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What is Beltane?
Beltane is a fire festival celebrated on the night of April 30th into May 1st in the Northern Hemisphere, and around October 31st into November 1st in the Southern Hemisphere. It marks the midpoint between the spring equinox and the summer solstice, honoring fertility, passion, and the sacred union between the divine feminine and masculine. Traditionally, it signals the beginning of the light half of the year, a time of growth, abundance, warmth, and blooming life. Beltane celebrates freedom, love, lust, creativity, and the return of life to the natural world, bringing with it new, flourishing beginnings. May 1st is a day of joy and play. After a harsh winter, it becomes a celebration of renewal, of aliveness, and of nature’s wild rebirth.
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The History of Beltane
The name Beltane comes from Old Irish Beltene, meaning "bright fire" or "The fires of Bel". Some people link it to the Celtic god Belenus, a solar and healing deity, while others have drawn comparisons to Baal, a fertility god, though that idea is debated and not widely accepted.
Historically, Beltane was celebrated in Celtic regions, most notably Ireland and Scotland, as a pastoral festival. Bonfires were lit on hilltops, and cattle were driven between two of them to protect them from disease and ensure fertility. People would jump over the flames, not just for luck, but as a way to connect with sacred fire and invoke fertility, health, and courage for the coming summer season.
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Beltane and the Fairy Realm
Beltane is a liminal time, one of the two key points in the year (along with Samhain) when the veil between our world and the Otherworld grows thin. While Samhain leans into the realm of spirits and ancestors, Beltane belongs to the fae.
It is said that on the eve of Beltane, the Fair Folk wander freely, drawn to laughter, music, and offerings left with care. In many old traditions, people avoided disturbing fairy mounds or sacred groves during this time, choosing instead to leave gifts like milk, honey, or sweet bread beneath hawthorn trees. These offerings were meant to honor the fae, invite blessings, and protect against mischief.
Wearing a crown of bluebells on Beltane Eve is said to help one see the faeries, as bluebells are sacred to them. A ring of blooming bluebells is also believed to be a favorite gathering spot for garden faeries.
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Beltane and the Hawthorn Tree
Few trees are more sacred to Beltane than the hawthorn. Often called the “fairy tree” in Irish and Scottish folklore, it is said to guard the entrances to the Otherworld. Blooming right around May 1st, its soft white-pink blossoms carry the energy of protection, love, and the unseen.
In Celtic tradition, hawthorn trees were deeply respected as portals to the realm of the fae. During Beltane, it was common to tie ribbons or small offerings to the branches while making heartfelt wishes, not demands, but gentle hopes whispered like prayers. Damaging or cutting a hawthorn tree, especially during this sacred time, was believed to bring terrible luck or stir the wrath of the Fair Folk.
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The Sacred Fire
Fire is the central symbol of Beltane. The festival’s original name literally refers to Bel’s fires, honoring the sun and invoking purification and fertility.
Traditionally, two large bonfires were lit at Beltane, and people, along with their animals, would walk, dance, or even leap between them for blessings, healing, and protection. In some regions, ashes from the sacred fire were scattered over fields to encourage fertility. Couples, especially newlyweds, often passed hand-in-hand through the smoke as a symbol of unity and renewal.
The fire wasn’t just a ritual, it was a living spirit. Lighting it the old way, through friction rather than matches or lighters, was seen as a sacred act, calling upon the raw elemental force of nature itself.
Even today, many Beltane celebrations honor this ancient custom through bonfires, candle magic, and fire rituals. You don’t need a blaze on a hilltop, even a single flame, lit with intention, can carry the sacred spark of Beltane into your home and heart. :D
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The Maypole
The maypole is one of the most central symbols of modern Beltane celebrations. Though it has roots in English May Day traditions, it’s been beautifully woven into Beltane for its rich symbolism of life, fertility, and union.
The tall, phallic pole rising from the earth represents the God, masculine energy, vitality, and the spark of creation. The colorful ribbons and flowers spiraling around it, often held by dancers weaving in circles, represent the Goddess, the womb, fertility, and abundant life. Together, they form a sacred spiral: a dance of harmony between the masculine and feminine, of earth and sky, movement and stillness.
As dancers move around the maypole, their steps create a living mandala, a spell in motion, tied with laughter and bright ribbons.
The dance itself is a celebration of harmony between forces, of weaving ourselves back into the rhythm of the land.
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Beltane x Handfasting
Beltane is also a favored time for handfasting, a traditional pagan betrothal or wedding ritual where a couple’s hands are bound together with ribbons, cords, or braided threads to symbolize their union. In ancient times, a handfasting ceremony could last for a year and a day, after which the couple had the choice to stay together or part ways. Today, many modern pagans choose Beltane as a powerful and romantic time to make such commitments, drawn to the fertile energy of the season. Handfastings are often held outdoors, in nature, near fire, under blooming trees, or surrounded by loved ones in sacred space. The vows exchanged during these rituals can be traditional or deeply personal, as the magic of the ceremony lies in the heart connection and the intention to walk beside each other, bound by love and commitment.
