The Wheel of the Year

Beltane was an ancient Gaelic festival celebrated in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. Beltane is the second principal Celtic festival (the other being Samhain). It marked the beginning of summer and is the last of the three spring fertility festivals. Beltane and Samhain were the leading terminal dates of the civil year in medieval Ireland, though the latter festival was the more important. Celebrated approximately halfway between spring equinox and the summer solstice and traditionally marked the arrival of summer in ancient times. Beltane, like Samhain, is a time of "no time" when the veils between the two worlds are at their thinnest. No time is when the two worlds intermingle and unite and the magic abounds. It is the time when the Faeries return from their winter respite, carefree and full of fairy mischief and fairy delight.

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  On the night before Beltane, in times past, folks would place rowan branches at their windows and doors for protection, many otherworldly occurrences could transpire during this time of "no time".
  
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  Traditionally on the Isle of Man, the youngest member of the family gathers primroses on the eve before Beltane and throws the flowers at the door of the home for protection.
  
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  In Ireland it is believed that food left over from May Eve must not be eaten, but rather buried or left as an offering to the fairy instead.
  
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  Much like the tradition of leaving of whatever is not harvested from the fields on Samhain; food on the time of no time is treated with great care.
  
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  Another common aspect of the festival in early 20th century Ireland was the hanging of May Boughs on the doors and windows of houses and the making of May Bushes in farmyards, which usually consisted either of a branch of rowan/mountain ash or more commonly whitethorn/ hawthorn which is in bloom at the time and is commonly called the 'May Bush' or just 'May' in both Ireland and Britain.
  
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  Furze was also used for the May Boughs, May Bushes and as fuel for the bonfire.
  
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  The practice of bedecking the May Bush with flowers, ribbons, garlands and colored egg shells is found among the Gaelic Diasporas.
  
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  On Beltane eve the Celts would build two large fires, Bel Fires, lit from the nine sacred woods. The Bel Fire is an invocation to Bel (Sun God) to bring His blessings and protection to the tribe. The herds were ritually driven between two needfires (fein cigin), built on a knoll. The herds were driven through to purify, bring luck and protect them as well as to insure their fertility before they were taken to summer grazing lands. An old Gaelic adage: "Eadar da theine Bhealltuinn" - "Between two Beltane fires".
  
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  The Bel fire is a sacred fire with healing and purifying powers. The fires further celebrate the return of life, fruitfulness to the earth and the burning away of winter. The ashes of the Beltane fires were smudged on faces and scattered in the fields. Household fires would be extinguished and re-lit with fresh fire from the Bel Fires.
  
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  In ancient Ireland there was a Sacred Tree named Bile, which was the center of the clan, or Tuatha. As the Irish Tree of Life, the Bile Pole, represents the connection between the people and the three worlds of Bith: The Skyworld (heavens), The Middleworld (our world), and The Otherworld. Although no longer the center life, the Bile pole has survived as the Beltane Maypole.
  

Beltane’s association with fire also makes Beltane a holiday of purification. It is common to build a May Pole, burn fires, burn incense or oil of frankincense, lilac and rose. This is a time to fertilize or boost your gardens and plants. Examine your goals (you are half way through the Celtic year) and nurture or boost your existing goals. Host a party with mummers, a bonfire and other Beltane customs. Make garlands out of hawthorn. Plant seeds or new plants. Host a feast and a dance.

Deities: Flower Goddesses, Divine Couples, Deities of the Hunt, Aphrodite, Artemis, Bast, Diana, Faunus, Flora, Maia, Pan, the Horned God, Venus, and all Gods and Goddesses who preside over fertility.

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  The Maypole (Bile pole) is an important element to Beltane festivities, it is a tall pole decorated with long brightly colored ribbons, leaves, flowers and wreaths. Young maidens and lads each hold the end of a ribbon, and dance revolving around the base of the pole, interweaving the ribbons. The circle of dancers should begin, as far out from the pole as the length of ribbon allows, so the ribbons are taut. There should be an even number of boys & girls. Boys should be facing clockwise and girls counterclockwise. They each move in the direction that they are facing, weaving with the next, around to braid the ribbons over-and-under around the pole. Those passing on the inside will have to duck, those passing on the outside raise their ribbons to slide over. As the dances revolve around the pole the ribbons will weave creating a pattern, it is said that the pattern will indicate the abundance of harvest year.
  
