Traditionally, Beltane
is the first day of summer in Ireland, in Rome the earliest celebrations
appeared in pre-Christian times with the festival of Flora, the Roman Goddess
of flowers, and the Walpurgis Night celebrations of the Germanic
countries. In the south, it is Samhain. The ceremony for the day can
begin at Sunrise with freshly picked flowers.
This
holiday incorporates traditions from the Gaelic Bealtaine, such as the bonfire,
but it bears some relation to the Germanic May Day festival, both in its
significance (focusing on fertility) and its rituals (such as May pole
dancing). It is the celebration of the mystical
union with the land, honoring Freyr and Freya.
Observed on May 1, festivities typically begin the evening before, on
the last night of April. It's a time to
welcome the abundance of the fertile Earth.
May Day on May 1 is an ancient Northern Hemisphere spring festival
and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many
cultures. May Day is a festival that has been somewhat lost but is best known for its tradition of
dancing the maypole dance.
Other Names: Beltane, May Day, Walpurgisnacht, Rudemas, Celtic Summer,
Floralia, Giamonios, Bhealltainn
Activities: Wrapping May Pole, The Great Rite, Gathering Flowers, Bonfires,
Handfasting, Plant Trees
Altar:
Upon a green cloth lay flowers, leafy branches, a great bowl of May wine, the
figure of the Green Man and the May Queen, green candles, incense of flowers,
and pots of herbs.
Animals:
Goats, Rabbits, Honey Bees, Frogs
Attunement Teas(Individually or Blended): Burdock, Damiana, Hibiscus, Rose Hips,
Saffron
Colors:
Red, Green, White, Dark Yellow
Deities:
Marriage/Sexual Union of Deities, All Mother Goddesses
Element:
Earth
Foods:
Dairy Foods, Sweets, Honey, Oats, Mead
Goddesses: Aphrodite (Greek), Artemis (Greek), Skadi (Teutonic), Var (Norse),
Zochiquitzal (Aztec), Freya (Norse), Lofn (Norse), Pershta (Slavic), Rainbow
Snake (Aboriginal), Venus (Roman)
Gods:
King Arthur (Welsh-Cornish), Bel/Belanos (Celtic), Cernunnos (Greco-Celtic),
Cupid/Eros (Greco-Roman), Frey (Norse), The Great Horned God (European), Beltene
(Irish-Scottish), Odin (Norse), Pan (Greek), Robin Goodfellow (English)
Meaning:
Union of God and Goddess, Sacred Marriage, All New Life, Fertility for All
Living Things
Mythical Creatures: Faeries, Pegesus, Satyrs Giants
Offerings: If possible, safe ritual sex, alone or with others, should be
offered up after the ritual. Otherwise, work in the garden nude among the green
things.
Plants:
Primrose, Cowslip, Hawthorn, Rose, Birch, Rosemary, Lilac
Ritual Oils: Passion Flower, Rose, Tuberose, Vanilla
Stones:
Sapphire, Bloodstone, Emerald
Symbols:
Eggs, Flowers, Chalice, May Pole, Butter churn, Flower Chaplet, May Baskets,
Crossroads
Walpurgisnacht
The wind is stirring outside,rebelling at the thought,
that woman, or man,
witch or Goddess,
telling tales of days gone by,
or weaving the wyrd of days yet to come
have had the temerity
to set themselves against it--
You can hear the last whispers
of winter in its voice--
Commanding to be allowed
to hold onto the land--
Yet, grain must grow,
rain must fall,
sun must shine anew--
Winter's time has passed,
the cloak of white
which lay upon the ground,
the jewels which hung upon the trees,
giving them a majesty
not to be rivaled
in the courts of man,
these garments must be laid aside--
The gray that ruled the sky,
as the Wild Hunt did ride,
has mellowed.
Showing Odin has passed--
His hounds are kenneled--
Dance with me around the pole,
winding ever closer,
shall we share a fire?
Shall we dance until our skin flames,our blood warmed beyond boiling,
wod has taken us in it's arms?
Shall we lay together,
this Walpurgisnacht--
~ Ayla Wolffe
Spring Song
Spring has a new song, can you hear its tune?
It is carried on the winds, a blowing harmony.
It is written in the blue sky, like a mighty rune.
Sung by returning birds, as a great symphony.
It is carried on the winds, a blowing harmony.
It is written in the blue sky, like a mighty rune.
Sung by returning birds, as a great symphony.
Sunna dances across the sky in perfect unison.
The cicada's use their tymbals to add a little chime.
Mani does a slow waltz when day's time is done,
While crickets play a slow rhythm keeping with the time.
The cicada's use their tymbals to add a little chime.
Mani does a slow waltz when day's time is done,
While crickets play a slow rhythm keeping with the time.
If you listen very closely you will hear the new Spring Song.
It will fill your soul with gladness, a cadence of delight,
This magic tune will affect you, all through the season long,
And change your balanced heart beat, to its rhythmic rite.
It will fill your soul with gladness, a cadence of delight,
This magic tune will affect you, all through the season long,
And change your balanced heart beat, to its rhythmic rite.
~ Glenn Bergen
A Garden Blessing
God of the World,
The soil is Your blood.
All good things come from You,
As this land is mine, this land is Yours.
Seed-wealth to soul-wealth,
May this ground yield much fruit.
The soil is Your blood.
All good things come from You,
As this land is mine, this land is Yours.
Seed-wealth to soul-wealth,
May this ground yield much fruit.
~ Nornoriel Vanyahildë
The
God is man, holding his rightful place in the sky as the
waxing Sun. He is king among the deer
herds and the Goddess has taken him as her rightful consort once more. Seeds have been planted and the Goddess is
becoming a Mother once again.
