Celebrating Beltane

Posted on May 1, 2020

Beltane is the Gaelic May Day festival to celebrate being halfway between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. It’s traditionally held on 1 May and it’s both the peak of spring and the beginning of summer. Plus it kicks off May which is my favourite (and birthday) month.

I’ve always loved May in its gentle predictability. It’s more mild than April with the same sense of warmth and renewal. Blossoms and soft, hazy afternoons; the ability to be outside without the threat of too much heat; the occasional rainy day; a month of picnics and glasses of wine outside; barefoot in new grass; my birthday and two Bank Holidays.

A brief bit of background:

Historically, Beltane is the Celtic celebration marking the beginning of the summer and a time of high fertility. The word ‘Beltane’ comes from the Celtic God ‘Bel’, meaning ‘the bright one’ and the Gaelic word ‘teine’ meaning ‘fire’ which is why bonfires were traditionally lit.

It’s also traditionally the time of the Maypole, representing the spiral of life, the god and goddess. (The colours of the Maypole and Beltane are usually green, red and white/silver.)

Celebrating:

If you have the space, work on your garden. If you don’t have a garden, like me, you can still grow some herbs and flowers in planters. (I even have some tomatoes in a basket inside.)

Make a flower crown or a daisy chain.

Make or bake food that features honey and seasonal fruit. You might want to pair it with some honey wine or May wine.

It’s traditional to have a bonfire at Beltane, but unless you have a garden and a fire pit, it’s probably out of the question this year. So light some candles instead. Ideal candle colours would be red, orange, yellow or gold, but white or green will suffice too.

If you’re trying to conceive, it’s a time of sensuality, passion and vitality. And ideal time for conception, but it can also be a time for the conception of ideas, hopes and dreams.

Open your windows and feel the spring breeze. Have a bit of a dance around the living room in the breeze whilst you’re at it.

If you want to mark the occasion with the use of essential oils throughout the day, I’d focus on jasmine, musk, peach, rose, vanilla and ylang-ylang. (Of course, always check if the essential oil you are using is safe for pets – not all are!)

Some crystals that you might be interested in using and helping you focus are beryl, emerald, garnet, malachite, rose quartz, tourmaline.