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  The Maypole dance as an important aspect of encouraging the return of fertility to the earth. The pole itself is not only phallic in symbolism but also is the connector of the three worlds. Dancing the Maypole during Beltane is magical experience as it is a conduit of energy, connecting all three worlds at a time when these gateways are more easily penetrable. As people gaily dance around and around the pole holding the brightly colored ribbons, the energy it raises is sent down into the earth's womb, bringing about Her full awakening and fruitfulness.
  
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  Today in some towns and villages a mummer called Jack in the Green (drawing from the Green man), wears a costume made of green leaves as he dances around the May pole. Mumming is a dramatic performance of exaggerated characters and at Beltane the characters include Jack in the Green and the Fool. The Fool, and the Fool's journey, symbolism can be understood in relation to Beltane as it is the beginning of beginnings, the emergence from the void of nothingness (winter), as one can also see the role of the green man as the re-greening of the world.
  

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  Arise at dawn and wash in the morning dew: the woman who washes her face in it will be beautiful; the man who washes his hands will be skilled with knots and nets.
  
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  If you live near water, make a garland or posy of spring flowers and cast it into stream, lake or river to bless the water spirits.
  
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  Prepare a May basket by filling it with flowers and goodwill, and then give it to one in need of caring, such as an elderly friend.
  
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  Beltane is one of the three "spirit-nights" of the year when the faeries can be seen. At dusk, twist a rowan sprig into a ring and look through it, and you may see them.
  
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  Make a wish as you jump a bonfire or candle flame for good luck—but make sure you tie up long skirts first!
  
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  Make a May bowl —wine or punch in which the flowers of sweet woodruff or other fragrant blossoms are soaked—and drink with the one you love.
  

Midsummer is the period of time centered upon the summer solstice, and takes place on a day between June 21 and June 24 and the preceding evening. The exact dates vary between different cultures. According to the old folklore calendar, summer begins on Beltane (May 1st) and ends on Lughnassadh (August 1st), with the Summer Solstice midway between the two, marking MID-Summer. Midsummer celebrates the arrival of summer, when the hours of daylight are longest. The Sun is now at the highest point before beginning its slide into darkness. Midsummer or summer solstice is a lesser Sabbat or a low holiday.

The Midsummer Sabbat is a time to celebrate both work and leisure; it is a time for children and childlike play. It is a time to celebrate the ending of the waxing year and the beginning of the waning year, in preparation for the harvest to come. The joyous rituals of Midsummer celebrate the verdant Earth in high summer, abundance, fertility, and all the riches of Nature in full bloom. This is a madcap time of empowerment, beginning of the harvest, honoring the Sun God, honoring the pregnant Goddess, traditionally the time for weddings, and for communication with the spirits of Nature. Other Celtic Midsummer meanings include the crowing of the Sun God, death of the Oak King, assumption of the Holly King, and the end of the ordeal of the Green Man. Burn incense or oil of heliotrope, saffron, orange, frankincense & myrrh, wisteria, cinnamon, mints, rose, lemon, lavender, sandalwood, and pine.

Colors: Blue, green, gold, yellow and red.

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  Host a Lithia party
  
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  Divination related to romance and love
  
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  Float paper boats with blessings on a river/stream to bring luck and love to whatever may find it, or to the land.
  
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  Singing and dancing around a bonfire while hosting a feast
  
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  Outdoor picnic feasts
  
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  Create crowns out of flowers
  
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  Light bonfires
  
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  Hold all night vigils that include singing, feasting, and celebrating with others
  
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  Herb gathering
  
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  Weddings
  
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  Gather mistletoe in oak groves
  
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  Leap between two fires
  
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  Women walking naked through gardens to ensure continued fertility
  
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  Enjoying the seasonal fruits & vegetables
  
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  Honor the Mother’s fullness, richness and abundance
  
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  Put garlands of St. John’s Wort placed over doors and/or windows & a sprig in the car for protection.
  

