The first festival of Summer, of Fertility, Pleasure and Union
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Rituals
Beltaine Rite : Llyn Hyyd Grove
The Irish Gaelic word, also spelled Belteinne or Bealteine, or in Scots Gaelic Bealtuinn, means ‘bright or good fire’, or ‘fire of Bel’, the old sun god whom Classical writers considered the same as their Apollo. In Welsh, it is Calan Mai, ‘the Calends of May’, and to those working by the calendar it is celebrated on 1 May. As Calan Mai is not deemed truly with us until the May tree or hawthorn has flowered, the rites may be adjusted to tie in with the opening of those sacred and beautiful white-pink blossoms. Calan Mai is the festival that marks the beginning of summer. Wrapped in a great deal of delicious and easily found folklore, it is a festival as popular as Calan Gaeaf, marking the other side of the year and exploring the other deep human drive that is fraught with taboos: sex. While at Alban Eilir the young couple’s love was platonic, by Beltane they have grown to know the pleasures of sexuality. The festival is one which celebrates union. (Excerpt from Ritual by Emma Restall Orr)