MSM 1- Main Street Magazine "Blogging It!"

Beltaine

Also known as: May Day, Bealtaine, Beltane, Bhealtainn, Bealtinne, Festival of Tana (Strega), Giamonios, Rudemass, and Walburga (Teutonic).

Date: May 1

Symbols: May Pole, Egg, Baskets, Flowers, Butter churn

Deities: Flower Goddesses, Divine Couples, Deities of the Hunt

Colors: Red and White

Herbs: almond, ash, cinquefoil, frankincense, marigold, meadowsweet, and woodruff may be burned; angelica, bluebells, daisy, hawthorn, ivy, lilac, primrose, and rose may be decorations.

*The first of May has been celebrated in song and verse for longer than human history has recorded the date. It is a time to celebrate new life in all its forms, and the time when the Goddess and the God are united in sacred marriage, their relationship consummated, an act which symbolically fertilizes the animals and crops for the coming year.

The most common ritual act which celebrates this union is known as the Great Rite. It is the symbolic union of the male and female principles of creation, the union of the two halves of the All-Power which unite to bring all things into being. The Great Rite is usually performed by ritually placing a male ritual tool, usually the athame, into a female ritual tool representing the cosmic womb. A chalice or small cauldron is usually chosen for this purpose. Couples working together will often invoke the deities into themselves and perform the Great Rite de facto, which is also acceptable The dancing of the May Pole is another May Day Celtic custom practiced both within and outside of Paganism. The weaving of the red and white ribbons around the pole, like the Great Rite, symbolized the union of Goddess and God.

*Taken from "Celtic Myth and Magick" by Edain McCoy

Make paper baskets by folding a square piece of decorated paper diagonally and gluing or tying a handful of yarn through punched holes. Then place a few spring flowers inside the basket and place on the front doorknobs of your friends' and neighbours' houses. The kids will especially enjoy this because you have to do it undetected and not let on when people wonder who brought them the May flowers. A variation of this is too cut collared construction paper into strips and weave two color strips together to form a square, then proceed as above.

Make Beltaine bread. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, and combine:

4 cups sifted flour
1/2 cup ground almonds
2 cups sugar
1 tube almond paste
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon 5 eggs

When dough is worked to medium soft, shape into flattened balls and place on an un-greased cookie sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool, ice with a white Solar Cross. You could try this as a single loaf.

**Activities taken from "Green Witchcraft" by Anne Moura (Aoumiel)

As seen in the May Issue of Main Street Magazine.

Printed in Canada, ISSN: 1920-4299 by Rain Enterprises

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