Beltane Fire

All sabbats are magical and each time one rolls around I exclaim it is my favourite - so this I shall do with Beltane. The skies are blue, the solar heat is rising and we are in an official 'mini' heatwave. What's not to love?

Bel was a Celtic deity and some say the name Beltane means 'fire of Bel' or 'bright fire'. Which explains why Beltane is most well known as a fire festival.

It was believed that leaping over bonfires would bring health and fertility to the lands and livestock; by recalling the power of the sun to bring about true and proper summer time.

Life is bursting at its seams, the earth is at her most fertile and the ember of new life is burgeoning. We celebrate not just the return of this warmth but our having survived another long, sometimes desolate winter. Seeds are sprouting which means food is on its way.

Here in the modern day, where Dan and I live in the UK, Beltane coincides nicely with the last expected frost of the year, so it is during this festival we plant out all our cover grown seedlings with glee.

In the middle ages, the somewhat phallic symbol of the Maypole appeared, topped with a circle of flowers, equally representative of the feminine body. Maidens would dance their familiar dance symbolising fertility and renewal. No doubt the participants were also hoping to attract a mate of their own too.

More of a pastoral sabbat than arable - because the date has little meaning to crop growers overall - it was the time the cattle were put out to pasture and the ritualistic festivities served as a protection for the valuable, life sustaining livestock.

The curative and restorative powers of a Beltane fire were believed to be so strong that people would daub the ashes on themselves and their animals to benefit from the ancient magic.

In neopaganism, Beltane is celebrated in many different ways, our overarching philosophy being based heavily on choosing one's own path. For us in the woodland, Beltane is the sabbat when we celebrate the final end of the cold times, the lush new growth below and the beginning of full greenshade above.

Betlane blessings from us to you! 🔥

Rach x