04/29/2026
Beltane
The fire festival marks the beginning of summer and the light half of the year.
On the wheel of the year Beltane is the light side to Samhain (Halloween). Where Samhain celebrates death, introspection and rest, Beltane celebrates the peak of life, the lush and fullness of the season and the letting go of inhibitions.
During ancient times in Britain and Gaulish, they would light fires and torches that burned so massively they could be seen by travelers out at sea.
These fires became the center of many Beltane rituals. The most known and still practiced ritual in the Gaelic countries today involves two fires lit side by side to boost the fertility of the land and honour the deities that looked after agriculture.
Families would walk between these flames with livestock to cleanse them of disease and ensure the future health of the herd and the families they feed.
Landowners would often continue the festival on their own land having extinguished all the fires on their property; they would use a log from the main ritual fires to reignite their homes' flame. Then they would paint symbols upon their bodies, and run wildly, dancing, drumming and feasting on their own land.
In modern times communities still gather outside to celebrate the season of Beltane under the more recognized name of May Day, where they dance the may pole.
The pole is wrapped in a variety of colours but traditionally it is white (divine, feminine) and red ( earth, masculine), with lads and maidens dancing around it intertwining these ribbons in unity.
The origins of this dance is fertility based with the pole being the masculine and the wreath with the ribbons on top is the feminine and the braiding is their unit. for the successes in a lush crop as well as the growth of the community.
In our home, we often have a fire starting in the afternoon well into the evening where we gather and have dinner. This fire is lit to honor the fires of the past to and to offer thanks for the change of the season and the fullness in our lives for many seasons to come.
Inspirations to Honor Beltane:
-Building fire or lighting a candle
-Paint symbols on your body
-Dancing or Drumming (get the blood flowing)
-Leave offerings of milk and honey under the moon to thank the Fae for enchanting the land and boosting its fertility.
Ahma
Kailey