Happy Bealtaine/Beltane (be-all-tin-ah) or May Festival. The
astronomical event upon which Bealtaine is based falls on May 5th 2020 (4th of
May in the Pacific, Alaskan and Hawaiian time zones). The name Bealtaine derives
from Irish meaning ‘Bright Fire’ and alludes to the pre-Celtic and Celtic
traditions which involve the lighting of fires at Sunset. On May 5th the dark
half of the year ends and the bright half begins. The biggest Celtic festivals
in Ireland fall on Cross Quarter days which mark the astronomical halfway point
between the equinoxes and the solstices. Traditionally Bealtaine begins on the
1st of May and the mismatch with the actual astronomical date is due to the
changes brought about by the Gregorian calendar reforms.
Horsemen on the Hill of Uisneach
Cross quarter days mark the biggest celebrations in ancient
Ireland because they mark the beginning of the seasons, unlike the solstices
which occur in the middle of their respective seasons. Imbolc was the last
festival falling on February 3rd, a vital date for ancient farming communities
because it marks the time when seed planting begins.
In ancient Ireland, great bonfires marked a time of
purification and transition, heralding in the season in the hope of a good
harvest later in the year and were accompanied with ritual acts to protect the
people from any harm by Otherworldly spirits, such as the Aos Sí. Like the
festival of Samhain (31 October) which lies directly opposite Bealtaine on the
calendar, it was believed by the ancients to be a time when the veil separating
the world of the living from the Otherworld became particularly thin, thus
allowing spirits to cross over.
The new day started at sunset for the ancient Athenians,
Jews and Celts. In other ancient societies such as the Babylonians, the day
lasted from sunrise to sunrise which was the case in early Roman society too
but later the Romans decided that the day should start at midnight (the
diametric opposite of noon) and it has remained with us ever since.
Surprisingly it makes it almost impossible for some people to understand the
dating of Celtic festivals! The first of November, for example, began at
sundown on the 31st of October. Similarly, its diametric opposite on the
calendar the first of May began on sundown on the 30th April. The months of
November and May are still called in the Irish language Samhain and Bealtaine
which are derived from the names of the two great Celtic fire festivals. Thus
sundown today 30th April marks the beginning of ‘Oiche Bealtaine’ or May Eve
from when the Roman system was adopted.
Spiral fire representing the spiral motifs found
at ancient pre-Celtic sites like Newgrange
The Hill of Uisneach or Ushnagh (Irish: Uisneach or Cnoc
Uisnigh) is an ancient ceremonial site in the Barony of Rathconrath in County
Westmeath, which in mythology, is regarded as the centre of Ireland and is
closely associated with the festival of Bealtaine. Ail na Míreann (stone of
divisions) stands on the hill and was the very point deemed the mystical navel
of Ireland. It also stood at meeting point five original provinces of Leinster,
Munster, Connacht, Ulster and Meath. Tradition tells that Bealtaine fires were lit
and Druidical ceremonies held on the hill. In the Lebor Gabála Érenn (Book of
the Takings of Ireland), the Nemedian Druid Mide lit the first Bealtaine fire
there. This fire it was said could be seen from the Hill of Tara and when those
at Tara saw it, they lit their fire.
According to a popular passage from the same record, Ériu, a
tutelary goddess sometimes seen as the personification of Ireland, meets the
invading Milesians at Uisneach where, after some conversation and drama, the
Milesian poet Amergin promises to give the country her name. Geoffrey of
Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae ("History of the Kings of
Britain") claims a common belief that the stones of Stonehenge were
brought to Britain from Uisneach.
The Beltany Stone Circle is located just south of Raphoe in
Co. Donegal, its name derives from Bealtaine. At sunrise at Bealtaine, the only
decorated stone in the circle is aligned with the rising sun The stone circle
dates from around 1400-800 BC and comprises 64 stones around a low earth platform
or tumulus, situated at the summit of Tops Hill. One stone is decorated with
cup marks and many of the stones stand at an angle after being disturbed around
a hundred years ago. According to the National Monument Information plaque at
the site, there may have been about 80 standing stones originally.
In Celtic mythology, "Aed" refers to
"fire" and is an early fire deity associated with the Assaroe Falls
near Ballyshannon, Ireland. Two better-known characters, Lugh and Balor are
solar gods. Within the dark of the sidhe mounds lay the brilliantly lit palaces
of the fairy folk. The gentry themselves are often described as radiant beings.
This underworld of brilliance was later demonized as Christian
"hellfire." Even today, individuals who encounter Otherworldly or
deceased spirits describe them as luminous figures.
Advanced astronomical knowledge is the basis of the fire
festivals of the Celtic year. Societies throughout the ancient world were
transfixed by the power of fire. Both consuming and rapturous, the flame became
the living, formless symbol of the Goddess (or God). Flame and smoke were used
for ritual purification and carried prayers upward to the diverse, non-human
agents that populated the ancient world. While on earth the ash promoted the
fertility of both landscape and household.
The President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins
lights the first of the fire festival on the Hill of Uisneach.
Video of the 2015 fire festival.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3cZS1_PQPY
Approximate pronunciation guide
- Bealtaine – be-all-tin-ah
- Ériu – aer-ooh
- Oiche – ee-ha
- Samhain – sow-ain
- Uisneach – wish-nach
Contains extracts from http://www.newgrange.com/beltane.htm
http://www.festivalofthefires.com/
#history #ireland #celtic #irishhistory #beltane #gaelic
#mayday #medievalireland #pagan