Hurray, hurray, it’s the first of May, Outdoor mating starts today
The celebration of Beltane

Before the advent of clocks and calendars, people were more in tune with nature’s timing; without electrical lighting they woke when the sun rose and slept when it went down, and they followed the cycles of the seasons as opposed to being a slave to the 24/7 hectic lifestyle most of us follow today.

Following the cycles of nature; eight seasonal festivals have traditionally been celebrated throughout Europe, predating Christianity. These festivals are often referred to as sabbats, a word which originates from the Greek work ‘sabatu’ meaning to rest or pause. The English word ‘sabbath’ and the Hebrew ‘shabat’ both also originate from ‘sabatu’ Four of the festivals (the solstices and equinoxes) celebrate the power of the sun and the moon at the time. The other four festivals, are Celtic in origin, and are linked more with the annual cycle of planting and harvesting of crops. Traditionally the festivals also reflect the lifecycle of the gods and goddesses throughout the year.

Beltane is one of these Celtic festivals, and has been celebrated for thousands of year on various dates from the end of April till mid May, but is now most commonly celebrated on May the 1st. Beltane comes from a Celtic word meaning the ‘Fires of Bel’. Bel is the name of the Celtic sun God, and means bright one. Thanking Bel for bringing more sunshine and helping the crops grow is very much part of the festival.

In the wheel of the year Beltane celebrates the beginning of longer lighter days with the sun setting later in the evening. It marks the beginning of the season when herds are driven to summer pastures. Beltane celebrations were not only felt to be important to ensure the coming year’s crops would be bountiful, the festivities were also an opportunity for families and communities to get together, and take a well earned break from working the land.

Fire has always been an important element in any Beltane celebrations. Cattle would often be passed between two fires as the smoke was thought to ensure the fertility of the herd, as well as guarding them from evil influences. The lighting of fires was also believed to be cleansing and purifying. Reported rituals of the past include the Celts leaping over fires to bring good fortune, and young men circling fires holding Rowan branches, which was thought would protect them from evil. Protection from evil was very important to the ancient Celts, as at the two turning points of the year (Beltane and Samhain on October 31st) it was thought that the spirit world was very close at hand, and these were days of much evil activity. Traditionally all fires would be extinguished, and a sacred bonfire would be lit in the centre of the villages. Fires in people’s homes would then be lit from this source. The bonfire represents the burning of the old to make way for the new.

Fire is still a part of some Beltane celebrations today, such as in Edinburgh where there has been a revival of Celtic and Scottish folklore. Since the 1980’s on the evening of the 30th of April people carry torches of fire in a procession to the top of Calton Hill. Archways of fire symbolize the gateways between earthly planes and the spirit world. The celebrations start with a procession led by the May Queen and the Green man. The May Queen then crowns the Green man, and in a ritual which symbolises the end of winter, the green man takes off his winter clothes to reveal a spring costume.

Hundreds of people perform and take part in the celebrations. It has become renowned for its amazing colour and costumes including; the white warrior women, the blue men representing the elder/spirit guides of the event, and the scantly clad lustful red men, who try to disrupt the procession with mischievous behaviour.

The May Queen, in the Edinburgh celebrations symbolises the Celtic triple goddess, who goes through 3 stages (virgin, mother and crone) throughout the year. Ancient Britons believe the crone aspect of the Goddess turns to stone on Beltane eve, and the goddess becomes the maiden/virgin, ready to become the mother. As the goddess is now ready for a sexual union with the god, a union which is believed to bring all creation into being, Beltane traditionally celebrates sex and fertility. It is thought that the God (that the goddess gave birth to at the Winter solstice) achieves maturity, so can now become the goddess’s lover.

Beltane was the most overtly sexual festival. ‘Hurray, hurray, it’s the first of May, Outdoor mating starts today’, comes from a version of a rhyme many North American teenagers still chant today. It is a remnant of the past we have mostly forgotten, and hints at our primal instincts suggesting May 1st was a day of sexual freedom, and a time for lovers to meet and make love in the woods.

Beltane was a time when young lovers would proclaim their love for each other, and new partnerships would be formed. Rituals include young men and women collecting foliage and blossoms which symbolise female fertility. The white blossom of the Hawthorn, which would be won during Beltane celebrations, was believed to have magical properties. It was thought to be unlucky to take hawthorn blossom inside the house apart from on May Eve. It has also been suggested that before the development of a universally recognised calendar, the blooming of the hawthorn was the signal for the Beltane festivities to begin.

Even though May day celebrations are not so openly sexual today, the festivals sexual origins are still very evident. May poles, for example, planted deep into the ground (impregnating the earth), symbolised the phallus of the God. The braiding of the pole is thought to represent the vaginal canal of the Goddess. The unwinding ribbons were believed to represent the union of male and female, and the spiral of life. The white ribbons (usually handled by men) symbolised the virgin goddess, and the red ribbons (usually handled by women) represented their initiation into sexual womanhood. A ring of flowers at the top of the pole represented the fertility of the goddess.

The May Day celebrations in the Cornish town of Padstow still have references to sex and fertility. They involve the procession of two Obby Oss’s, who wear a black cape (hung on a frame), and a gruesome mask with snapping teeth. They are thought to symbolise a stallion. On their journeys they try and catch young women and girls under their capes. It was believed, and is still said today, that if you are caught under the cape you will be pregnant within a year.

Celebrations start at midnight on May eve when townspeople sing the ‘morning song’. The town and maypole are decorated with flowers and greenery, and Padstownians wear whites with either blue or red coloured ribbons to support their chosen Oss. The blue Oss is the first to take to the streets and an hour later it is the turn of the red Old Oss. The Obby Oss’s are accompanied around town by musicians, drummers and dancers and ‘Teasers’ who prod them with a special stick. At midnight people sing of the Obby Oss’s death, finishing off the festivities until it is resurrected again the following year.

Unlike some of the other Celtic festivals, Beltane is one festival that is still recognised and celebrated across the country. It reminds us of our relationship with nature and the cycle of life. Although what people do to celebrate this festival differs, the traditions and beliefs from old Celtic folklore are still very evident today. They all ultimately celebrate fertility and the new spark of life this may bring; whether it is the fertility of the earth, the goddess or us mortals.

Beltane beliefs and customs past and present:
· The May Queen can also be known as the Maiden, Goddess of Spring, Flower bride, Queen of the fairies.
· The white warrior women and handmaidens protect and attend to the May Queen.
· The Green man can also be known as the May king, the Horned God, Jack-in-the- Green or the woodland fairy Puck.
· The dew on morning of the 1st of May is thought to possess magical properties, it is said if you wash your face and body in it, your youth and beauty is ensured.
· New couples would often take part in the traditional Celtic ceremony of hand-fasting between Beltane and the summer solstice. The couples hands were bound together to represent their union.
· At Beltane oat cakes with a baked on custard type coating, known as bannocks were cooked on an open fire. One piece was marked with charcoal and it was considered bad luck would fall on the person who picked that piece, unless they jumped over fire.