Much like Samhain, Beltane is the most known pagan holiday whose roots go far back in the past.
Beltane, also called May Day is the holiday celebrated on May 1st. It's one of the few pagan holidays that is well known around the world to everyone. It is also one of the very few holidays that is still wildly celebrated with festivals and activities.
What Is Beltane?
So, what is Beltane all about?
Beltane is opposite to Samhain but also very similar. Just like on Samhain, the veil is incredibly thin around this holiday, allowing a communication with ancestors, spirits and Gods. It is a very powerful time energetically.
When is Beltane in 2022?
Beltane is celebrated on May 1st, which this year falls on a Sunday. You may start your celebration on the Eve of Beltane or the day of.
How to Pronounce Beltane?
Beltane is pronounced as bel - tayn. It is an English word, therefore it is pronounced exactly how we spell it according to English language phonetics.
What Does Beltane Actually Mean?
Beltane is one of the four main Celtic festivals associated with the beginning of summer. Traditionally, it is celebrated on May 1 but in Scottish, Irish and other Gaelic languages, the word "Beltane" is connected to the entire month of May.
The name "Beltane" indicates the ancient origin of the holiday but the etymology of the word is complicated. According to one version, it means "the fire of Bel", one of the Celtic gods of the Sun. His cult was so widespread that it even reached the Romans, who compared Bel to Apollo. Since Beltane marked the beginning of the bright half of the year, this theory is quite possible (we'll talk about the dark and bright halves later on). Other theory is that the word is derived from Celtic belo-te(p)niâ, which means "bright fire".
Lastly, it is possible that it has a connection to the words white or shining due to the common root in old English and Slavic languages (belyi in modern Russian is indeed white).
But if you asked me, I would probably agree to the theory that connects Beltane to the word or concept of Fire. It is an extremely important element of Beltane and I would imagine that a holiday would be named in connection to the Element and the God associated with it.
Beltane Altar: Correspondences & Symbols
Beltane Colors: Red, White, Green, Yellow, Blue
Elemental Work: Fire, Water
Beltane Candles: Red, White
Beltane Flowers & Plants: Rowan, Oak, Elder, Rose, Lilac, Irises
Beltane Food: Honey, Oats, Milk, Fruits, Seeds, Sprouts
Beltane Drink: Fruit Tea, Juice, Wine
Beltane Gods & Goddesses: Bel/Belenus, Apollo, Rhiannon, Dziva, The Horned God, Frey
Beltane Crystals: Emerald, Rose Quartz, Malachite, Amber, Carnelian, Sapphire
Beltane Animals: Wolf, Fox, Eagle, Swan, Butterfly
Beltane Incense & Herbs: Lavender, Lilac, Lemon Balm, Almond, Hawthorn
Other Beltane Ritual Attributes: Ribbons, Arrow, Horns, Athame, Candles, Bowls, Baskets
Beltane Altar Cloth: Red, Flower pattern
For complete list of correspondences, rituals, recipes and Beltane Tarot spread, check out my Beltane Printable product.
History and Traditions of Beltane
I want to quickly touch on the old Celtic year structure, as the holidays are naturally based around it. There is another version of the meaning of the Beltane and it points to the word beltu (death), which has not survived in modern Gaelic.
The year of the Celts was divided into two main parts - dark and light, winter and summer. Beltane marked the beginning of the bright part of the year, the birth of the "big sun", and at the same time marked the death of the "small sun" - the dark part of the year, which, perhaps, explains the name. Bel was responsible not only for the Sun - in many legends he is also mentioned as the God of death.
One of the main traditions of the holiday was the lighting of ritual bonfires on higher grounds. We saw lighting and jumping over the bonfires during the other holidays of the Wheel too, so you are probably familiar with this tradition if you have been reading my blogs. It was necessary to jump over the fires or pass between them for energetical purification and cleansing. Cattle was walked between fires to clear them of winter ailments and protect them in the new season.
In ancient times, the Celts made sacrifices inside the "Wicker Man" - from food to animals. In our rather humane time the Wicker Man is mostly burned empty.
