Yes, pagans have a holiday that celebrates sex, and why wouldn't we? We were all born into this world because someone somewhere had sex. This celebration is not vulgar in any sense but sacred and joyful in our expressions of gratitude to all divine energies that are coming together and joining on this day.
If this is the first time you have heard about Beltane, I am happy to be the one who will tell you something about it. You will find some history in this post and the lovely customs and meaning of this pagan holiday.
Beltane is the third major sabbath in the pagan year but is considered, by many, to be the biggest pagan celebration. It is commonly held on 1st of May but it falls differently each year since the date is calculated using the time when the Sun is at 15° Taurus. This is because Beltaine is at the midpoint between the spring equinox and summer solstice.
“Paganism is the worship of life itself in its supreme mysteries of ecstasy and love.”
Jane Ellen Harrison
Nature that surrounds us is vivid and playful and all the God-like energies are coming together and combining into one. On the last sabbath, God and Goddess were equal but on Beltane, they are joining and becoming ONE energy. We are celebrating their holy marriage. This sabbath represents abundance and is closely related to sexual energies and creativity that brings life.
The word Beltane originates from two words, Bel or Belonos which is the name of Celtic god of Sun and Life, and the word tene or tinne which means fire. Based on that, we have several explanations for this holiday like: "Fire of life", "Sun fire" and many more. Together with Samhain, Beltane represents a major turning point in the year but its history reaches down to a prehistorical time when people were celebrating Sun, abundance and sexual energy that was needed for the propagation of the species.
At this time, Celts were celebrating the fertility of the Gods by offering them various sacrifice. They would burn huge fires and drag the cattle through the holy smoke that appeared.
Old Romans, on the other hand, made their offerings to Lares, spirits and protectors of the home and fireplace. They also celebrated Floralia, a three-day sexual celebration in which they had nothing on themselves except flowers in their hair. When those 3 days were over, cattle would be led into Circus Maximus and showered with beans to ensure their fertility and bright future.
Romans celebrated the festival Bona Dea celebrating fire and Greeks honored Goddesses Artemis and Atens. Throught the history the famous Green man symbol appeared at this time that is often conected to Celtic Cernunnos.
One of the popular customs is burning and jumping over the fire. Young people jump over it to find a partner, travelers for luck on their voyages and everyone in general, makes a wish and then jumps over the flames.
The other very popular tradition is the creation of the May Pole, and yes, maypole originates from Beltane and is a pagan thing. The pole represents phallus which has to be put into the Earth that represents sacred female organs. The pole is decorated with colorful ribbons. Every dancer takes hold of one ribbon and the dance begins. As people are dancing and moving around holding their ribbon, a pattern on the pole is formed. So next time you see a maypole... Now you know it is really a sexual symbol.
Speaking of sex... There is "The Great Rite", the most important and sacred part of Beltane, the physical joining of male and female. In the past there was a sexual act performed in the middle of the holy circle and even though some people still have this practice the more common one is symbolical. Dager is put inside a chalice where dagger represents male and chalice female. Since this holiday celebrates sex, it is recommended, of course, that you have sex so the woods are filled with people enjoying their time. If you are not a fan of the outdoors, your bed is just fine too.
“Come Fairies, take me out of this dull world, for I would ride with you upon the wind and dance upon the mountains like a flame!”
William Butler Yeats
There is also a link between Beltane and fairies, so be sure to leave some sugar in nature for them.
Bells! I almost forgot about the bells! Bells are used on Beltane, in the ritual but also during the day. People usually tie a couple of them around an ankle so the sound could be heard as they walk. They are called Morris Bells and date back to 19th century England where they were first used in the maypole dance.
We celebrate ourselves, our ancestors and our future children, we celebrate everything that was, is and ever will be.
On Beltane we celebrate diversity and abundance in all its forms. We talk to different people with different opinions and celebrate ALL religions because they are all coming together on this day. At this time we exceed our differences and accept them as a blessing, we rejoin in love toward each other.
We celebrate the sexual energy and the fertility in plant, animal, and human world. We celebrate everything we touch, see, hear, taste or smell. We celebrate male and female, young and old, familiar and unknown.
SIMBOLYSM: fertility, love, reunion, diversity, progress, abundance
SYMBOLS: maypole, ribbons, fire, bells
PLANTS: primrose, hawthorn, rose, birch, ash, lilac, ivy, lilies, daisies
FOOD: honey, cereals, dairy products, fruits, ice creams, vegetable soups
SCENTS: rose, lily, vanilla, musk
COLORS: vibrant colors, red, dark green, white
This article was exclusively written for Beyond the Veil. A newsletter that is prepared weekly, by a collection of people, containing articles surrounding the spiritual and the supernatural. To subscribe to the newsletter please follow @beyondtheveil, to stay updated about our community.
All images used in this post are made by me. You do not have permission to use them in any way if you do not ask me first. Thank you for your understanding.
For my philosophy of happiness posts, please find them on my steemit page and for the "Into the quantum world..." novel that I am writing exclusively for steemit click here:
made by @simgirl