowers as these are dying, instead buy plants which are still full of life.
Feasting played a huge part in all the pagan festivals so a nice way to celebrate is to have a feast, either with friends or just family.
Traditional foods for this celebration are oat cakes, bread and fresh vegetables that are in season. Respect the farmers whose livelihoods still rely on the earth and the Wheel of the Year by buying your produce locally.
A bonfire is an excellent way to celebrate and how many of us can sit round a fire without feeling the stirrings of primal instinct? Not many I bet.
Here is a great recipe that can be cooked on a small fire
Bannock Bread
You will need:
3 cups of flour
2 cups of milk powder
1 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp sugar
1 cup of water
Nuts/berries/etc
Olive oil
One large pan/cooking pot.
Method:
Firstly get a good campfire established, ideally a bed of hot embers with no flame.
Put a little olive oil in your frying pan/cooking pot and place on the embers to heat up.
Add a cup of water to your dry ingredients and mix well together.
Add your seasonal fruits/nuts/berries.
Once everything is mixed together, flatten the dumpling-like creation and place on the hot oil. (I find that it is important that the thickness of the bread is an inch and no more: anything thicker and it will end up being uncooked inside and very burnt on the outside.)
Fry the bread for about 7 minutes on each side until golden.
Once cooked, break the bread with your hands, but watch out as the bread will be very hot.
But don’t be tempted to use a knife to cut the bread as this will bring bad luck!
Whatever and however you decide to celebrate this day I hope you will be safe, happy and may you never thirst.