Interesting "fact": some sources state that human sacrifices were made but in reality, we don't know for sure. The biggest source of these claim is Cesar and manuscripts made by Greeks and Roman but they are not seen as questionable. Christian manuscripts did not make such claims.
Romans did have quite ill intentions and its possibly that they have spread this misinformation to portray the traditions of Celts in a negative way. In reality, the culture of Celts had suffered even before the arrival of Christianity. The keepers of these traditions, the Druids, were targeted and destroyed by the Romans. Even though the Romans were quite tolerant towards the Gods of other peoples, they nevertheless saw in the Druids the force that inspired the Celts to resist the invaders. With the disappearance of the Druids, many rites became a mere tradition, the meaning of which no one understood.
But even if it is true, it is said that people sacrificed were volunteers, so to speak, mainly older and ill folks that would give themselves up to the Druids.
Also one of the important attributes of Beltane was Maypole, which was placed in the center of the place where the festival was held. This pole was decorated with colorful ribbons and flowers. People would dance around them and at the same time, men and women had to hold on to the ribbons and move in opposite directions. As a result, the ribbons tightly braided the pole and this symbolized fertility and the awakening of the energy of Mother Earth.
The tradition of making a "Maypole" is of Germanic origin and it was brought to the British Isles by the Anglo-Saxons. The pole symbolized the God fertilizing the earth. A large wreath was hung on the top of the pole, which, like the tree itself, was decorated with flowers and ribbons.
Maypole was the center of the festivities: people would dance around it and play games. Each village vigilantly guarded its maypole, while at the same time trying to steal the tree of its neighbors. If they succeeded, the losing side redeemed their tree for ale and various treats.
During the period of Christianization, Beltane was pushed out and replaced by the day of St. Walburga with Easter celebrations being very close to the date of Beltane too. But some of its traditions were preserved in the folk May holiday. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in Celtic holidays, so there is a variety of ethnic festivals held on Beltane across Europe.
Beltane is a very interesting holiday. As much as it is a beautiful and fun celebration, the legends and myths also say that if something bad was to happen, it would happen on Beltane. Probably this is related to the thinning of the veil and the concept of death we talked about but through history we see a very clear duality of this holiday.
Getting Married On Beltane
As Beltane is considered to be the peak of fertility, it was an ideal time for marriage.
Interestingly, in my culture May is the WORST month to get married.
May Queen Beltane
The custom of choosing the May Queen on this day is also interesting. She was the only one who could wear green clothes on this day, to honour the friendship of people with fairies and elves.
How to Celebrate Beltane?
I think the celebration of Beltane is really divided into two categories: Beltane festival and Beltane celebration at home. Most of us will have to settle down for the second option, so let's see what we can do to have an awesome Beltane this year.
Beltane Decorations
Most holidays of the Wheel start with some kind of ritual cleansing and Beltane is no exception. In fact, ritual cleansing with Fire was a BIG part of Beltane festival.
We can adapt this tradition in our home by lighting a candle (black, plain beeswax or herbal cleansing candle) and walk around the home with an intention to banish all the built-up negativity, stress, arguments and illnesses. After your are done, let the candle burn through entirely and throw any leftovers in the trash with a few coins.
Sidenote: if you are using my herbal candles, you can put them out with a candle snuffer and reuse later. There are large candles that tend to burn for hours, so of course we won't want to waste them like that!
For protection against evil spirits and negative energy, make a bouquet or an ornaments that includes rowan branches and place it in the front yard or your entry hallways.
People also decorate windows with primrose petals and green branches, so that the fairies do not enter the home while people are out and about celebrating.
Beltane colors are green, white, red, yellow and blue, so use ribbons and decorations in these colors during the holiday and month of May in general. Unlike Ostara, Beltane is not known for soft and pastel shades, it is a very colorful holiday.
What to Wear On Beltane?
Beltane outfit and color selection is one of the most commonly asked questions. Of course, people often wonder what to wear to a Beltane festival. But even if you are celebrating this Beltane alone or at home, the outfit can help to tune in to the energy of this holiday.
