One of the sacred days (the other being Samhain/Halloween) when the doorways "between the worlds" are open. It is a holiday that is celebrated in many forms around the world, with most have the common element of blossoms, which perfume the season with their fragrant beauty.
The Celts celebrated the festival in honor of the Sun. May 1st was the day the Tuatha De Danaan landed on Ireland's shores. Earlier attempts at colonisation, also on May 1st, ended in disaster. The Tuatha met a similar fate when their Formorian cousins drove them "underground". (For more about this, check out Tales of the Serpent Isle).
A solemn Beltaine ritual that still continues in Britain consists of gathering nine sacred woods, then extinguishing all flames in the community. With the coming of the new day, two fires are created from the wood, and everyone in the village, including their animals, walks between them. Torches are then lit from the flame, and brought back to the homes, where feasting and merriment abound!1
In the Chthonic magickal tradition, Beltaine is represented by the Celtic Alphabet Letters: FFearn, Uath, and Tinne. Celtic Trees: Alder, Hawthorne and Holly-Oak.
For Beltaine recipes, click here.
To find out more about Beltaine, visit the Witches' League for Public Awareness or Circle Sanctuary.
"Hoo ray, hoo ray
The first of May
Outdoor fucking starts today!" :-)
1. Helen McSkimming, DALRIADA MAGAZINE 1986