Other names for this holiday include Bealtinne, Beltine, Beltain, Beal-tine, Beltan, Bel-tien, Beltein, Bealtuinn, Bealtaine, Cetsamhain, May Eve, May Day, Galan Mai, Roodmas, Shenn da Boaldyn, Walburga, or Walpurgisnacht.

April 31st / May 1st

Beltane is the last of the three spring fertility festivals, the other two being Imbolc and Ostara. The land is now ripe and fertile, and appropriately, Beltane marks the return of vitality and passion and is a celebration of the reawakening of spring, of fertility and rebirth, the renewal of the life force and creativity, of love and sexuality, birth and regeneration. This May Sabbat is a celebration of new life in all it's forms. A celebration of the great fruitfulness of the earth and the exuberance of spring which plays itself out in the carefree abandon in which this holiday is celebrated.

Beltane, and its counterpart Samhain, divide the year into its two primary seasons, winter (a time of darkness and hibernation) and summer (a time of light and vitality). As Samhain is about honoring Death, Beltane, its counter part, is about honoring Life. It is the time when the sun is fully released from the bondage of winter and able to rule over summer and life once more. May is the month of sensuality and sexuality revitalized, the reawakening of the earth and her children. It is the time when we reintroduced to the vivid colors, vibrant scents, tingling summer breezes, and the rapture of summer after a long dormant winter.

The drab non-color of winter's end perfectly represents the dullness and fatigue that permeates us on so many levels until this day. We need Beltane, as the earth needs the sun, for our very Spirit cries out for the renewal of summer. The excitement and beauty of Beltane can not be better expressed than through the gaiety and joy of children. There is not doubt "spring fever" hits at Beltane, and it hits hard. It is the child's unrestrained expression of bliss and delight that is what Beltane is all about after all. The sheer joy of running through fields, picking flowers, taking pleasure in the sunlight, delighting in the fragrance of spring, and dancing in the fresh dew covered grass.

Beltane is the day that identifies the passage of earth into the growing season, the immediate rousing of the earth from her gently awakening slumber. It is a time when the pleasures of the earth and self are fully awakened. It signals a time when the bounty of the earth will once again be had and this fruitfulness is celebrated. May is a time when flowers bloom, trees are green and life has again returned from the barren landscape of winter back to the hope of bountiful harvests soon to come and the lighthearted bliss that only summer can bring. It is a time of joyous reveling as the now emerging flowers blossom and are gathered in honor of the summer to come.

Fires, celebration and rituals are an important part of Beltane festivities. The Beltane fire is a sacred fire with healing and purifying powers. The fire further celebrates the return of life, fruitfulness to the earth and the burning away of winter. Fire is a strong element believed to be full of the powers of fertility and purification. And in some cases, individuals leap nude over the Beltane fire to purify themselves and their lives and to insure fertility (much more safe than leaping over a fire with your clothes on, to be sure). Another custom is that of circling the fire three times (clockwise) to bring good luck in the coming year.

One prominent and important element of Beltane festivities is the Maypole. The Maypole is a tall pole decorated with leaves, flowers, wreaths, and a multitude long brightly colored ribbons. Young women and men each hold the end of a ribbon and dance around the base of the pole, weaving around each other. As the dancers revolve around the pole the ribbons weave, creating a pattern. It is said that the pattern will indicate the abundance of the growing and harvesting months to come.

Dancing the Maypole during Beltane is magical experience, not only one steeped in the rituals of fertility. It is also a conduit of energy used to connect other levels of being to our own at a time when the separation of these worlds, as with Samhain, are more easily penetrable. As people gaily dance around and around the pole holding the brightly colored ribbons, the energy it raises is sent down into the earth, bringing about its full awakening and fruitfulness.

As you might have already guessed, flowers are also a crucial part of Beltane celebrations. They signal the victory of summer over winter and the blossoming of sensuality in all of nature and the bounty it will bring. Because of this, flowers, flower wreaths, and garlands are typical decorations for this holiday.

Beltane is a time of energy and purpose. As such, this is the time to fertilize your dreams with action. To use the creative energy surrounding you to begin bringing your goals into fruition.

Some celebration ideas for Beltane include:

• Collect the May morning dew and wash your face in it; it is said to beautify the skin.
• Throw yourself the first party of the season to welcome in the summer. Celebrations on Beltane often include frolicking throughout the countryside, bonfires, maypole dancing, athletic tournaments, feasting, and music.
• Gather flowers for your home or for another who might not be as fortunate as you are to get out and enjoy the energies that fill the air at this time of year.
• Erect yourself a Maypole for friends, loved ones, and children to dance around. The circle of dancers should begin, as far out from the pole as the length of ribbon will allow, so the ribbons are taut. There should be an even number of men and women, boys and girls. Boys should be facing clockwise and girls counterclockwise. They each move in the direction that they are facing, weaving in and out and around each other to cause the ribbons to braid over-and-under around the pole. Those passing on the inside will have to duck, those passing on the outside raise their ribbons to slide over.
• Make a flower crown and wear it, or hang it in a tree in your yard, or in a prominent place in your home.
• Bake a colorful fruit and spice filled bread. Traditionally this festival bread is a sweet dough made with sweetmeat and spices. For Beltane this bread was made the eve before Beltane day. It is said that the bread should not allow it to come into contact with steel during preparation for it is believed that steel is harmful, even deadly to faery folk.