Beltane Fire Festival
Coming up to our fourth Beltane over the Mayday weekend, celebrating the fertility of the earth and asking blessings for the harvest. Lovely old stuff, isn't it. In the old days lovers would make love in the fields, whole villages humping in the furrows, hey!
Things have changed. It would be an offence now, outraging decency. I guess that would depend on who is watching. But we don't do that.
We dance the Maypole, men preparing it with garlands of flowers, women digging the hole to erect it. Much laughter. Then around we go, to drum and flute, dijeridu and tambourine, around and around, weaving in and out each other, the ribbons we clasp getting shorter and shorter pulling us in to the pole until only two are left - and they two, why, they're handfasted till the next May.
So dance the May with wanton abandon: you never know your luck.
The Beltane Fire is ready in a yoni-shaped shallow pit, built higher in the middle and lower at the ends so we can jump high or low across it, holding hands with our hearts desire and this, too, handfasts us for the year.
Enjoy the season.
Before and after the highlights we dance and sing, feast and tell stories, practise Tai Chi or Quarterstaff, fire-walking and fire-dancing. On May Eve we hold sweatlodge, honouring the old ways of the new world.
And Monday morning, head back home, tired but happy.
Hey, if you're reading this, why not join us?
Here's the scoop
Things have changed. It would be an offence now, outraging decency. I guess that would depend on who is watching. But we don't do that.
We dance the Maypole, men preparing it with garlands of flowers, women digging the hole to erect it. Much laughter. Then around we go, to drum and flute, dijeridu and tambourine, around and around, weaving in and out each other, the ribbons we clasp getting shorter and shorter pulling us in to the pole until only two are left - and they two, why, they're handfasted till the next May.
So dance the May with wanton abandon: you never know your luck.
The Beltane Fire is ready in a yoni-shaped shallow pit, built higher in the middle and lower at the ends so we can jump high or low across it, holding hands with our hearts desire and this, too, handfasts us for the year.
Enjoy the season.
Before and after the highlights we dance and sing, feast and tell stories, practise Tai Chi or Quarterstaff, fire-walking and fire-dancing. On May Eve we hold sweatlodge, honouring the old ways of the new world.
And Monday morning, head back home, tired but happy.
Hey, if you're reading this, why not join us?
Here's the scoop
posted by Kris Deva North at 2:11 PM
