15 Practices for Beltane

So Beltane is almost upon us. Here are 15 practices you can do that are either inspired by historical practices, folklore or modern Neo-paganism.

1) Perform a Ritual

2) Light a Bonfire as the ancient Druids did.

3) Extinguish and relight the main fire of your hearth. This could be a literal fire or the pilot light of your boiler.

4) Give an offering to the local river. The ancient Celts saw their local river as the embodiment of the land goddess and offerings were left for her.

5) “Bring in the May” by decorating your house with hawthorn, yellow flowers and greenery

6) Do a saining/ cleansing of your house. Walk the boundaries with fire.

7) Collect dew or the first water of a local well in the morning. The dew is believed to help keep you beautiful while the “cream of the well” can be used in healing rites throughout the year.

8) Learn to make butter and cheese. The ancient Anglo-Saxons called May “Thrimilci” which means three milkings because the cows were milked three times. It is the beginning of the main pastoral season and a traditional time to make butter and cheese.

9) Eat a meal of seasonal wild greens. There are many wild edibles around now – hawthorn leaves, jack by the hedge, nettles, goosegrass, wild garlic, dandelions and more.

10) Read the tale of Taliesin. He was reborn on May eve and thrown into a river by the welsh goddess Ceridwen.

11) Dance around a Maypole.

12) Get outside, walk, camp or go for a picnic.

13) Make a protective Rowan cross charm to hang in the doorway.

14) It’s a time to focus on fertility and romance, so spend some time with your partner. And have sex…..maybe in a forest like they used to.

15) Visit a may day fair or parade and watch morris dancers or the May Queen being crowned.