Our pagan ancestors celebrated the wildness and the fertility of nature in this joyful festival of fire. The Christian Church, uncomfortable with this unselfconscious celebration of fertility, transformed the festival into a celebration of purity and virginity. Modern Wiccans are reviving the original festival in many new ways to suit our era. Beltane falls on or around 1st May in the Northern Hemisphere, 1st November in the Southern Hemisphere.
Traditional Beltane Fertility Rituals
The land was believed to be at its most fertile at Beltane, so much so that humans could share in, and benefit from, this great abundance.
- Women who wished to bear a child would bathe in the early morning dew, having seduced their lover in the woods the night before.
- The newly renewed green of summer would be celebrated by wearing green clothes.
- Red was another traditional Beltane color, representing the blood of the woman when she first lies with a man.
- Bonfires would be lit to represent the increasing power of the sun, and the ensuing fertility of the land.
- Couples would renew their vows by jumping together over the Beltane fire.
Beltane: Night of the Union of the God and the Goddess
The Sacred Union of the God and the Goddess of Beltane has been celebrated in countless ways throughout history.
This God was generally a horned figure, perhaps with elements of Pan, or in the form of a white stag or other horned animal. At Beltane his masculine energies would interweave with the feminine energies of the fertile Goddess. This intertwining would later be represented by the dance around the ribonned maypole, a tradition that originated in the ancient practice of bringing a living tree into the heart of the community at Beltane.
A Time for Connection with the World of Sprit
Beltane, like its opposite point on the Celtic Calendar, Samhain, is a time when the veil between the material and spiritual worlds is said to be at its thinnest, particularly at dawn and at dusk.
The ancients would spend time in beautiful natural setting such as woodlands, and by sacred wells and springs, in the hope of glimpsing beyond the threshold into other, subtler realms.
Celebrating Beltane Today
Modern Wiccan practitioners choose to celebrate Beltane in many ways. Some choose outdoor fires, dancing and decorating trees with colorful ribbons in the company of friends, while others prefer to decorate their homes with ribbons, fruit and candles for a celebration with children and wider family.
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Readers may also enjoy Celtic Festival of Samhain along with Celtic Festival of Imbolc. To celebrate both Wiccan Sabbats such as these, as well as simple everyday quiet moments, read about creating your own Wiccan Home Altar.
Sources:
- Sacred Celebrations: A Sourcebook, Glennie Kindred.
- Witchcraft and Practical Magic, Susan Greenwood and Raje Airey.
- To Ride a Silver Broomstick, Raven Wolf.
