Beltane is the anglicised name for the Gaelic May Day festival. Most commonly it is held on 1 All household fires would be doused and then re-lit from the Beltane bonfire. These gatherings would be accompanied by a feast, and some of the.
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In Dublin and Belfast , May Bushes were brought into town from the countryside and decorated by the whole neighbourhood. This led to the May Bush being outlawed in Victorian times. Frazer believes that such customs are a relic of tree worship and writes: Holy wells were often visited at Beltane, and at the other Gaelic festivals of Imbolc and Lughnasadh.
Visitors to holy wells would pray for health while walking sunwise moving from east to west around the well. They would then leave offerings; typically coins or clooties see clootie well. At dawn on Beltane, maidens would roll in the dew or wash their faces with it. It would also be collected in a jar, left in the sunlight, and then filtered.
The dew was thought to increase sexual attractiveness, maintain youthfulness, and help with skin ailments. The owners would then pour it into the earth with prayers for the herd's safety. Sometimes the blood would be left to dry and then be burnt. They would "carry with them seeds of grain, implements of husbandry, the first well water, and the herb vervain or rowan as a substitute. The procession generally stopped at the four cardinal points of the compass, beginning in the east, and rituals were performed in each of the four directions".
The festival persisted widely up until the s, and in some places the celebration of Beltane continues today. As a festival, Beltane had largely died out by the midth century, although some of its customs continued and in some places it has been revived as a cultural event. In Ireland, Beltane fires were common until the mid 20th century, [14] but the custom seems to have lasted to the present day only in County Limerick especially in Limerick itself and in Arklow , County Wicklow. Some cultural groups have sought to revive the custom at Uisneach and perhaps at the Hill of Tara. Like other Borders festivals, it incorporates a Common Riding.
While inspired by traditional Beltane, this festival is a modern arts and cultural event which incorporates myth and drama from a variety of world cultures and diverse literary sources.
- The Eggplant cookbook.
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- Beltaine's Fire.
- The Beltaine Fire.
Beltane and Beltane-based festivals are held by some Neopagans. As there are many kinds of Neopaganism, their Beltane celebrations can be very different despite the shared name. Some try to emulate the historic festival as much as possible. Neopagans usually celebrate Beltane on 30 April — 1 May in the Northern Hemisphere and 31 October — 1 November in the Southern Hemisphere, beginning and ending at sunset.
What is Beltane?
In the Northern Hemisphere, this midpoint is when the ecliptic longitude of the Sun reaches 45 degrees. Celtic Reconstructionists strive to reconstruct the pre-Christian religions of the Celts. Their religious practices are based on research and historical accounts, [36] [46] but may be modified slightly to suit modern life. They avoid modern syncretism and eclecticism i. Many observe the traditional bonfire rites, to whatever extent this is feasible where they live. This may involve passing themselves and their pets or livestock between two bonfires, and bringing home a candle lit from the bonfire.
If they are unable to make a bonfire or attend a bonfire ceremony, torches or candles may be used instead. They may decorate their homes with a May Bush, branches from blooming thorn trees, or equal-armed rowan crosses. Holy wells may be visited and offerings made to the spirits or deities of the wells. Traditional festival foods may also be prepared. Wiccans use the name Beltane or Beltain for their May Day celebrations.
Unlike Celtic Reconstructionism, Wicca is syncretic and melds practices from many different cultures. Sometimes the older Scottish Gaelic spelling Bealltuinn is used. There are a number of place names in Ireland containing the word Bealtaine , indicating places where Bealtaine festivities were once held. It is often anglicised as Beltany. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the Scottish rock band, see The Beltanes. For other uses, see Beltaine disambiguation. A Beltane bonfire on Calton Hill in Edinburgh. Celtic calendar Coligny calendar Irish calendar Wheel of the year. Retrieved 1 May The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain.
Oxford University Press, University Press of Kentucky, A Study in Magic and Religion. Irish Archaeological and Celtic Society.
About Beltane Fire Festival
Corpus of Electronic Texts. Cattle Lords and Clansmen: The Social Structure of Early Ireland. University of Notre Dame Press, A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. Irish Calendar Customs Dublin, Mercier. The Fire-Festivals of Europe. Chapter 63, Part 1: On the Fire-festivals in general.
Chapter 64, Part 2: The Burning of Men and Animals in the Fires. An Irish Book of Shadows. Relics of Tree Worship in Modern Europe. Dictionary of Plant Lore. Edited by Ronald Black. Wicklow People, 5 May However there is no authentic connection of Tara with Babylon, nor any known connection of Tara with Beltane. Marian The Silver Bough , Vol. Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage". Introduction to new and alternative religions in America.
Learn More in these related Britannica articles: A great fire festival, called Beltane or Beltine , was held on May 1 and was probably originally connected with his cult. On that day the cattle were purified and protected by fire before being put out to the open pastures for the summer. Despite associations of his name with fire….
Ireland , country of western Europe occupying five-sixths of the westernmost major island of the British Isles. Celtic religion, religious beliefs and practices of the ancient Celts. The Celts, an ancient Indo-European people, reached the apogee of their influence and territorial expansion during the 4th century bc, extending across the length of Europe from Britain to Asia Minor. From the 3rd century bc…. On that day the…. Help us improve this article! Contact our editors with your feedback. You may find it helpful to search within the site to see how similar or related subjects are covered.
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