Beltane, or Bealtaine, is the Gaelic festival at the start of summer, traditionally held on 1 May with celebrations beginning on the evening of 30 April. Its best-known customs are bonfires, driving cattle between two fires for protection, decorating doors and windows with yellow May flowers, dressing a May bush and washing your face in the morning dew. Today it's also one of the eight festivals of the modern pagan Wheel of the Year, and it's celebrated with a famous fire festival in Edinburgh.
What Beltane was for
In Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man, the year divided into a dark half beginning at Samhain and a light half beginning at Beltane. Beltane opened the pastoral summer: this was when cattle were driven out from their winter quarters to the summer pastures, often on higher ground, where some families lived with the herd until autumn.
That practical shift explains much of the festival. With the whole year's livelihood walking out of the gate, households wanted protection for their animals, their milk and their butter. Many Beltane customs are about exactly that.
The name is still the ordinary word for May in Irish (Bealtaine) and Scottish Gaelic (Bealltainn). Medieval Irish writers explained it as "Bel's fire," but no god called Bel appears elsewhere in early Irish sources, and modern scholars favor other derivations, one connected with an old root meaning "bright" or "shining." What everyone agrees on is the fire.
Fire customs
- Relighting the hearth. In many places, household fires were put out on Beltane Eve and a community bonfire was lit, often on a hill. Each household then rekindled its hearth from the bonfire, carrying a new flame home for the summer.
- The need-fire. Some Beltane fires were made by friction, rubbing wood together, rather than from an existing flame. This "need-fire" was thought especially pure.
- Between two fires. The tenth-century Cormac's Glossary describes cattle being driven between two fires on Beltane to protect them from disease. People sometimes walked between the fires too, or leapt over the flames or embers.
- Smoke and ash. On the Isle of Man, where the festival is called Boaltinn, people made sure the smoke blew over them and their cattle. Embers and ashes were sometimes scattered on fields.
Flowers, dew and the May bush
- Yellow May flowers. Primroses, marsh marigolds and hawthorn blossom were placed on doors, windows and even on cattle. The historian Ronald Hutton has suggested yellow flowers were chosen because they echo fire.
- The May bush. In parts of Ireland, a branch or small tree of hawthorn, rowan, holly or sycamore was decorated with flowers, ribbons, colored shells and sometimes candles, and set up outside the house. This is a different custom from the tall European maypole.
- Morning dew. Rising early to wash your face in Beltane dew, or roll in it, was believed to keep you young and beautiful for the year.
- Holy wells. People visited wells on Beltane, walked around them sunwise and left offerings, much as at Imbolc.
- Protecting the butter. Beltane was a dangerous time for luck to be "stolen," especially the luck of the milk and butter. Households tied flowers or rowan to milk pails, put a coal under the churn and were careful about giving away fire or milk on the day.
- The Beltane bannock. In parts of Scotland, an oatmeal cake was baked for the day and pieces were broken off and offered to protect the livestock.
The aos sí, the spirit folk of Irish and Scottish belief, were thought to be especially active at Beltane, as at Samhain, which is why so many customs are protective. Our guide to Samhain traditions covers Beltane's opposite festival at the other end of the year.
Beltane, May Day and the maypole
Beltane and May Day fall on the same date but come from different strands of tradition.
May Day across much of Britain and Europe brought maypoles, morris dancing, May Queens and gathering greenery at dawn, which was known as "bringing in the May." The tall maypole with ribbons belongs to this broader European tradition rather than to Gaelic Beltane.
Modern Beltane blends both. In Wicca and many other pagan paths, Beltane is a joyful sabbat with fertility themes, and maypole dancing is a common part of it. Gaelic reconstructionists, who aim to stay close to the historical Irish and Scottish sources, often time their celebration to when the local hawthorn blooms and focus on fire and protection.
The best-known public celebration is the Beltane Fire Festival in Edinburgh, held on Calton Hill on the night of 30 April every year since 1988, with drumming, a procession and costumed performers marking the end of winter and the start of summer.
Beltane rituals to try at home
- Flowers on the door. Pick yellow flowers from your own garden, or buy a small bunch, and tie them to your front door or set them on a windowsill on Beltane Eve. Don't take wildflowers from protected sites.
- A dew wash. Go out early on 1 May and touch the dew on clean grass, then press your damp hands to your face. Stick to grass you know hasn't been sprayed.
- A May bush. Decorate a potted shrub or a branch outside with ribbons and a few flowers. Many people in Britain and Ireland once thought it unlucky to bring hawthorn blossom indoors, so the outdoors is the traditional place for it.
- A small, safe fire. If you have a fire pit and it's allowed where you live, light a small fire at dusk. Check local fire restrictions, keep water nearby, keep children and pets back and never leave it burning. Jumping over fires is best left to history. A candle or a lantern in the window keeps the spirit of the night without the risk; our candle ritual for beginners covers the basics.
- Plan the summer. Beltane opened the season of going out. Write down three things you'd like to do outdoors before autumn, and put the first in your calendar.
- A seasonal shelf. Swap winter decorations for spring greenery, a sprig of blossom and something yellow. Our guide to making an altar has more ideas.
The tarot card most associated with this time of greening and fertility is the Empress, seated among ripening crops. Beltane also falls in Taurus season in Western astrology, a sign associated with the senses and the pleasures of the natural world; read more about Taurus traits. To see where Beltane sits in the year, read our guide to the Wheel of the Year.
Questions readers ask
Is Beltane a fertility festival?
In modern Wicca and paganism it often is, with themes of fertility, union and growth. The historical Gaelic customs focus more on protecting cattle, milk and crops at the start of summer. Both readings are part of how Beltane is kept today.
What is the difference between Beltane and May Day?
Beltane is the Gaelic festival of summer's start, known for bonfires, May bushes and protective customs. May Day is the wider European spring holiday of maypoles, May Queens and garlands. They share a date and some modern celebrations mix the two.
When is Beltane in the Southern Hemisphere?
Many pagans in the Southern Hemisphere celebrate Beltane on 31 October to 1 November, when their own summer is beginning. Others keep the Northern date of 1 May.
Can I celebrate Beltane without a bonfire?
Yes. Flowers on the door, an early-morning dew walk, a candle in the window and a summer plan all keep the spirit of the festival without any open fire.