Pronounced: Loo-nas-ah Also known as Lammas, Lunasa (meaning August), First Harvest, August Eve and Fire Festival.

Lammas is celebrated August 1st and is the first of three harvest festivals. In some English-speaking countries in the Northern Hemisphere, August 1 is Lammas Day (Anglo-Saxon hlaf-mas, "loaf-mass"), the festival of the wheat harvest, and is the first harvest festival of the year. On this day it was customary to bring to church a loaf made from the new crop, which began to be harvested at Lammastide. The loaf was blessed, and in Anglo-Saxon England it might be employed afterwards to work magic: A book of Anglo-Saxon charms directed that the lammas bread be broken into four bits, which were to be placed at the four corners of the barn, to protect the garnered grain. In many parts of England, tenants were bound to present freshly harvested wheat to their landlords on or before the first day of August. In the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, where it is referred to regularly, it is called "the feast of first fruits". The blessing of first fruits was performed annually in both the Eastern and Western Churches on the first or the sixth of August (the latter being the feast of the Transfiguration of Christ).

Another custom that Lughnasadh shared with the other Gaelic festivals was the lighting of bonfires and visiting of holy wells. The ashes from Lughnasadh bonfires would be used to bless fields, cattle and people. Visitors to holy wells would pray for health while walking sunwise around the well. They would then leave offerings; typically coins or clooties.

Lammas means "To give in Marriage to Lugh". Lammas marks the middle of summer and beginning of the harvest season. Lammas is considered a time of thanksgiving. The Sun's strength begins to wane and the plants of spring begin to wither and drop their fruits or seeds for our use as well as to ensure future crops. At this time, we become conscious of the sacrifice the Sun God is preparing to make. We experience a sense of abundance at the same time we begin to feel an urgency to prepare for the death of winter. First grains and fruits of the Earth are cut and stored for the dark winter months. Lammas also represents the culmination of the marriage between the Goddess and the God that took place on Beltane. The God now becomes the product of that blessed union - the bountiful fruits and grains - and must be sacrificed. He is the personification of the crops that must be harvested for the survival of the people. Underneath the symbolism of sacrifice is the theme of rebirth. The Corn God must die, and He has to do so in order to return. Without the sacrifice, the cycle stops. Although His strength is waning, His essence is still palpable as His energies begin to merge with the harvested crops. It is at this time that the Sun King has reached the autumn of His years, and His rival (or dark self) has just reached puberty. The Sun God has reigned supreme over the ripening grain during the hot summer months. His dedication, perseverance, and action in tending the seeds sown in spring bring a ripe and fruitful bounty. Although Lammas is the first of the harvest festivals, fertility imagery may still be found, as there are still crops in the field continuing to grow and livestock and game that have yet to be killed. As the God is honored for His harvest, so the Goddess is honored for bringing forth the first fruits, much as a new mother is honored.
Lughnasadh Customs

Lammas is the first harvest festival. The aging of the deities is celebrated; the Sun God is honored as well as fathers or father-figures. This is a time to offer thanks. The ideas of prosperity, abundance and generosity are celebrated. Feasts that focus on continued success and connectedness are central to Lammas. The essences of Lammas include fruitfulness, reaping, prosperity, reverence, purification, transformation, change. These essences can are symbolized in the customs of The Bread of Life, The Chalice of Plenty, The Ever-flowing Cup, the Groaning Board (Table of Plenty). This is also the time of the Celtic Grain Festival. The purpose of Lammas is to honor the first harvest; drink to the Goddess in appreciation of Her bounty; offer loaves of sacred bread in the shape of the Sun God. It is customary to burn incense or oils of Allspice, carnation, rosemary, vanilla, rose, aloe, sandalwood, chamomile, safflower, and eucalyptus.