May is for Lovers

this article originally appeared in The Fellowship Journal of UUFLB in May of 2005.

The month of April ends with Walpurgisnacht (May Eve in Germany), and May starts with Beltane – May Day. Beltane is opposite Samhain (Halloween) on the Wheel of the Year. As Samhain issues in the dark part of the year, Beltane issues in the light and fertile part of the year. Beltane is a time of fertility, and the Celts lit bonfires to the Celtic god Bel, the God of Light and Fire; Beltane means “Bel-fire,” or “the fires of Bel.”

Beltane is considered by some the Great Marriage between the young God and maiden Goddess; it is a fertility celebration as the weather warms up and plants and flowers come into bloom. The God and the Goddess are the King and Queen of May. After this Great Marriage, the Goddess is pregnant by the young May God with the new God who will be reborn at Yule. It is said that a child who is conceived on this day will grow up to wield great power and knowledge and to be healthier than upon any other.

At night on May Eve, lovers would jump over the Beltane bonfire, and declare their intention to marry or handfast at Midsummer (the summer solstice). Many weddings and handfastings do take place on May Day. Other May Day customs include dancing around the Maypole, archery tournaments, sword dances, feasting, music, drinking, and maidens bathing their faces in the dew of May morning to retain their youthful beauty. Beltane décor includes handmade or hand-woven crafts, and flowers. Now is the time to add flowers to your Wishing Tree, if one was made at Yule.

Walking the circuit of one's property and repairing fences and boundary markers are also rituals that can be done on Beltane. These rituals were done to ward off evil from your land, and one of the most common remedy was making a lot of noise. One way to ward off unwanted energies is to make a “witch-bottle.” The origins date back to England in the 1500s, and it is usually an assortment of ingredients mixed together for its purpose (warding, protection, love, or another reason), and sealed in a bottle made of dark glass. It can be placed by the front door to protect the house, in the kitchen to protect against food contamination or burning. You can find out to make one by entering “witch-bottle” into any search engine. What does your house need protection from, if anything?

If you believe in the elves and fairies, they begin to emerge at this time, and are most abundant on Midsummer’s Eve. You can leave offerings for them on this night. Beltane is also a time to help others, and help them realize their plans and aspirations. It is also a time for our plans to grow into what we expected them to become when they were first made at Imbolc. We ask for fertility of our crops and animals, and ideas. What are your ideas that will bud and flower this coming spring and summer?

See you Sunday,

Trys

Sources:

* A Celebration of May Day, by Mike Nichols

* Beltane, May 1

* The Pagan Wheel of the Year

* Beltane Fact Sheet

* Witch Bottles, by Faerie K. for Vox Paganorum

uploaded 5 may 05

Wheel of the Year Series