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Magic Correspondences
Planets: Venus
Season: Midpoint between spring and summer
Element: Fire
Time of the Day: Noon
Tarot Cards: The Strength, The Lovers, The Sun, Three of Cups
Colors: Green, Red, Pink, Yellow, Purple, White, Sky Blue, All Pastel Colors
Herbs: Mint, Rosemary, Thyme, Ivy, Nettle, Sage, Basil, Juniper, Clover, Mugwort
Fruits: Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, Bananas, Lemon, Cherries
Vegetables: Cucumbers, Carrots, Garlic, Lettuce, New Potatoes
Crystals: Emerald, Bloodstone, Rose Quartz, Carnelian, Red Jasper, Green Aventurine, Moonstone, Fire Agate
Runes: Kenaz, Wunjo, Ingwaz
Trees: Hawthorn, Elder, Willow, Birch
Goddesses: Artemis, Diana, Brigid, Aphrodite, Flora, Gaia, Hera, Astarte, Venus, Juno, Freyja, Epona, Bastet
Gods: Pan, Cernunnos, Belenus, Dionysus, The Green Man, Bacchus, Priapus, Faunus, Eros, Ra
Dragons: Sairys, Fafnir
Flowers: Lilac, Bluebells, Daisy, Lilies, Foxglove, Lily of the Valley, Marigold, Tulips, Violets, Primrose, Peony, Poppy, Honeysuckle
Animals: Frogs, Swans, Cows, Deer, Squirrels, Sheep, Ducks, Cats, Bees, Rabbits, Swallows, Leopards, Lynx, Hares
Magical Powers: Love, Sex, Fertility, Protection, Cleansing, Transformation
Symbols: Maypole, Ribbons, Phallus, Bonfire, Flowers, Faeries, Sex, Floral Crowns, Frogs, Celtic Knots
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Activities to do:
🌸 Make flower-shaped biscuits
🌸 Do candle magick
🌸 Find a local hawthorn tree and make a wish to the faeries
🌸 Wear flowers in your clothes, hair, or as bracelets
🌸 Leave offerings for faeries, as this is the season when they’re most present, you can leave them honey, milk, or biscuits
🌸 Go out for a walk in nature and feel the arrival of summer
🌸 Make a fire in the yard and dance around it (only in safe circumstances, of course); if you don’t have resources, you can light candles in your room (again, be careful)
🌸 Eat anything with oats, as it’s associated with Beltane, such as oatmeal, oatcakes, or other oat-based foods
🌸 Do a tarot or rune reading in the morning of Beltane
🌸 Take care of the trees in your yard or nearby by watering them
🌸 Honor all deities associated with fertility
🌸 Practice faerie magick
🌸 On the morning of Beltane, open your windows or door to warmly welcome the energy of the sabbat.
🌸 Make a Beltane magick jar
🌸 Water your flowers
🌸 Listen to music and dance :D
🌸 Celebrate life, fertility, love, and union
🌸 Take care of your garden, plant seeds, clean dried leaves, and prepare for summer
🌸 Make special Beltane treats
🌸 Casting your circles with oats around this time of year is also a good idea, as oats are a traditional Beltane grain for good luck
🌸 Have a picnic with your loved ones, or organize a gathering with food and grilling
🌸 Honor your ancestors
🌸 Place decorations in your garden
🌸 Plant a tree with any intention you want and take care of it
🌸 Draw runes and specific symbols on paper and burn them
🌸 Do self-love activities
🌸 Practice sex or love magick
🌸 Look for hawthorns in your area and honor them with water and offerings for faeries
🌸 Make a maypole
🌸 Collect flowers
🌸 On the morning of May 1st, wash your face with May Dew or natural spring water
🌸 Connect with the fire element
🌸 Read about the fair folk
🌸 Have a bonfire with your loved ones
🌸 Place ribbons or colored thread in trees with intentions for each, you can use color magick to attract what you need in your life right now (pink for love,
🌸 Meditate
🌸 Make flower crowns and wreaths
🌸 Perform spells for fertility, purification, and love
🌸 As this is a day of love, if you are of an appropriate age, comfortable, being sexually active is part of the celebration
🌸 Buy seeds and plant them in your garden, welcoming the growth of new life
🌸 Create a Beltane altar
🌸 If you don't have a maypole you can dance around your favorite tree <3
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Food and Drinks:
Oats in all forms (oatmeal, oat cookies, oat bread, oatcakes, bannock), strawberries, blueberries, honey, whipped cream with oats, strawberry biscuits, oat and honey bread, blackberry pie, lavender cake, cheese (including Swiss), seasonal potato dishes, fresh fruit salads, tomato and cucumber salads, dairy or plant-based milks, vanilla-flavoured foods, ice cream, grilled food, BBQ, spicy dishes to honor the fire element, May Day wine, white wine, regular wine (with a strawberry placed at the bottom of the glass if you wish), tarts with cheese, mayonnaise.
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