Happy May Day
Well the sun has just
about set on another April and with its setting, it ushers in another May Day! Though
not as big as Christmas or the Fourth of July here in the US, it is a day that
most of us have heard of and if nothing else images of maypole ribbon
ceremonies and may-queens dance across our recollection if only for the
briefest of moments.
For me, and I hope I’m
not alone, the term May Day was something I’d always heard but thought that it
was simply a colloquial term lovingly giving to the first day of May and
nothing more. And any images I glimpsed of festivities were simply a
celebration of the upcoming summer season, and in some small way I was right.
But as my studies and research delved more into the realm of our ancient predecessors
I found that it had a much deeper meaning. In fact, it referenced one of the
most sacred and powerful times of the ancient year—Beltane.
Beltane
The ancient peoples of
Ireland, Scotland, and The Isle of Man once celebrated a calendar of only two seasons,
winter and summer. While the more well known holiday of Halloween - or Samhain
as it was called in pagan times – was the beginning of the long dark winter,
Beltane was the start of summer! It was a time of lighthearted celebration and
ritual.
The
long dark half of the year was over. The stores set aside from the previous
years harvest had held out and the planting season was about to begin. The
cattle had all survived too and soon there would be fresh milk and meat.
The
warm waxing sun shown down on the earth and everything was being made new
again. But the ancient peoples who’d survived yet another winter had no choice
but to recognize that practically before it began, the warm sun would once
again turn cold and life would ultimately depend on the harvest of the upcoming
planting season. This was no time to mess around. Everything had to be done
right, and that included a joyous, yet serious, ceremony of fire and light.
Bel
was the god of the sun and he had to be appeased by those he looked down upon
and so large bonfires would be lit in his honor. But these fires served more
than one purpose.
A Bridge Between Time
Beltane was literally a
night outside of time. A night that acted like a bridge between the seasons of
winter and summer, much like Halloween. And also like Halloween, Beltane was a
time where the barrier between our world and the next was very thin.
While many of the spirits believed to dwell among the
living on that day and night were seen as benevolent ancestors come back to
look over their living relatives, many were thought to be malevolent, or even
demons of a sort. Thus the bonfires were lit to ward off the evil spirit
looking to do harm.
Smoke from the fires also played a large role in the
night’s festivities. Cattle that had been kept locked away in earthen stalls
were let out to graze on Beltane, but not before being passed through the smoke
of the fires to be purified and cleansed by its protective properties and
insure that the cattle would be fertile in the coming breeding season.
Also, as this was seen as a time of rejuvenation and new
beginnings, it became a sensible time for marriage, or handfasting as it was
called. Couples would join together
between the fires and participate in a marriage ceremony not much different
than the ones we celebrate today. Only instead of exchanging rings, the couple’s
hands would be gently tied together with twine to symbolize their union.
Celebration and Trepidation
Unlike its counterpart of
Halloween, Beltane was mostly a time of happy celebration, focused on the
bountiful season ahead rather than spent in trepidation over the uncertainty of
the barren approaching winter. But life and death were very real for the
ancient peoples of the Celtic world, and they knew that all it took was too
much sun or too little rain to mean the end for not only themselves but for
their community as a whole. Meaning that Beltane night had to be observed
vigorously and ritualistically or the whole community wouldn’t make it through
the next winter.
May Day Celebrated
In modern times Beltane
has been making a comeback. Many groups such as Neo-Pagans and Wiccans
celebrate the first of May much as our ancestors did. And across the country
small festivals have begun popping up here and there, featuring the ever
popular maypole dance, food and music.
In my home, we focus on the most basic element of May
Day…Summer! It’s the kick off to long warm days, BBQ’s with family and friends,
road trips and days at the pool. Although I do have my own little traditions;
the morning is spent getting the flowerbeds ready to be planted again after
winter and then in the afternoon I head to the nursery to pick out flowers and
herbs. In the evening I pull out the fire pit and the whole family gathers
around to roast hot dogs and marshmallows late into the evening!
Beltane/May Day Activities
Make a May Bush – Find an
old bare branch left over from the winter and decorate it with ribbons to
represent flowers in honor of the planting season.
Plant Something – The
upcoming planting season was one of the main focuses of Beltane. So get outside
and plant something! It doesn’t have to be much, just a small potted flower or
a singular herb plant.
Share a meal – Have
family and friends over for a BBQ or dinner on the patio. Just get outside and
enjoy the warmer weather!
Bonfire – Have a bonfire
just like the Celts did! It doesn’t have to be huge, it can just be in a fire
pit. Invite friends over to roast hot dogs and marshmallows. As a little
something extra, gather old twigs for each guest to throw in the fire as a
ceremonious show of winter dying out and summer coming in.
All you guys out there –
Beltane was considered the perfect time for making promises of marriage. So if
you’ve been thinking of popping the question…
Volunteer or Donate –
Beltane was the planting season, and our ancient ancestors knew that if they
didn’t have a good planting season they wouldn’t have a good harvest. And that
meant they wouldn’t make it through the winter. We have it pretty good these
days. If our local harvest fails we can get fresh food from a multitude of
other places. But some people still go hungry. Find a soup kitchen or shelter
and volunteer. Or fill a box with some can goods and take it to the local food
pantry.
