Ways to celebrate Beltane

(Mother Earth), was the wife of the Sun, both deities, givers of life. It was and still is a time of celebration, joy, weddings and sexual magic, which was meant to perpetuate the season. Our spiritual brothers and sisters of those times chose a "Flower Maiden", also called "The May Queen", who was the symbolic representative of the Goddess in one of her triple transformation aspects, from virgin to mother. Perhaps one of Beltane's most misunderstood traditions is the celebration and expression of sexual pleasure. Even long after the Christian form of marriage (and its severe rules of sexual monogamy) replaced the customs of the 'Linking of Hands', those monogamous rules were relaxed for the May rites. They were then called "Greenwood Marriages", because the men and women who spent the night in the forest and returned bringing branches, flowers, and garlands to decorate the village in the morning. Several young girls ended up pregnant as a result of these frolics in the mountains, and such children were called "merry be-gotten". This was especially condemned by the Puritans. When the Summer begings, the weather warms up and the plant world blossoms. In old Celtic times, young people might spend the whole night in the woods. Other more mature married couples might take off their wedding rings (and the restrictions they imply) on this one night. ■

Author: Morganna

There are many ways to celebrate Beltane:

• Weaving a garland of flowers to decorate tour hair. • Wearing green clothes all day and nothing at all at night. • Weaving a garland of flowers to decorate • Hanging fruits and baked sweets from trees and bushes for the feast afterwards. • Making a Beltane fire: Jump on it to cleanse yourself or declare your wishes and let the fire transport them to the sky. • Jumping on the plants in your garden.