Discover the roots of Beltane or "bright fire," the ancient Pagan festival that celebrates spring, and the return of nature's season of growth and renewal. In the only book written solely on this ancient Pagan festival, you'll explore the evolution of the May Pole and various folklore characters connected to May Day celebrations. Raven Grimassi reveals the history behind the revelry, and shows you how to welcome this sacred season of fertility, growth, and gain with:
·May Day magick and divination: Beltane spells to attract money, success, love, and serenity; scrying with a bowl or glass
·Beltane goodies: Quick May Wine, Bacchus Pudding, May Serpent Cake, May Wreath Cake
·Seasonal crafts: Maypole centerpiece, May wreath and garland, pentacle hair braids, May Day basket
·Springtime rituals and traditions: the Maypole dance, May doll, the Mummer's Play, Beltane fires, May King and Queen
·Myths, fairy and flower lore: Green Man, Jack-in-the-Green, Dusio, Hobby Horse; elves, trolls and fairies; spring flowers and their correspondences
This well-researched book corrects many of the common misconceptions associated with May Day, and will help you appreciate the spirituality and connection to Nature that are intimate elements of May Day Celebrations. Welcome the season of fertility, flowers, and fairies with Beltane: Springtime Rituals, Lore & Celebration.
Maypole dancing is community celebration of Beltane, from the youngest to the oldest. However, it is often difficult for little legs to keep up with the adults, and young children tend to tucker out long before they can weave their ribbon around an often ten- or twelve-foot Maypole. What can be done to ensure that kids get as much enjoyment about of the community Beltane celebration of Maypole dancing? Bronwen Forbes, author of Make Merry in Step and Song, details how to make Maypole dances fun for all.
Looking for something outdoorsy to do this Beltane? (Something that doesn’t involve running around in the fields with randy strangers, that is?) How about turning your attention to your garden? May is a magickal time for gardens; Beltane is a fertility festival after all, and this is the time of year when gardens really start to exhibit that trait. Many people believe that, as with Samhain, the...
It’s Beltane! Raise the maypole! Well, the maypole is effective and fun, but apparently it’s not so simple. Bronwen Forbes suggests the three biggest problems--and their solutions--with the maypole.
Whatever the origins of May Day or Beltane are, it is still celebrated as a time of renewal within nature. Beltane can also be regarded as a celebration in anticipation of the coming summer season. Raven Grimassi, author of Beltane, discusses traditional May Day rituals and customs.
It’s Beltane! Raise the maypole! Weave the pretty ribbons! Collapse in exhaustion, pig out at the potluck, and go home knowing you’ve participated in a life-affirming, ancient European Pagan tradition. Simple. Effective. Fun for all ages.Well, the maypole is effective and fun, but apparently it’s not so simple. I asked some of my nearest and dearest in the Pagan community their...
The celebration of May features the festival of Beltane, which is held on May Eve or the first day of May. May Day celebrations are well noted in the 19th century; however, there is little evidence available to indicate the specific historical origins. Some commentators believe that the rites of Beltane are traceable to the ancient Roman festival of Floralia, which was celebrated with floral...
From Beltane, by Raven Grimassi England The festivities now associated with the celebration of May reached their height in England during the Middle Ages. They were heavily influenced by Italian forms of celebration dating back to the time of ancient Rome. On the first day of May, English villagers arose at daybreak to wander the countryside gathering blossoming flowers and branches. A...
Raven Grimassi’s Beltane, the third in Lllewellyn’s series on the Wiccan sabbats, examines the ancient Pagan origins of May Day festivals that thrived up to the end of the nineteenth century. Explore the evolution of the Maypole and various folklore ...
We all have our own interpretations and honoring of the four elemental quadrants. Some of us enter our Circles in the East, direction of dawn and new beginnings. Others prefer to start in the North, that their working be well grounded and strong. At Samhain, we open a gate in the West, the direction of the Ancestors and of the Land Beyond, and we... read this article
