05/01/2026
“Through hundreds of years, [the first days of May were] celebrated by the ancient Celts [specifically Gaels] as the feast of Beltane [Béaltine in Gaeilge], the renewal of earth's reproductive energy in springtime. Revelers danced around trees that represented the ph***ic energy of the season, and everywhere lovers enjoyed and participated in the earth's renewal. (See note below)
With the coming of Christianity, the old festival was discouraged, especially in light of its highly sexual content. In its place, the church offered a chaste processional to honor the virgin mother of god, with girls singing songs like that below. But the ancient symbolism held fast, though hidden: the virgin was crowned with wreaths of flowers, the sexual organs of plants. Thus, even when the outer meaning changed, the inner meaning of the season remained a celebration of nature's fertility and fecundity.”
O Mary we crown thee with blossoms today, Queen of the angels, Queen of the May.
O Mary we crown thee with blossoms today, Queen of the angels, Queen of the May.
(Catholic song to the Virgin on May Day)
~ Patricia Monaghan, The Goddess Companion, May 1st (adapted by Rebekah Myers)
Art: Hans Thoma - 1839-1924 - “Spring in the Mountains / Children Dancing”
Note: Nordic, Germanic and Slavic people had their version of this festival as well, and the maypole with its accompanying dance is Germanic in origin. Trees were held sacred in many different cultures, and dances around trees were a part of fertility festivals in many parts of the ancient world.
A celebratory mood prevails during this entire month of “Bealtaine,” the Gaeilge word for the month of May. The *true* festival day, called “Béaltine” in Gaeilge, falls on the midpoint between the vernal equinox and the summer solstice, which is often the 5th day of the month. Think of May 1st as an opening door to the true festival and month.
~ Rebekah Myers
Her Circle Woven
