Beltane A History

a Beltane fire🔥

Beltane is the Celtic May Day festival that we celebrate. Most commonly it is held on 1 May, or about halfway between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. The Beltane festival marks the beginning of summer, and celebrates the fertility of the coming year. Homes and cattle were decorated with yellow May flowers.

Fire plays an important role in the Beltane festivities in history flames, smoke, and ashes from bonfires kindled during the festival were thought to have protective powers. All household fires would be put out and then re-lit from the Beltane bonfire.

a may queen

Down through the centuries May Day has been associated with fun, revelry and perhaps most important of all, fertility. The Day would be marked with village folk cavorting round the maypole (which sounds like fun), the selection of the May Queen and the dancing figure of the Jack-in-the-Green at the head of the procession. The Jack is thought to be a relic from those enlightened days when our ancient ancestors worshipped trees.

In the sixteenth century riots followed when May Day celebrations were banned. Fourteen rioters were hanged, and Henry VIII is said to have pardoned a further 400 who had been sentenced to death (that's a lot of people).

The May Day festivities almost completely vanished following the Civil War when Oliver Cromwell took control of the country in 1645. Describing maypole dancing as superstition and wickedness, a legislation was passed which saw the end of village maypoles throughout the country.

Dancing did not return to the village greens until the restoration of Charles II. who helped ensure the support of his subjects with the erection of a massive 40 metre high maypole in London’s Strand that's super tall. This pole signalled the return of the fun times, and remained standing for almost fifty years. that's mainly it other than there are some different types of food that