There are four significant seasonal festivals in the Celtic calendar and all centre around important times in nature and farming, heralding the beginning of new seasons and activities.
The festivals are; Imbolc (February), Beltane or Beltene (May), Lughnasadh (August) and Samhain (October).
Beltane is the Celtic May Day festival celebrated on the evening of 30th April and the 1st of May. It was considered an important event in the Celtic calendar; a time for welcoming the warmth of the summer sun, longer days and the imminent ripening of crops. The year was seen as being divided into light and dark halves; Beltane was the start of light half and Samhain the start of the dark.
Falling halfway between the spring equinox and the summer solstice, Beltane takes its name from the Celtic god Belenus, who was associated with light, sun and healing. The word 'bel' translates as 'light'. This was the time of year when rituals such as lighting fires, dancing and decorating doorways with flowers were performed. It was believed that these would purify the land and protect the precious livestock as they were sent back out into the fields. It was also hoped that these activities would lead to abundant crops after the cold dark days of the winter.
The picture shows one of the lovely hawthorn trees around here, which bloom in May. Hawthorn is often associated with Beltane and was of great significance to the ancient Celts, symbolising regeneration, love and protection. It's also known as the May Tree, which is when the lovely blossoms usually appear. It was considered extremely unlucky to cut down a hawthorn tree or to bring the blossoms indoors.