Blessed Beltaine

Blessed Beltaine! May 1st in the northern hemisphere is Beltaine - a Celtic fire festival and an important pagan holiday that falls between the spring equinox and the summer solstice on the Wheel of the Year. Historically, it marked the start of the summer and was celebrated with livestock blessings, bonfires and rituals to protect the land and encourage life and fertility. Beltaine also marked the start of the pastoral season when cattle were driven out to the fields, hence, rituals invoking their protection were important as were rituals to protect growing crops and dairy production. One such ritual to protect the dairy supplies from being spoiled or stolen (usually attributed to the fae) was to tie May flowers around the cattle’s tails or around the milk pail. Such flowers included hawthorn, primrose and hazel with particular reverence held for the hawthorn or ‘May’ tree. It is said that young girls would arise early on the first day of May to bathe their faces in dew from the hawthorn to ensure beauty for the year. The hawthorn is also considered to be the tree of liminality which stands on the threshold of the seen and unseen worlds and therefore, was treated with respect and reverence. Beltaine (as with Samhain) is considered a time where the veil between these two worlds is thin and hawthorn trees, particularly those standing alone were said to be gateways where souls and the fae would gather. Honouring the hawthorn would therefore be important to ensure no wrath from supernatural beings. I hope you all have a good Beltaine and may your coming year be filled with prosperity and wealth of life.