As we explored in my previous column, ‘Spring Festivals: Why do we celebrate them?’  , in the traditional British calendar we have 4 ‘quarter-days’ in the year which 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 in Beltane associated with?

In traditional British culture, it is fairies! Fairies are creatures who can walk between the worlds but are directly connected to living and growing things, such as rivers, trees and flowers. They will help people to do what they want, using their magic to bring us things we ask for, but only if we take care of their homes. That is why one Beltane tradition is to plant flowers, so that the fairies have somewhere to live. Another way you could celebrate this would be to join in an environmental cleaning campaign, such as a beach clean-up.

Fairies are beings of light, and Beltane is a festival of light as well. Indeed, the word ‘Beltane’ (sometimes spelt ‘Bealtane’) translates as ‘bright fire’. One Beltane tradition which is still celebrated in Britain is to jump over a fire. Springtime is a time of fertility, when everything is growing and the Earth is warming up, so this tradition is particularly associated with couples who are trying to conceive. It is said that if they jump over the Beltane fire, they will give birth to a healthy child by next year’s Beltane.

One final Beltane tradition also associated with fertility is Maypole dancing. A Maypole is a large pole which stands up straight in the ground, with many different-coloured ribbons hanging from it. Then the dancers stand around the Maypole in a circle and each dancer takes hold of one ribbon. Usually there are different colours for boys and men, compared to girls and women. Then the dancers dance around the Maypole, holding onto their ribbons, and going around each other. In this way the ribbons are woven together around the pole.

Maypole dancing is not common in modern-day Britain. Much of the traditional culture of the British Isles was suppressed throughout history by different groups, usually in the name of Christianity. Indeed, Maypole dancing was made illegal in the 17th century by Oliver Cromwell’s government, who also banned celebrations at Christmas, and going to the theatre. This government, the ‘Commonwealth of England’ was he only time in history when England did not have a king or queen. The Commonwealth only lasted for 11 years, showing how unpopular these rules were!

Nowadays you can see Maypole dancing in some places in England, though usually it is just school children who do the dance. Here is a video of a Maypole dance from a school in London, England. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzJPwPm0mZ4

If you are interested in learning more about traditional British culture, or you want to share about your cultural traditions, please feel free to book a class with me.