Beltane is a ancient Gaelic ceremony that oriignated in Ireland. Beltaine is Gaelic for the month of May and was held on 1 May. Much like May Day, it marked the start of summer. Usually involving the lighting of bonfires to purify the community and to signal the change in seasons, cattle and humans both were walked between the fires to purify them. In Scotland, junipers were thrown upon the bonfires to for further purification. It was also when livetsock were sent into the field to graze. The result of the ceremony was hopefully a good harvest come fall.
It was revived in 1988 in Edinburgh and is now held each 30 April (Beltane Eve) on Calton Hill by the Beltane Fire Society. It attracts more than 15,000 people a year. Although some neopagans and Wiccans celebrate it too, the modern Edinburgh ceremony is more performance art than religious. It also has little resemblance to the original ceremonies. Here is a link to a TV news article on the ceremony:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-mXBZxKR2k
Beltane is closely related to the Gaelic ceremony of Samhain (pronounced Sow-wan), the Fall festival to mark the start of winter. Along with Christianity's All Hallow's Day/All Souls Day, Samhain (which was the Gaelic name for November) is the origin of today's Halloween. Here is the Beltane Fire Society celebrating their interpretation of Samhain in Edinburgh in 2007.
No comments:
Post a Comment