Ten Ways to Celebrate Beltaine (Beltane)

Beltaine or Beltane is a pagan spring holiday usually celebrated on May first. Whatever your religious background try welcoming spring with one of these fun ideas!

1. Have a bonfire! Invite your friends and neighbors, and build a bonfire in your backyard. Roast marshmallows. Talk, sing, even dance. This is a great way to reconnect with those who have been hibernating all winter.

2. Make May baskets. Get some construction paper and roll it into cones fastening each one with a piece of tape or a staple. Make handles with strips of paper or pieces of ribbon. Gather early wildflowers like violets and fill each basket. Early in the morning, leave a basket hanging on each of your neighbors’ doors. This is an excellent project to enlist your children’s help with.

3. Go camping. During your trip, take the time to look for signs of spring. Enjoy the warmer weather and the longer days!

4. Watch the sunrise. Pack a picnic breakfast, a blanket, and some sweaters; and head out before dawn. Unpack your picnic on a hill with an unobstructed view and enjoy the early morning rays as the sun peaks over the horizon.

5. Make a flower feast! What better way to celebrate spring than with flowers? Freeze edible flowers in your ice cubes. Add edible flowers to your salad. Candy flowers to decorate your dessert.

6. Create your own maypole. This isn’t as difficult as you might think. Purchase a twenty foot wood pole from your local hardware store. Set it up in your backyard. Ask your guests to each bring a 2 inch by 20 foot ribbon and attach them when they arrive. Everyone grabs their ribbon, and the dancing begins. (Make sure to have extra ribbons just in case!)

7. Have your own fertility ritual. This can just be simple. After dinner, go around the table and have everyone in your family list things they want to grow in the new season. This could be a good garden or a better job or more patience. Anything goes.

8. Decorate your house. If your spring cleaning is done, Beltaine is an excellent time to decorate. Whether you lavish your rooms with fresh flowers, create a new spring themed center piece, or paint a room a new color, decorating is a wonderful way to celebrate spring.

9. Bake an oatmeal cake. Mix together one cup of oatmeal, ½ cup softened butter, ½ teaspoon of baking soda, and ½ cup of brown sugar. Add ½ cup of sour cream and mix until a dough forms. Press dough into a large circle on a cookie sheet. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. Cut the cake into wedges to serve. Oatmeal cake is a traditional Beltaine food.

10. Weave a basket. Weaving is a craft traditionally associated with Beltane. Simple weaving kits are available at most craft stores, or if you want more of a challenge, find basket patterns online or in books at the library. Don’t forget to fill your basket with those early spring flowers!