Beltane is a Celtic festival that celebrates the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. It is traditionally celebrated on the night of April 30th and into May 1st. The festival marks the transition from the dark half of the year to the light half, and is associated with fertility, growth, and renewal.

 

The name Beltane is derived from the Gaelic word "Bealtaine," which means "bright fire." Bonfires are a central feature of the festival, and people would jump over the flames as a symbol of purification and to bring good fortune for the coming year. It was believed that the smoke and ash from the fires had protective and healing powers.

 

Beltane was also a time for courtship and marriages. Unmarried young people would gather at the festival to engage in rituals and dances, hoping to find a partner. Handfasting, a type of temporary marriage, was sometimes performed at Beltane, with couples binding their hands together with ribbon or cord for a year and a day.

 

In addition to its fertility and marriage associations, Beltane is also linked to the natural world. It is a time when the land is coming alive after the winter months, and animals are giving birth to their young. Plants and trees are in bloom, and the earth is teeming with new life. Beltane is a celebration of this renewal and a reminder of our connection to the natural world.

 

Today, Beltane is still celebrated by modern pagans and neo-druids, often with bonfires, feasting, dancing, and other rituals that honor the changing seasons and the cycles of nature. It is a time to connect with the earth and with each other, to celebrate the warmth and light of summer, and to welcome the abundance and growth of the coming months.