Sabbat Series: Beltane

 

That’s right, another holiday of the Wheel of the Year is upon us! Beltane is the third sabbat of the Julian calendar and marks the beginning of summer (pastoral summer season to be specific) Beltane is about union and fertility. Somewhat similar to Ostara but this holiday seems much more passionate where Ostara feels soft if that makes sense. We’ll touch on this later as to why we have two fertility sabbats. Of course, again, this fertility can be viewed as metaphorical rather than womb based.

At Ostara we were greasing our wheels now, for Beltane, we are out in full force grabbing our day by the horns and manifesting our projects. From an agricultural standpoint this is the point in the year when people were driving their livestock to the summer pastures to graze and crops were in full motion.

Of course we will get to a “seasonal” recipe but just like Ostara we're gonna stick to format and today’s post is gonna be all the witchy, metaphysical stuff and then you can find the recipe posted on sunday this week!

For my own practice I've been trying to put together what I’m calling, “Simplified Sabbats,” it’s still a work in progress but basically I want to focus on just a few correspondences rather than the whole slough that comes with each. This is what I want to share with you along with some traditional and historical stuff.

About Beltane

Some still celebrate May Day and this is where it originated. Usually celebrated on May 1st (or November 1st in the Southern Hemisphere) but some cultures historically had similar festivals throughout the month. It is also possible to celebrate it on the full moon afterwards or use the stars as a more correct date (when the sun is at 15 degrees in Taurus)

The word Beltane can be translated one of two ways: to “bright fire” or “fire day.” While I saw both in a few different sources the latter makes more sense to me because i found actual etymology for it.

The first part, Bel, also refers to some of the deities that are worshipped on or around this day. Including Belenus and Belisima from Greek and Celtic origins respectively. Interestingly, both of these deities are of the sun as well as a body of water (one being the sea the other rivers.) This lends to the importance of the balance between fire and water and Beltane is a time to work on balancing and acknowledging both your fire and water attributes. In other words your yin and yang, your emotion and drive, your passion and intuition. I have a fun thing planned this year to symbolize this but you’ll have to find me on instagram, facebook or tiktok in order to see it!

In addition to these deities there are a few other beings associated with Beltane. The Green Man, Cerrnunnos, the May Queen and Queen of Winter (who we’ll talk about in a second) the Fae or Aos Si, and lares (roman home spirits). As well as any fertility or lust deities such as Aphrodite.

So back to the Queens, Beltane is a day in which they battle one another for supremacy. The same way that the Oak King and the Holly King battle at the equinox every year the Queens must battle so winter can end and summer begin.

Though the festivals died out for a while, in Edinburgh, Scotland they are going trong once again. The main part of the festival both historically and today centers around fire. At all four fire festivals your hearth is extinguished and relit by the need fire. Today most don't rely on actual fire in their homes but those need fire are still being lit. Along with using these fires to light your hearth many would bless themselves and especially their livestock in the smoke or by jumping over the coals.

Other parts of festivities included, and for some still include: May poles and dancing; decorating, especially with yellow flowers; and, rituals and offerings to appease the Fae. Beltane, of course, is one of two times in the year where the veil is thinner. In autumn we celebrate the dead and in the spring we look to the living and the Fae. It is always a good idea to leave an offering for them; they especially love honey and milk.

I have a lot of other points I could make but I feel like this is more than enough to get you started on your way to understanding Beltane, especially since this is suppose to be a Kitchen Witchery blog. If you want to learn more I will be doing a live chat on Twitch on April 28 at 9:30 am EST.

Magical and Metaphysical

This is where my Simplified Sabbats comes in:

Colour(s): Red and yellow
Recipe: strawberry vinaigrette
Food/ingredients: strawberries, cherry, honey
Crystal: Emerald
Plant: Dandelion, mugwort
Animal: Bees, Unicorn
Focus: Fertility and Love/ Union
Deity: Belanus

Including your Muggle friends and family

Crafts with bright ribbons and flowers (Magic it up: write wishes or blessing on them or do some knot magic)
Create a fairy garden (Magic it up: leave offerings for the Fae where you place it)
Have a bonfire (or light a candle and pretend) (Magic it up: make a wish and jump the fire)
(for consenting adults) Get naughty ;) (Magic it up: sex and/or fertility magic)
Plant some seeds or a tree (Magic it up: so a seed blessing or use as an act of service offering)