#celtic holidays

[honoringthor]

🌸Bealtaine/ Beltane🔥

Irish. 🇮🇪

May eve ~ May 1st. (November 1st in the SouthernHemisphere)Some people celebrate throughout May as it’s the name for the month of May. Others when trees are in full leaf. (Whatever feels right)

Also called in Irish, céitemain, cetshamuin, cétshamhain, céiteamhna, Lá Bealtaine, May eve, May Day, The First. InManx it’s Boaltinn or Boaldyn. In Scottish call it Là Bealltainn

The name Bealtaine, pronounced “Byal- tin- eh or beh-yowl-thin-eh” (depending on dialect) Comes from the proto European bhel - ‘to burn, shine, flash’. And the old Irish ten ‘warm’ (nothing to do with Ba’al or Bel). The other name, Céitmain is from cét ‘ first (1st) and hain ‘summer’

Bealtaine is a liminal time of renewal and the star of summer. It’s also a time when the good folk* are more likely to interact with people so protective measures should be taken. The festival is a good time to renew and /or add protection of everything and anything. Traditionally during this time, cattle herders in the Irish communities would move their herds to summer pasture, called ‘Booley-ing’. Rental agreements are renewed, job fairs hels, fields prepped, and turf cut and processed, and cottage industry honored. (Whatever was considered women’s work like working with dairy and eggs) workers would get a week off starting the 1st Thursday of May, before the job fair.

Baeltane is the start of summer, during the festival anything goes and games held. Some of these games include trying to catch a pig (a game still played at some fairs today) races, foot , horse, donkey and sack, held. Wrestling, other stuff. One of the main rituals were the bonfires. The flames, smoke and ash have protective properties. Livestock would be driven between bonfires and people would go between or jump the fires. The hearth fire would be stuffed and relit with flames of the bonfires.

Holy wells were visited and a May bush is decorated and offerings made to the Good neighbors. Maybush might have evolved into May poles which are used in Germanic celebrations.

Beltane is the name of a Wiccan holiday too. They added the may lord and lady.

General associations

🔥 fire

🌱growth

☀️ light

🐛transformation 🦋

🕸️connection

🔮Divination

🐄 cattle

🧚‍♂️ Aos Sidhe

🧿Protection

Wells.

🍆Sex

Plants associated with Bealtaine are

Trees

🌿 Rowan,

hawthorn,

hazel,

holly,

sycamore

🌸 Spring flowers. Especially 🌼 yellow and white.

Primrose,

🌼marsh marigolds,

gourse,

mustard(upg)

Any spring flowers.

Foods as do with Bealtaine.🧈🥛🍦🧀

🧈 dairy

🥚 eggs

Folk practices.

🌱in Waterford (Ireland) people left a bowl of water out for a week before May Eve. It’s brought in and used to protect against colds.

🌼fairies try to steal butter Im May 1st so hide cinders under the churn to scare them away.

🌱wash your face in dew to help your complexion.

🌼The first water from the well is blessed, sprinkle it on your crops and food for luck and abundance.

🌱scatter yellow flowers in doorways and windows

Protective measures

Offering to local spirits

Rowan crosses/crosh cuirn (isle of man)

Tie flowers to things

Trivia

Wicca has a similar holiday, also called Beltane. It’s a combo of practices from Europe, like the May Pole from Germanic cultures. They also have the May lord and lady

The May Queen is from the British isle

No body actually knows what May Poles are supposed to be. There’s range from a giant penis to just a fun thing for people to do.

Roman Catholics decorate statues of the Virgin Mary. Alters in the Philippines are decorated with flowers.

Sources.

Irish pagan school. Bealtaine Fire Festival cheat sheet

Bealtaine Traditions of Ireland

Wikipedia . Beltane

[r4v3nzcr0ws]

blessed ostara!!

i hope all my fellow witches and pagans have a wonderful equinox! yes i know my alter is messy but incense dust and candle wax is really hard to clean up and ive had a very busy week

[bogoakandsilver]

I'm doing a lunar ritual tonight and then on Samhain my family (who doesn't practice) and I are going to make a big dinner of beef stew, molasses bread, mulled apple cider, and soul cakes.

My family is very celtic and to start traditions like this means the world to me. We already do some Irish things that we've done since my great grandma came from Ireland (like my mom's shepards pie recipe handed down from my grandma or black eyed peas eaten on new years)

After the food festivities I plan on doing tarot with my sister or working on developing my claircognizance.

With all that being said I hope some of these things inspires you to pre-plan for Samhain too! Merry Samhain and Happy Halloween!

[satanourunholylord]

Welcome to the ancestors and other various friendly spirits visiting through the thinned veil in the north, and praise the gods for bringing us new life in the south.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe Samhain in the northern hemisphere, and a happy Beltane to those celebrating in the southern hemisphere.

[smudgingpumpkins]

IMBOLC

Also referred to as Imbolg or Candlemass

When is Imbolc?