On Beltane it used to be a rule to wear "clothes" made out of what nature created, so to speak. You don't have to go that far and can just wear floral patterns and bright colours.
As I mentioned above, green colour clothes was worn only by the May Queen but probably this will only affect you if you are participating in a traditional Beltane festival.
Beltane Table and Food
Ok, so here is something crazy about Beltane. In contrast to the generous Samhain (and many other holidays) on Beltane it was not customary to share anything: neither water from the house, nor flour, nor coal, nor milk. It is believed that along with the gift, luck and prosperity will leave the house.
The traditional food of Beltane is of course Beltane (Scottish) Bannock, which is quite a plain flatbread or oatcake and originally it was used strictly as an offering but later adapted a meaning of ritual food. You can substitute eat with homemade bread and cookies, don't overthink it.
I will include a traditional and simple recipe of Bannock but if you are interested in a rather "modern" recipe of oatcake, check out my printable.
Beltane (Scottish) Bannocks
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tbs unsalted butter or vegan butter
1/2 cup of hot water
pinch of salt
Directions:
1. Combine together oats (optionally slightly grinded) with baking soda. Add a pinch of salt, or more if you want more flavour.
2. Pour melted butter on top.
3. Gradually add water and mix to form dough. The bannock dough has a rather tough texture compared to regular homemade bread.
4. Cut the dough into equal portions, depending on the size you want. Roll each ball with a rolling pin to make a flat pancake of desired thickness (approximately 1/4"). Add more flour if you are struggling to roll out the dough.
5. Place your oatcakes on a greased baking sheet and back for 20-30 minutes, turning midway.
6. When the edges of your bannocks start to brown and the oatcakes are dry to touch, take them out and cool on a wrack.
7. Serve them with butter, honey or traditional Beltane food correspondences.
Collect Beltane Morning Dew
Just like Fire, Water plays an important role in Beltane traditions. Magical power was attributed to the dew on this day: animals were sprayed with it, women tried to wash themselves with May dew at dawn in order to be healthy and beautiful.
Beltane morning dew is also used in attraction magic and love spells. The dew is collected in a dish no one has drunk from before and the spell is said to charge it. This water is then added to a drink of a person you wish to attract.
By the way, morning dew is a great tool for health spells.
The way our ancestors collected the dew was by using a cloth. Run the cloth on the plants and squeeze the water out in a dish.
Create And Wear a Flower Wreath
Another way to celebrate Beltane is the weaving of wreaths of flowers and herbs. On this holiday, it was supposed to make a wreath and let it float on the water as a gift from nature. At the same time, it was necessary to make the most secret desire - it must have come true.
But before you part with your wreath, wear it on your head for some time to really charge it with the energy of your intention and make it personal.
Plus it is just so beautiful. You can wear it during your Beltane ritual for an extra energetical boost! Use the flowers, herbs and plants from my Beltane correspondences section of the printable.
Perform a Candle Ritual
We talked about Fire a lot in this blog post but you can never talk too much about it when it comes to Beltane. The Fire on Beltane helps to establish the connection between the worlds as the veil is thinning.
Perform any type of candle ritual you like. You may want to connect with the ancestors, as Beltane is the perfect time for that. This can also be a cleansing ritual, or even a charging one. You can use a crystal candle to charge the crystal with your intention and then carry it with you.
How to Celebrate Beltane Alone?
Beltane is one of the few pagan holidays with famous large celebrations. But frankly, very few of those are left round the world. Some countries still honor this tradition but if you live in the country that doesn't, most likely you will be celebrating it alone, especially given what's going on in the world nowadays.
Of course, it is great to celebrate Beltane in a friendly company of like-minded people. But even in solitude, you can offer a prayer or, for example, leave an offering for fairies (Gods and Ancestors) in the house or in the garden, as the Celts once did.
Whatever you choose to do, I hope you have a joyful and magickal Beltane!
Written by: Lada Veronika
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