Beltane and the Maypole

Beltane traditionally occurs on the eve of May 1st.  The warmth of the sun helps plants bloom, crops fertilize and the rivers spill over with melted snow. Animals begin their yearly search for a mate. People fall in love and revel in their new found passion.  The God (Sun) is in his fiery prime.

At Beltane, the Goddess and the God, consummate their love for each other with spiritual and physical abandon. Their passion expresses itself in the bounty that is springing forth all over the northern half of the Earth.

Beltane, a major Sabbat is one of  the original Celtic harvest festivals. It comes from the words BEL, meaning bright or goodly, and TAN, which means Fire.  It is at Beltane that the crops planted at the Ostara are coming to fruition.  This is a time to fertilize, nurture and boost existing goals that were planted at Ostara. Beltane is known for it bonfires. Beltane fires were lit across the countryside. The homefires were extinguished, and new ones were lit from the new bonfires, signaling a new beginning and the purging of bad omens.  Men and women would leap over them, and livestock driven between them to insure a bountiful season. The idea is that the fires would rid you of bad luck and help light new fires for your goals. Couples would jump the fire for fertility to conceive a child, to reinforce a love relationship or to start a new relationship. The fires also symbolize the frenzied and fiery consummation of their love.  A child conceived on Beltane is considered to be gifted by the Gods.

The May pole, standing straight up out of the earth, is a symbol of the erect phallus of the God. This pole is topped by a flowering wreath, representing of the Goddess' vulva. The participants take up ribbons and dance merrily around the pole, interweaving the ribbons, mimicing the sexual tension rising, in juxtaposition to the wreath sliding down the pole. When the wreath meets the bottom of the pole, the build-up of tension is released into the atmosphere like the bittersweet release of a climax, and the marriage of the Goddess and the God is consummated. If you have looked into the sky about this time of year, The Sun and the Moon are together during the day!

If you are wondering why this ceremony doesn't coincide with the bounty of Spring, it is because the spring season starts earlier and lasts longer where the ceremonies originated, in the Old World.

This festival comes straight from the Celts.

Bronwyn    Dorie