May Day, May Day!

| 30 March 2009

tempting us to rip off our clothing and run through sun-sweetened fields with our beloved, feeling the wind in our hair and the grass underneath naked skin. On Beltane we are Earth’s children again, free to play and sing and love as we will, innocent as a young bear cub enjoying the taste of honey for the first time.

Beltane in the Old World:
Traditionally, the holiday was celebrated as the time of the sacred marriage between God and Goddess, male and female creative forces, which gave birth to the world and renewed it each year. The old peoples of Europe understood that life and nature required constant creation and that they were part of that creation. The people lived and died as a result of the fertility of their land, so this being a time of final spring planting, there were a great many rituals and prayers made for bounty. Young women were encouraged to run or ride hobbyhorses through the fields while menstruating women might kneel in their gardens, letting their lifeblood feed the land. Maypoles were erected as phallic symbols and the community would weave with ribbons a womb around them to symbolize the divine act of creation. Marriage laws concerning monogamy were often rather relaxed on the night of Beltane and any child conceived on this night, regardless of actual paternity, would be accepted as children blessed by the Goddess. Animals were driven between sacred balefires to protect them and bless them with fertility as well. It was also customary for young couples to announce their intentions to marry during the festivities and they often leaped over the fires to have their union be blessed. However, as this was the time of divine marriage, the people would not marry until the next moon cycle (month) as it was considered disrespectful to marry in May. Thus, even to this day, June is considered the lucky month for marriage.

Beltane Today:
With the rise of Christianity in Europe, many of the old celebrations were banned by the Church, or altered to conform with a feast for a saint. In the case of Beltane, the outright sexual connotations were shunned and the deities removed. It became known as Lady Day or May Day, and while it was still celebrated with flowers being given to young women by hopeful men and young people dancing around May poles, the old reasons for these rites were forgotten. However, May Day is still a great time to enjoy the fruits of the earth. Held outdoors if possible, parties should include lots of fresh seasonal food and sweets made with honey and dairy. Wine and honey mead are appropriate to toast the season, and music and dancing should abound. It is a great time to take the family and go on a hike to identify plants and wildflowers. It is also a great time to spend some extra special time with your sweetie, to celebrate just how juicy love can be! For those who are single, it is a time to celebrate our own beauty and do rituals for acceptance and self-love. Whatever your faith or relationship status, this is a time to shake your booty, get some fresh air, and taste the sweetness of life!

Stefanie is already enjoying the strawberries and the grass between her toes.