Today we're going to be taking a look at a Gaelic festival called Beltane. Beltane is an ancient holiday celebrating the coming of summer. You might be more familiar with the name May Day. Taking place on May 1st, Beltane falls between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. Where Samhain marks the beginning of winter and the arrival of the cold spell, Beltane celebrates the start of summer and the arrival of the heat wave. It's a time for fertility and the hope for renewal.
There are a number of characters involved in the rituals celebrating Beltane. There's a neutral party called the Blue Men who watch over everything. They don't take sides, but they defend the other players from outside forces. The central figure is the May Queen, whose job is to awaken the earth from winter by harnessing the four elements.
The May Queen is guarded by the White Warrior Women, who represent order. The May Queen is courted by the Winter King and takes him as her consort. However, the Winter King attempts to overpower the May Queen, aided by the Red Men, who represent chaos. The Red Men and the White Warrior Women counter one another, and are opponents.
(In behavior, the Red Men are very similar to the satyrs of Greek mythology, or to some of the earlier celebrations of Lupercalia. They eat, drink, make merry, seduce, bed, and act in excess on the night of Beltane...and they attempt to encourage everyone at the festival to do the same thing. A friend who has seen the Beltane festival described their behavior to me as "lewdness and lascivious.")
In the conflict which ensues, the Winter King is slain. The May Queen takes pity on her consort, and brings him back to life...but he is changed. He becomes the Green Man, a representation of the frozen winter earth being renewed for summer. The corpse of the Winter King is then thrown onto the Beltane bonfire, and traditional blessings are spoken.
I mentioned that I had a friend attend the Beltane festival. This festival occurs every year. In the darkness, bonfires are lit, and an enormous ceremony takes place. People dress as the May Queen, the Winter King, and all of the other characters. There are enormous amounts of red and white paint used. And then...they dance, and they perform the story. I have never been lucky enough to see it in person, though I hope to one day.
However, my friend is a professional photographer, and she takes pictures of Beltane. You can see her pictures from last year's celebration here, and this year's here. (Some of the pictures are not quite safe for work, as a warning.)
I hope you guys enjoyed the look at Beltane! My words do not do it justice. I highly recommend checking out pictures or video footage of the celebration; the images are absolutely stunning, and tell a breathtaking story.
See you guys next week!
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