In many countries, especially in the Northern Hemisphere, there is a public holiday at the beginning of May. In modern society there are many different interpretations given for the holiday, but did you know they are probably all connected to the amount of daylight present in the day at this time?

In ancient British culture, the celebration of ‘May Day’ or ‘Beltane’ is one of the most important festivals of the year. What do I mean about ‘amount of daylight’? You can read on to find out…

In this culture, instead of a linear calendar, we follow the ‘Wheel of the Year’. The year is divided according to the amount of daylight and darkness present in each day. So we have the two solstices: Winter Solstice (Yule, around 20 – 23 December), when there is the most darkness, and people celebrate the shortest day of the year. At the opposite end of the ‘Wheel’ you have the Summer Solstice (Litha, around 20 – 23 June), where there is the most daylight and we celebrate the longest day of the year.

In between these two festivals we have the Equinoxes: the Spring Equinox (Ostara, around 20 – 23 March) and the Autumn Equinox (Mabon, around 20 – 23 September) where the amount of light and darkness in the day is exactly equal.

So these are four year-festivals, which have been celebrated by my ancestors for thousands of years. But what was seen as even more magical than celebrating the shortest and longest days, and the times of balance of light and darkness, is the days in between.

These are known as the ‘quarter-days’, and traditionally, on these days, you can connect more easily to other worlds and whatever you do has more power.

In between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox we have Imbolc, (also called Candlemas, around 1 – 3 February), traditionally the first day of spring. In between the Summer Solstice and the Autumn Equinox we have Lammas (around 1 – 3 August), traditionally a festival to celebrate the first harvest.

The most potent quarter-days are the final two which I will speak about: in between the Autumn Equinox and the Winter Solstice, on the day right in the centre of the growing darkness, is the festival of Samhain (pronounced ‘sa-ween’) which is still celebrated in modern culture as ‘Halloween’. This day, which falls between 31 October – 2 November, is associated with darkness and so traditionally, at this time, you can become closer to the dark aspects of the world, such as spirits, ghosts and all those who have gone before you.

At the opposite end of the Wheel from Samhain is Beltane, the festival we are celebrating this week. In 2024, Beltane will be on the 1st of May – this is the day exactly in between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice, the day in the centre of the growing light. As we have explored, these ‘quarter-days’ are seen as powerful times to connect to other worlds. If at Samhain you can connect to spirits of people who have passed away, what kind of other worlds is Beltane associated with?

Check out my column tomorrow to find out more about Beltane, its associations and some Beltane traditions.

If you would like to learn more about traditional British culture, please feel free to book a class with me.