Beltane The Rite of Spring
by Heather Maureen Millott

Beltane is a fire festival that we celebrate on the last day of April and the first of May. The old Celtic name for May Day is Beltane which is derived from the Irish Gaelic 'Bealtaine' or the Scottish Gaelic 'Bealtuinn', meaning 'Bel-fire', the fire of the Celtic sun god (Bel, Beli or Belinus). Beltane comes from the Gaelic word for May. People refer to it by many names: La Baal Tinne, May Day or Walpurgisnacht (German). It is a pagan holiday which falls opposite Samhain (all Hallow's Eve) on the wheel of the year.

Traditionally it is a Celtic Festival honoring the gods of fertility. There is plenty of dancing around the maypole and bonfires to be had. Fires were lit in order for the goddesses and gods to see them from the earth. A maypole is constructed and covered with flowers, vines and festooned with long ribbons so that attendants who dance around it may interweave the ribbons until they are knotted together at the end of the dance. The Maypole is a tall pole, both a phallic fertility symbol and a springtime representation of the Tree of Life. It is time for spring.

Bonfires are lit all over Europe and the modern world honoring the return of Spring. Fields and gardens have begun to be planted and now it's time to watch all we have worked into the ground begin to grow. My children are each given seeds to plant into the ground and everyone helps in tilling and planting our gardens. It is a happy festival because we know that what we have put into the ground is going to spring and grow and then be harvested over the coming months. The girls usually choose flowers to plant, the boys vegetables.

We spend the week prior to Beltane building a wicker man out of wood and branches to be burnt on Beltane Eve, the night before. An ancient Druid rite, the wickerman is similar to human sacrifice to the Gods, without the human obviously, which is why the sticks are built into the shape of a man. From the Wiccan Rede a popular credo of witches sites the quote, "Nine woods in the Bale fire go, Burn them fast and burn them slow...".

Those nine woods were usually:

Oak for the God
Birch for the Goddess
Fir for birth
Willow for death
Rowan for magic
Apple for love
Grapevine for joy
Hazel for wisdom
Hawthorne for purity

I was so excited when my sons 2nd grade teacher helped the children make May baskets this year. Another wonderful tradition is to construct a May Day basket and fill it with goodies. After this is done, the offerings are left on someone's doorstep without them knowing who left it for them to find. They may not know who thinks they are special but at least they know that someone does. My son made one out of construction paper and pipe cleaners and filled it with flowers and candy.

May day is a time to celebrate life to show respect for nature. It is a time of great magic. A time of Faeries and sprites, greenwood frivolity, budding leaves, growing gardens and lush fields. It is a time to be happy for those dear friends around us and for what we have and what will come for the following year. To All I Wish a Blessed Beltane!

Till next time,
Heather

About the Author:
Heather Millott is a Halloween artist who admits to being shamelessly addicted to primitive folk and vintage Halloween art. Each month she plans to bring us another "Curious Good.." column. If you have a story suggestion for her, feel free to email her. Visit Heather here on HalloweenArtists.com or on her website at www.witchhollowprimitives.com.