Up: [[Wheel of the Year]] Related: [[Fire Rituals Related to Hestia]] Created: 2024-05-01 Updated: 2026-02-07 A fire festival at the midpoint between Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice, marking the beginning of summer. ### Three Possible Dates There are three different dates where it’s possible to celebrate Beltane - May 1 — moon is in its last quarter in the sign of Aquarius - May 4 — the actual cross-quarter date - May 7 — before calendars, Beltane was celebrated on the second new moon after the equinox. ### History Beltane was observed in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. The word Beltane (or Beltaine) means bright fire. ‘Bel’ refers to the Celtic sun god Belenus. ‘Tene’ means fire. The tradition is that the fires in all of the hearths would be extinguished and villagers would walk together to a huge communal fire, a sacred and purifying ‘neid fire,’ that would have been lit. Each villager would take a flame from that fire and use it to reignite their hearth fires which were the source of both heat and cooking. There’s an echo here of [[Fire Rituals Related to Hestia]]. Cattle were also driven between the smoke of two sections of fire to cleanse and protect them, encouraging their growth and therefore the food needed for the villagers. ### Intention of Beltane Celebrating the rebirth of nature, the energy of renewal and the pleasures of being alive. ### Contemporary Versions Beltane had died out until the mid 20th century when it was revived by modern Wiccans. They called this festival Beltane but many of the beliefs and practices were pulled from ancient German and Roman fertility festivals. A traditional food was bannock — a cake made from eggs, butter, oatmeal and milk. People danced and celebrated around huge communal fires. It’s only conjecture that there were maypoles. If there were, they were likely decorated trees. The phallic shape of the pole symbolizes the masculine and the flowers, wreaths and ribbons on it symbolize the feminine. They are united in a time of late spring fertility. Beltane in its contemporary form is also for honouring the Fae, the faeries that are the guardians of flora and fauna. You can do that with an offering of milk or something shiny or colourful that can be placed by any location that feels like a portal to their realm, often a tree or a plant.