In the depths of winter or rainy spring, many of us dream of summer flowers and warm, comforting sunshine…in medieval Ireland, those who endured months filled with bitter, icy rains, frigid winds, and myriad hardships went on to celebrate the decidedly gentler summer season during the traditional Beltane Festival, which was held on the first day of May…
Beltane celebrations (which were also held in Scotland and Wales) were a positive affirmation of life, love, sunshine and nature’s bounty. Designed to uplift and inspire, each May Day festival featured spirited dances around a festive Maypole, such as the beribboned pole shown above.
May Day fests with certain similarities to Celtic Beltane festivals were also well-known in non-Celtic lands, such as Germany, Sweden and England…
Today, Maypoles are still used in spring festivals, mostly in Europe – these festooned posts are believed to be Pagan monuments that are symbolic of male virility…in fact, these poles and their connections to Pagan fertility rituals often presented a problem for religious authorities in the Middle Ages – these leaders generally preferred to eradicate all traces of the “old religion” from their communities.
However, the continued presence of Maypoles indicates that remnants of the old ways are still valued in today’s society…
Banning of Beltane-inspired Maypoles was often done due to fears of “indecency” that dancing around the poles might trigger…these links between expressions of physical passion, fertility, and Maypole dancing have their roots in the rich and colorful history of the Gaelic Beltane festival…
History of Beltane
The Gaelic Beltane festival began on the eve of May Day, and it was a wild and uninhibited celebration of a new season – and of the sacred “marriage” between God and Goddess.
According to Beltane lore, the Great God (also known as the Great Stag) and the Goddess would be represented by couples who laid together out in the fields – in fact, even those who were long wed were allowed to seek out new partners in the woods on this special night.
The rules that governed society were loosened on May Day Eve, when Beltane fires blazed (possibly in honor of the ancient Celtic Sun God, Lugh) and the veil between the worlds seemed to lift…
This festival celebrated summer fertility – as the buds blossomed and the weather became more pleasing, the villagers were surrounded by evidence of fertility in nature, and they echoed it in their own acts. A Queen of the May would be elected and she would bestow blessings to the townspeople. However, these Pagan rituals, which obviously had a sexual component, were eventually frowned upon by Church elders, as Ireland increasingly became converted to Christianity.
Nonetheless, many Gaelic country folk clung to their Beltane celebrations for as long as they possibly could…
Other rituals that happened at Beltane festivals included the blessing of animals, which were walked through two sacred fires – the kindling used for these bonfires was specially selected for its magical or symbolic properties. Woods were collected from a variety of trees, and Celtic symbols were often engraved on the branches before they were burned.
Mystical, yet earthy, Beltane festivals were quite a heady blend of reality and fantasy, and therefore, eagerly awaited by rural people, who longed for the touch of Beltane wildness that was so different from the mundane and everyday lives that they led…
Young couples who came together on Beltane often danced around a village Maypole the next morning…
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Crafted by hand in the Emerald Isle, this unique and exquisite wedding band symbolizes life-force and eternity – much like the Beltane fires, Maypoles, and rituals of yesteryear, the power of these ancient spirals is an integral part of Irish, Scottish and Welsh culture…
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