Tomorrow is May Day! You know, the day we vaguely remember from elementary school when someone might have made you dance around a pole with ribbons? Yeah, that one.
But! For Wiccans and Neo-Pagans in the Northern Hemisphere, May 1st isn’t just about awkward dances and springtime Pinterest boards. It’s Beltane — one of the four big cross-quarter holidays in the Wheel of the Year.
So what’s a cross-quarter holiday? Basically, it’s the party that happens halfway between the Big Astronomical Deals: the solstices and the equinoxes. Beltane slides right between the Spring Equinox (around March 21) and the Summer Solstice (around June 21). Think of it as the universe giving you a little “Woohoo, you made it!” checkpoint on the road to summer.
A Little Beltane History Lesson (Minus the Boredom)
Back in the Gaelic highlands, Beltane wasn’t just another excuse to drink mead (although, let’s be real, that probably happened too). It marked the official start of summer — the time when people drove their cattle out to lush summer pastures. To make sure everything went smoothly, they lit big ol’ ritual bonfires. Because fire purifies, protects, and — bonus! — looks amazing in the dark.
They’d also toss oatmeal cakes into the flames as offerings (because carbs are holy, obviously), visit sacred wells for a little spiritual spring cleaning, and deck themselves and their homes out in flowers. Basically, it was the original Cottagecore aesthetic.
Beltane Today: Same Vibe, More Ribbons
Nowadays, Wiccans and Neo-Pagans still honor Beltane with bonfires, flowers, and lots of joyful revelry. But many also weave in Germanic May Day traditions, which — surprise! — are all about fertility, growth, and life force energy. Hence the maypole: a giant stick with lots of colorful ribbons that people dance around. (And if you’re thinking, “Hmm, that seems kind of… suggestive,” congratulations, you get a gold star.)
Meanwhile, over in the world of politics, the late 1800s rolled up and declared May 1st as International Workers Day — a completely different vibe focused on labor rights, protests, and fighting for the weekend. So, while some people are lighting bonfires and celebrating new life, others are carrying banners and demanding fair wages. Either way, May 1st is about power to the people — whether that’s the humans, the land, or both.
However You Celebrate…
Whether you’re jumping over a bonfire, dancing around a maypole, baking oatmeal cakes (yum), or just vibing with the seasonal shift, Beltane is all about honoring life at its most juicy and vibrant.
Light a candle, pick some flowers, or at the very least, go outside and feel the shift in the air. Summer’s already here for Wiccans and Neo-Pagans — and it’s about time.