Bealtaine / May
ADW Bealtaine Mural the latest edition in my calendar series marks the arrival of Bealtaine. The ancient Celtic festival that signifies the beginning of summer.
In Old Irish, Bealtaine means “bright fire”. Some scholars suggest its roots lie in “the fires of Bel”. A reference to the Celtic sun god Belenus, known as “The Shining One.” Associated with healing, light, and protection, Belenus was venerated across Gaul, Britain, and Ireland, and was later aligned with the Roman god Apollo.
Bealtaine was one of the major seasonal festivals in the Celtic calendar. Fire was central to its rituals, symbolising purification, protection, and the rekindling of life. Bonfires were lit, and cattle were driven between them as a blessing for the months ahead. Household fires were ceremonially extinguished and re-lit from the communal flame, underscoring fire’s role not only as a physical necessity but a sacred force.
This time of year also held agricultural importance. It marked the movement of livestock to summer pastures and the community’s collective wish for fertility and growth. The rituals, grounded in what some interpret as sympathetic magic, were designed to invoke abundance for the coming season.
The month of May (Maius in Latin) was named for Maia, an earth and fertility goddess in Greek mythology, later associated with Bona Dea in Roman tradition, figures linked to renewal and seasonal change.
Symbolically, the hawthorn tree, also known as the “May tree” is closely tied to this period. With its blossoms appearing in May, it represents love, protection, and rebirth, and holds longstanding associations with fertility and folklore.
This month, we acknowledge Bealtaine not just as a point in time, but as a reminder of our enduring connection to nature, seasonality, and shared ritual.
