This is my first Beltane as a solitary pagan practitioner. I wanted to learn a little bit more about what is going on this time of year & what I am celebrating. I don’t want to blindly follow the masses when I don’t understand what it is I am doing. So I did some research this morning & this is what I found:
April’s showers have given way to rich and fertile earth, and as the land greens, there are few celebrations as representative of fertility as Beltane. Observed on May 1st (or October 31 - November 1 for our Southern Hemisphere readers), festivities typically begin the evening before, on the last night of April. It’s a time to welcome the abundance of the fertile earth, and a day that has a long (and sometimes scandalous) history.
(The links will go to further information about the highlighted topic)
It definitely causes for celebration. Fertility of the earth reminds me of gardening, which I got to do yesterday & a couple of other times throughout the week. Today we are going to be transplanting my bleeding hearts to the very front of the house. They are shade lovers & right now they are in full sun. They are a beautiful pink color this year. I do have one set of them by my forsythias & it is doing wonderfully. The Goddess & the God are going to come together & the Goddess will transition from Maiden to Mother. It marks halfway between Winter & Summer.
There are many different ways to celebrate the day, from washing your face with the morning dew to making oatcakes in the kitchen. You can also use the Maypole with your friends. The pole is a phallic symbol & the ribbons decorating it with different colors & patterns. May baskets with flowers or trinkets or candy given to your neighbors will signify the abundance of the season upon us. The focus should be on fertility for this time of the year when the God & Goddess come together.
I will be setting up my altar & working around the house. I have some things that I want to get underway before the summer comes & a fresh start on the main floor of my house. I’m not sure what we will have for dinner, but I will look through the recipes & see if there is anything that I can add to our menu for the day.
Happy Beltane Me and the kid went down to the River Almond with our little bbq bucket and had a mini bonfire and a picnic then the rain started to that was the end of the Bonfire lol I hope you had an amazing day
Thank you, everyone. It was my first Beltane as well. We did some much-needed cleaning in the basement so we can make my new room for crafting & a small witchy area in there. We had a fire all day. We burned some wood that was in the basement & then I switched to oak logs. It was a good day, my husband & I hung out for a couple of hours with each other after the basement stuff was done for the day. We got to talk a lot about my last year & a half & how I’m doing now. It was a good day.
I hope everyone had a blessed Beltane! Unfortunately, it rained all day, but I took the time to rest, eat a bunch of my favorite foods, did some yoga for the first time in a while and the ritual on this site in the evening. I’m hoping the weather warms and clears up soon so I can go for a walk in the woods. With all the rain, the little creek should be filled and running.
Wonderful Beltane resources, @Susurrus! Thanks so much for spreading the knowledge and Sabbat joy
Ohhh I am loving that song, @andrea22! Absolutely perfect for the holiday
Same here, @Liisa and @Kasandra! We had some rainy grey skies over Warsaw, but luckily happiness isn’t weather-dependent and we were still able to enjoy the day
It sounds like everyone had a wonderful Beltane! Whether your holiday is finished or you are planning to continue the celebrations through the next few days- enjoy the season!
Happy Beltane!!
Soifra, Thank you for this information this is my first Beltane so I am still learning! I am a little late on my ritual! I will work on mine tomorrow!
Walter, I love your alter!!
Blessed be!
Jeannie!
Gorgeous altar @walter, thank you for sharing! I happy your ritual went well.
Thank you, everyone, we were outside for the 2 days of the weekend, I didn’t have my phone on me, just enjoying what we were doing outside with the fire.
It was my first Beltane & it was pretty good. We got a lot done & were outside the entire weekend. The coals from the fire we had are still hot today & throwing off some heat. I go out & check to make sure nothing has blown around it & the covers are still on the fire pit.
It was a good weekend here! The weather cooperated & rained a little bit last night, but nothing major. It was more of a sprinkle really. We had stayed out there during the beginning of it & went in after it got to be dark & we had to get ready for today. I wish I had pictures, but I had left my phone in the house.
Me and the kid went down to the River Almond with our little bbq bucket and had a mini bonfire and a picnic 
I hope you had an amazing day 
pit the night before yesterday! I wish I would have had a pic! I am sorry!