Morning dew
A folk custom for the first morning of May.
- Go outside at dawn on 1 May.
- Touch the dew on the grass and splash it on your face.
- Stay a few minutes to listen to the birds.
Wheel of the Year · cross-quarter day
Beltane
The start of summer, with fire and flowers.
- Northern Hemisphere
- 1 May Next: 1 May 2027
- Southern Hemisphere
- 1 November Next: 1 November 2027
History and names
Beltane is a Gaelic festival on 1 May marking the start of summer. A medieval glossary attributed to Cormac mac Cuilennáin describes cattle being driven between two fires for protection, and Irish and Scottish folk custom kept bonfires and cattle blessings into the nineteenth century.
May Day customs elsewhere in Britain and Europe, such as the maypole and the crowning of a May queen, are related but separate traditions that later became associated with it.
Also known as
- Bealtaine (Irish)
- May Day
- Calan Mai (Welsh)
Customs
People mark it by gathering flowers, washing the face in the morning dew, making garlands, hanging greenery on doors, and lighting fires. If you light a fire, follow local rules and keep it safe.
Practices
Flower garland
Make a ring of flowers from your garden or a market.
- Gather flowers and leaves, taking only what is yours or fallen.
- Bind them onto a ring of wire or ivy.
- Hang it on a door or wear it for the day.