Pagan Holly

I made a concerted effort to have a decent Beltane celebration this year. I wanted to make absolutely sure it was more than just décor and food.

Where has the time gone?! I started a new job the day before Beltane and I’ve been struggling to focus on things that aren’t work. I’m awfully pleased about the new job—both the opportunity and the work I’m doing—but it’s taking some time to adjust. I’m starting to feel more mentally settled now, so here at last is my Beltane post. Beltane is when spring really gets going around here. The snowdrops and crocuses have been replaced by daffodils, tulips, and flowering trees. It’s still pretty cold—May 1 is our earliest possible last frost date and it was snowing as recently as the last week of April!—but warm weather is on its way. My garden is starting to come to life. The small handful of daffodils and tulips that were here when I moved in are in bloom; the daffodils actually opened on Beltane! I’d love to plant many more spring bulbs this fall. All the plants I planted last year are native perennials. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s grown and spread this year. The...

Beltane! I’ve known about this holiday since I was ten years old. In 1999, I received a CD as a gift: The Golden Land by Ceredwen, a Welsh-language New Age band. The fourth track on the album is called “Beltain.” The CD’s detailed liner notes explain: “Each year on the eve of summer, the Beltane fires are lit to welcome back the sun god Bel. After the dancing and merry-making, the bannock bread is passed amongst the tribes. Whoever takes the burnt piece becomes the ‘chosen one’—to be sacrificed to the gods to ensure a bountiful harvest.” Beltane also features prominently in the fantasy novel The Mists of Avalon , which I read for the first time when I was fourteen or so. The novel tells of a different version of Beltane: it is a night of sexual revelry that honors the divine relationship between Goddess and God. Clearly, this is a holiday that sparks creativity and gives birth to artistic expression. But what is its true story? Beltane is an ancient Gaelic festival that was trad...