So tomorrow is the first of May. Does
anyone remember what sort of celebration
us Celtic Pagens were supposed to partake
in? Can we do anything with our whistles
to make the celebration better?
lolly
Beltaine involves lighting a ceremonial fire and having sex, as I recall, the fertility of spring and all that.
Literally means “Bel’s fire” for Belenos, Celtic god of light and healing, and marks the beginning of summer. Traditionally, all fires were extinguished on the eve of Beltaine, to be relit from a sacred fire kindled at dawn. Cattle were driven through the Beltaine fires for purification. The fires would also bring protection, good fortune and fertility to the people. This celebration is traditionally greeted with joyous dancing around a garlanded pole, called a maypole, from which hang streamers held by the dancers.
Additional celebratory rituals not yet mentioned, includes jumping a (preferably small!) fire, or sometimes candle, which is what people did when the church stopped letting them have celebrations in the village common… you do this in a big circle, jumping again and again, and there’s traditional songs that go with it that you might be able to find on a pagan website or mailing list.
Also, of course, there’s Mai Wine (May Wine) which is very simple… take a nice sweet or semi-dry wine, either a red or a blush, it would taste really weird with a white, and a bunch of strawberries, and if you can get it, sweet woodruff. Pour wine into punchbowl, or maybe at first in a big spaghetti pot and transfer to a punchbowl later; stir in sweet woodruff; slice strawberries thinly (well, you can slice them that thin, but thin enough they’ll saturuate anyway) and dump them into the wine. Cover the whole mix so the alcohol doesn’t evaporate away and the wine doesn’t turn to vinegar too quickly and let it soak for a couple hours. When the center of the strawberries, which starts out white, is the color of the wine (pink with white zinfandel or red with a red wine), then you’re done, and may now fill cups with it. Feed strawberries to your S.O., and drink the wine, while your S.O. does the same… so be generous with pouring strawberries into your S.O.'s cup… 
Anyway, music is very much a part of Beltaine/May Day Celebrations, even in their modern forms, obviously, since even to-day people celebrate with dances and maypoles, though only modern pagans do fires and mai wine.
And yes, sex in the fields is part of the traditions, but most of us lack a field of the sort that will create that nice green privacy curtain of stalks around us, so maybe just take your S.O. to the bedroom. And if you do any asking for fertility blessings, be very, very clear on -what- you want to be fertile… -you- or your vegetable garden?
–ChrisA
I danced in the sunrise this morning (05:31 local time) and believe me a fire would have been most welcome. I also played a May tune on my whistle which is supposed to be in 5/4 time but I shouldn’t think it was when I played it.
Here out West, it’s 10 degrees celsius, in between the nice patches of sunshine there are fierce hailstorms , gale force winds blowing in salty air from the Atlantic, scorching the young leaves off the bushes. And while I have a nice sheltered field, well, I don’t think so.
Two days ago though the first swarm of swallows arrived in the deep Glen where I live. The Cuckoo, traditionally the bird to announce the arrival of summer, hasn’t arrived yet.
I was in Ennistymon yesterday, looking at the waterfall in evening light, a pair of ravens doing acrobatics over the town [before being chased off by a vigilante party form the rookery], there was a double rainbow set against the lead grey sky. It was very pretty [I was waiting for my son, who has an hour long class in the Teach Cheoil, plenty of time to take in what was going on and contemplate life and all that].
Anyway, on the eve of the first of may a branch of green leaves, usually chestnut[ I suppose because they are the trees that come in leaf first] is placed on or near the front door of houses, a practice I have seen often in the North Clare area but not as much around here. Most houses on Main street Ennistymon had a fresh branch up last night. There was no unusual amount of fornication to be had though.
I recently watched the 70s film “The Wicker Man” after someone said my playing put them in mind of it.
The film comes to a climax on May Day.
There was a scene with a bit of music (drum, fiddle, concertina and I think recorder) but maybe they just wanted to tie me up inside a wicker effigy and set fire to me.
whatever, i like the sex bit.
happy beltaine! I had completely forgot it was May Day. Question: Does anyone know of other things to do for Beltaine other than drinking wine and having sex and/or jump fires? Cause I’m too young to drink, and well I don’t plan on having sex anytime soon.
Caryn
Few people realize that “The Wild Mountain Thyme” popularized by the McPeake family is actually a bowdlerized (cleaned-up) version of an old Beltaine song from that stronghold of Celtic tradition, East Anglia.
Thank goodness for Sid and Henry Kipper of Trunch, Norfolk, who brought the original version of the song to public attention. “Heather” is a popular given name in the region.
Here’s the first verse and chorus (translated into English from the Norfolk dialect):
Oh the summer time is coming
And the girls are in a dither
At the Wild Mounting Time
But will I get bloomin’ Heather?
Do you go, lassie, go?
And will we go together
At the Wild Mounting Time?
Or will I get bloomin’ Heather?
Do you go, lassie, go?
(c) The Kipper Family
and here is the rest…
My love is like a swan
With the lightness of its feather,
But her friend is like a goose
And they call her Bloomin’ Heather
I will build my love a mower
And cut down that Bloomin’ Heather
Then at the Wild Mounting Time
My love will be mine forever
If my truelove she won’t go
Then I surely will not bother
For at the Wild Mountain Time
I could even fancy Heather.
Caryn,
It’s all about nurturing and rebirth, and that can apply very appropriately to one’s favorite artform - say, making beautiful music! It can be something simple as picking a favorite tune and making it a blessing for all the music you will get to make in the coming year, as well as nurturing your growth as a musician. Then play it with all the love and feeling you can.
You can heighten the drama a little bit by going to a favorite secluded spot, making it a pilgrimage, or taking a long hot bath 'til you’re good and relaxed - whatever makes it special for you.
Happy Beltaine!
-Bob