Typically celebrated between February 1st to February 2nd.

What does Imbolc mean?

It is a celebration of rebirth, fertility, and the arrival of the lambing period of sheep. It is considered the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, celebrating the near arrival of springtime.

Who does Imbolc celebrate?

The Goddess Brigid is honored at this time, who is the goddess of fertility, hearth, poetry, and smithcraft.

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IMBOLC TRADITIONS

Work with stones that promote fertility, healing, and/or creativity, such as moonstone, amethyst, carnelian, rose quartz, malachite, clear quartz, and turquoise.

Utilize aromatic herbs and flowers such as cinnamon, basil, angelica, daffodil, plumeria, and myrrh, which are known to be mood-boosters, diaphoretic, and aid with quelling anxiety. Daffodils specifically symbolize “new beginnings.”

Create or consume diary products such as cheese, cow’s or sheep’s milk. Imbolc is the celebration of lambing, after all! Sweet berries such as blackberries and strawberries are also good choices.

Wear or decorate with brown, beige, white, ochre, and gold colors.

Incorporate animal imagery (e.g., drawings, photographs, figurines, et cetera) of sheep, cows, and swans, symbolizing the Goddess Brigid’s connection to animals. These animals are specifically associated with love and fertility.

IMBOLC ACTIVITIES

Burn candles to symbolize the welcoming of light and warmth of the forthcoming springtime. Burning herbs and palo santo can aid with cleansing and purifying around you.

Take a ritual bath: add one cup of milk, dehydrated strawberries, and a couple drops of rose hip oil to your bath.

Create or purchase Brigid’s Cross. Place it on an altar or near your front or bedroom door for protection. You can make one out of rushes or paper!

Indulge in creative endeavors, whether it be painting, sewing, poetry, journaling, singing, metalworking, playing and instrument, et cetera. The Goddess Brigid is specifically associated with poetry and writing as well as working with metals.

Appreciate nature. Take a walk around your neighborhood or a park; engage in outdoor activities; or take photographs, draw observations, jot down notes and observances, or simply introspect.

Plant seeds of your chose in your garden to represent birth and growth, and foster a connection to nature.

Get creative with recipes! Carlota Santos, who is the author of Magika, recommends a simple strawberry milkshake or baking a blueberry and chocolate cream cake.

Carlota Santos’ Imbolc Cake Recipe

[foxssleeplessness]

[mask131]

Autumn feasts of France: Samhain

From "L'inventaire des fêtes de France d'hier et aujourd'hui"

The Celtic holiday of Samhain - a mobile feast that usually placed itself at the beginning of the month of November - was a celebration that all had to attent, be them poor or rich. It closed the year that had passed, and opened the year to come. People wrongly translated Samhain as "end of summer" (people reading the "sam" part as the Celtic word for "summer"), but in truth it is an Old Irish term meaning "assembly", "gathering," or "reunion". Ending up located at the fixed date of the night of the 31st of October, Samhain and its neighbor days (three days before and three days after) are considered to be a "time outside of time" (just like the Twelve Days) - a time when the human and divine worlds fuse into one. This nocturnal feast was primarily religious - far away from the macabre carnival of today's Halloween, the celebration that replaced Samhain.

The date of Samhain corresponded to the return of the "dark season", the same way Beltaine (between the 30th of April and the 1st of May) opened the "bright season". During those two nights, the Otherworld (the Sid or Sith) was everywhere: mankind usually could not reach on their own this land of gods and supernatural beings, but on these nights some mortals could reach, or be guided by messengers towards this world of marvels and eternal youth. Later, Samhain became associated with the celebration and remembrance of ancestors.

Samhain also corresponded to the end of the harvest, and to the return of the cattle from the pastures. The night was marked by great feasts and ritual-banquets for men of all social classes, with a lot of pig meat and a lot of alcohol (wine, beer, mead). Fire had a great importance: not so much the outside fires, needed for the banquets, but the domestic fire, the "new fire", which was used in a similar way to the fire of the "Christmas log". After extinguishing all the fires around, the druids lit up new flames and distributed firebrands to people so that they could set alight their own household fire. This celebration was also the occasion of legal assemblies, during which justice-related matters were debated. On top of all that, being a magical night, divination rites were also practiced.

As time went on, new beliefs were added to the lore of Samhain. Some were about the tricks played on humans by supernatural creatures and by ghosts (associated with night and fog) ; others were about light, bonfires and vegetable-lanterns ; a third was about children going around begging from door to door and promising a good future. The fusion of these various superstitions are what led to the manifestation of Halloween as we know it today.

[coinandcandle]

Beltane (May Day)

Spring officially sprung back in March...now what?

Well, if you follow witchy holidays you may already know this, but Beltane and May Day are approaching!

Read to find out about what these holidays are, aren't, and how you can celebrate!

Photo Cred: Aniketv Bhattacharya

Let’s talk about the difference between May Day and Beltane first.

