Naturalist's Almanac

If you think of the solar year as a circle, the solstices and equinoxes divide it neatly into quarters. But those quarters need to be divided again to reflect seasonal and agricultural realities. That's exactly what the northern Europeans known as Celts did long before the Romans and Christians arrived with their twelve-month calendars.

The days that divided the four solar quarters became known as cross-quarter days, and they occurred at key times in the agricultural year. Samhain, which was the Celtic New Year, occurred after the harvest was in, in early November. Imbolc occurred as lambs were born in early February. Beltane occurred at the time cattle were ready to be moved to summer pastures in early May. And Lughnasa occurred after the first harvest of grain in early August.

The modern calendar's date for Beltane is May 1, and May 1 still seems worth celebrating. The Celts considered Beltane the beginning of summer, which is why they — and Shakespeare after them — thought of the summer solstice as midsummer. They also began their celebrations at night because their days began at sunset. So a modern Beltane should actually begin on April 30.

The ancient Beltane rituals included hilltop bonfires, which can be dangerous and are illegal without fire permits today. But the positive symbolism of these fires can be simulated more modestly right in your own back yard. Beltane fires were new fires ignited from scratch, and they symbolized fresh starts at the beginning of the new season. They also had the symbolic power to exorcise old ills and protect against new ones.

I like the idea of ritualized seasonal renewal, so my own modest Beltane celebration consists of cleaning my stone fire ring, picking up a few of the twigs and small branches that have fallen during the winter, and lighting my first campfire of the season with a brand new box of matches.

Others might choose to clean their grills, light them with a certain amount of ceremony — including new matches — and cook their first outdoor meal. Such modest celebrations may not seem very Celtic, but they are safe, legal, and easy ways for us modern types to greet the glories of May.

MORE INFORMATION

Crossquarter May Day
http://www.clarkfoundation.org/astro-utah/vondel/crossquartermay.html

Not many scientists write about the Celtic cross-quarter days, but this one does. As the former director of the Hansen Planetarium in Utah, he knows his astronomy — and also his weather, his natural history, and other cultures’ practices with respect to the solar year. He writes a newspaper column called “Looking Around” from which this very readable essay is adapted.

Beltane - Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beltane

The Wikipedia article offers background information on Beltane including etymology, orgins, neopagan practices, and links to other information including an extract from Sir James George Frazer's book The Golden Bough.