The Wheel of the Year · III
Beltane
The threshold of summer
Comes again May 1, 2027
The fire that feeds the feast. Bonfires, ribbons, the green world ablaze.
The fires of the bright half of the year.
Beltane opens summer with fire, flower, and frank delight in being alive. It is a festival of passion, protection, and abundance, historically marked by cattle driven between two fires and dancing that lasted until morning.
Common practices
- Bonfires and candle fires for luck and protection
- Maypoles, ribbons, and flower crowns
- Dressing wells and door frames with blossoms
- Handfastings and promises renewed
- Oat cakes and the first sweet things of the season