Legends and Lore of Beltane, the Spring May Day Celebration

A Time That Marks Fire and Fertility

The Annual Beltane Fire Festival
Modern Pagans celebrate Beltane each year around the world. Roberto Ricciuti / Getty Images

In many cultures, there are different legends and lore surrounding the Beltane season–after all, it's a time that marks fire and fertility, and the return of new life to the earth. Let's look at some of the magical stories about this spring celebration.

Contacting the Spirit World

Like Samhain, the holiday of Beltane is a time when the veil between the worlds is thin. Some traditions believe that this is a good time to contact the spirits, or to interact with the Fae. Be careful, though—if you visit the Faerie Realm, don't eat the food, our you'll be trapped there, much like Thomas the Rhymer was!

Farming and Livestock




The pious Puritans were outraged by the debauchery of Beltane celebrations. In fact, they made Maypoles illegal in the mid 1600s, and tried to put a halt to the "greenwood marriages" that frequently took place on May Eve. One pastor wrote that if "tenne maiden went to set (celebrate) May, nine of them came home gotten with childe."



Babies conceived at Beltane are considered a gift from the gods. They were sometimes referred to as "merry-begots" because the mothers were impregnated during Beltane's merrymaking.

Gathering Morning Dew for a Perfect Complexion

If you go out at sunrise on Beltane, take a bowl or jar to gather morning dew. Use the dew to wash your face, and you're guaranteed a perfect complexion. You can also use the dew in ritual as consecrated water, particularly in rituals related to the moon or the goddess Diana or her counterpart, Artemis.

Irish Culture and Customs

In the Irish "Book of Invasions," it was on Beltane that Patholan, the first settler, arrived on Ireland's shores. May Day was also the date of the defeat of the Tuatha de Danaan by Amergin and the Milesians.

"In one account, a procession of 'May Boys,' dressed in white shirts adorned with colorful ribbons tied in knots, led what was known as a garland procession through the neighborhood. At the head of the parade was an elected May King and Queen. At each stop, they would ask for funds to help defray the cost of the May Day party to be held later. Before 1820, there are records of great May Pole celebrations in Dublin. In addition to dancing and drinking, the pole was often greased and a prize offered to anyone who could climb to the top. Other revelries included a wide assortment of sporting events, including foot races, hopping races, sack races, and wrestling. Dance competitions were also held and very often, the coveted prize was a cake."

British May Day Customs

In Cornwall, it's traditional to decorate your door on May Day with boughs of hawthorn and sycamore. Ben Johnson of Historic UK writes about the other Cornish custom of the 'Obby 'Oss:

"May Day traditions in southern England include the Hobby Horses that still rampage through the towns of Dunster and Minehead in Somerset, and Padstow in Cornwall. The horse or the Oss, as it is normally called is a local person dressed in flowing robes wearing a mask with a grotesque, but colourful, caricature of a horse."