Beltane Blessings

Suggestions of ways to celebrate.

This post is part of my series about the seasonal pagan celebrations, also called the Wheel of the Year. I give an overview of the festival, share the symbols, colours, associated gemstones, and suggest ways to celebrate. It takes me a while to put these together, so these posts are for paid subscribers. I love doing them, because writing them is a great refresher for me, too.

What is Beltane?

Beltane is a fire festival that heralds the beginning of summer on May 1st, when the sacred union of the God and the Goddess is observed, and sexuality and fertility is celebrated, often represented by the Green Man and the May Queen or the Horned God and Earth Goddess. This union ensures fertility and abundance for the land.

Traditionally it was the time when young men and women headed into the greenwood to collect flowers, and they used the opportunity to get a little closer!

The Goddess transforms from Maiden to Mother, reflected in the way that the tenderness of spring makes way for the full-bloodied growth of summer.

Photo by Vasilina Sirotina on Unsplash

Beltane is a cross quarter day, the midpoint between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. Celebrations begin on April 30th, Beltane Eve.