What is May Day?

May Day is a widely celebrated holiday that marks the beginning of summer for many. Though it’s not the first day of summer meteorologically–that’s between June 20th and 22nd, which aligns with the Summer Solstice. In the past, however, many cultures considered the first of May as the first day of Summer.

History

May Day is a vastly secular holiday since it's celebrated in many different cultures as the changing of seasons rather than it being a religious holiday. Though some religions include a version of May Day into their theology.

The countries known to celebrate May Day are Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, England, Scotland, Wales, North America. There are other countries and cultures that celebrate similar holidays in May, though they may not call it May Day.

Since it marks the beginning of Summer, May Day was celebrated by folks in the Northern Hemisphere, since in the Southern Hemisphere it would mark the start of winter.

What is Beltane?

Though the spelling of the name will differ by location, Beltane is a Gaelic holiday that marks and celebrates the beginning of Summer. It falls in between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice. Beltane is part of four major Old Celtic holidays that also include Lughnasadh, Samhain, and Imbolc.

Beltane is celebrated at the opposite point in the year for those in the southern hemisphere, when those in the Northern Hemisphere are celebrating Samhain (October 31-November 1st)

The name of the holiday translates to "Fires of Bel", and likely comes from the widely worshipped deity Belenos.

In Ireland it’s called Lá Bealtaine, in Scottish Gaelic it’s Latha Bealltainn, and in Manx Gaelic Laa Boaltinn (or Boaldyn) and it’s similar to the Welsh Calan Mai–the Welsh May Day. 

"Beltane" is the anglicized version of the holiday.

History, Lore, and Tradition

History suggests that the Gaels believed in two seasons, Summer and Winter. Samhain would mark the beginning of Winter, while Beltane marked the beginning of Summer. 

The earliest record we have of Beltane is in Irish literature where they talk about it being the beginning of summer. 

Traditions of May Day will differ depending on where you were located. Some celebrations included things like carols, rituals, and parties. 

Young girls, doorways, gateways, and windows were adorned with flowers, and bonfires were had. Milk and honey were left out for the Fae, and there may have been an animal sacrifice as an offering.

Holy wells were visited and people would pray and leave offerings–often coins.

Who is Belenos?

Belenos/Belinus is often misconstrued as a Sun God, though there is no evidence of the Celtic people having a specific solar deity. He is the god of light, amongst other things such as pastoral work. This is due to the Roman's interpreting Belenos to be like Apollo--the Greek god of the Sun.

(A/N: The deity Lugh is also misidentified as a Sun God)

Modern Day

We’ve gone over the history and lore of Beltane and May Day's days past, but what about the present? Depending on your path, you may find it more comfortable to take a reconstructionist approach and celebrate based on traditions and folklore. However, if you would like to practice more modern traditions, here are a few things you can look at. 

Practices and Rituals

I have done some poking around as usual, and chosen things that I had seen on many posts of modern May Day and Beltane tradition. 

All of these are optional, of course, you are free to celebrate however you please. Just make sure you are aware of the history of the holiday you celebrate in order to honor and respect it.

Shout out to this post: Breeland Walker's Secular Celebrations for Beltane

Have a bonfire

Bake pastries associated with summer

Clean your house 

Have a feast

Drink with your friends and family

Tend to your garden/houseplants

Be/get pregnant (I’m half-joking)

Have Sex (again, only semi-serious)

Pick flowers (primrose, rowan, hawthorn, gorse, hazel, and marsh marigold) and use the to decorate your doorway

Participate in a May Pole Dance

Offerings

If you’d like to be more traditional, you could offer milk and honey to the Fae, put out green branches or blooming flowers (ethically picked, thank the plants you take from) and dress yourself in flowers.

Otherwise you could do devotional acts like gardening, clean your house, do a spell, etc.

Sharing your meal with the spirits by setting out a plate for them is a good way to celebrate. You may have specific spirits in mind or maybe you just want any passing spirits to feel like they can celebrate the holiday as well.

Correspondences

Deities

Belenos, Áine, Brighid, Aphrodite, Dionysus, Apollo, Flora, Venus, Summer Related Deities or Solar Deities.

Colors

Yellow, blue, pink, orange, violet, rainbow (not technically a color but still), green.

Herbs and Plants

White and yellow flowers. More traditionally primrose, rowan, hawthorn, gorse, hazel, and marsh marigold.

Stones/Metals/Crystals

Gold, jade, emerald, sapphire, quartz (any color associated with the holiday would work).

Of course the strongest associations will be the ones that you associate with the holiday in your personal practice. These are just a few options I have compiled for your reading pleasure.

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A/N: Beltane specifically was celebrated by Gaelic-speaking Celts. The other Celtic nations may have, or still have, a similar holiday or the same holiday but under a different name and with different lore.

As always, if you have any comments, questions, or concerns about this post please let me know by replying or sending me a message.