Date: April 30th/May 1st
Beltane is one of the eight Pagan Sabbats and one of the four main fire festivals on the Wheel of the Year. During this time the veil is incredibly thin and our ability to interact with the Spirit Realm and/or the Gods is greatly enhanced. Beltane is about honoring the light half of the year and rejoicing in warmth, passion, vitality, and fertility. It incorporates traditions from the Germanic May Day Festival as well as the Gaelic Bealtaine.
Beltane is celebrated with feasts, rituals, and fires. In Celtic times, older married couples would remove their wedding rings and the constraints it came with for just this night. The Maypole is a focal point in Beltane’s celebration. The Maypole is a wooden structure erected that is decorated with greenery or flowers that the participants dance around with ribbons to weave into complex patterns. Also, on Beltane women would braid flowers in their hair, and men and women alike would decorate their bodies.
Beltane also has a deep association with the May Queen also known as the queen of the Fae. In modern-day traditions, a symbolic May Queen is crowned among the young women of the village and embellished with flowers and wreaths. In the story of the May Queen, she has an endless conflict with the Queen of Winter. The May Queen gets to rule in Spring ending at Samhain which is when the Queen of Winter takes over.
Beltane Correspondences
Symbols: Spring flowers, bonfires, cauldron
Colors: Green, Pink, Yellow, and other Pastels
Herbs: Almond, Ash, Mugwort, Foxglove, Honeysuckle, Ivy, Marigold, and Thyme
Crystals and Gemstones: Amber, Bloodstone, Carnelian, Emerald, Rose Quartz
Incense: Frankincense, Lilac, and Rose
Activities and Rituals: Bonfires, Planting Seeds, Nature Walks, Fertility Spells, Making garlands or Flower Crowns, and the Maypole Dance, Inviting Faeries to your Garden by making them small homes
Pagan Essentials
