Beltane at Twin Oaks – photos and more
The organizers made a deal with the forces which control the weather. “If you don’t really need it to rain, it would be great if you could hold off until after the celebration”. With this deal struck, the rain remained at bay until after the circle was open.
assemble in the courtyard
Willow and Hawina before the ritual begins
Acorners are part of the event
The procession begins
Dawn welcomes people to enjoy the sweet and the bitter
Cloud and Sapphyre smudge
Kassia and fiddle
The circle assembles beside the may poll
Inter-generational participants
Hawina welcomes air
Claire brings us fire
Purl tends fire
Dance of the God and Goddess
Maypole dancers
i give willow back his wreath mid dance
Sapphyre and Gwen dance
Willow and Gwen hold ribbons
One of the things which is significant to me personally is that my son chooses to come to these rituals. Last year he played the role of the element of fire during the callings. When i was a kid, there was nothing about the spiritual or religious experience of my parents that i would choose to do.
Shal and i help Gwen up the poll
Gwen climbs alone
Part of what gives people confidence to try climbing the poll after the dance is complete is that even if you don’t make it, the crowd cheers for you. It is not about success, it is about being willing to take a chance and try.
including my son
4 responses to “Beltane at Twin Oaks – photos and more”
Trackbacks / Pingbacks
- - May 5, 2016
your passport to complaining 
What is the festival in celebration of?
Beltane is the Gaelic May Day festival. It marks the the halfway point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. It was observed in pre-Christian Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. Beltane is mentioned in some of the earliest Irish literature and it is associated with important events in Irish Pagan mythology.
Dearest LS:
It is a pagan fertility festival. The May poll is a phallic symbol. In times long past couples who previously did not know each other jumped over the ire together holding hands and made love alone later. This was important for gene pool mixing in time long past. There are lots of good posts on Beltane generally, i like this one (http://www.angelfire.com/empire/serpentis666/Beltane.html). And there is stuff we ahve done at Twin Oaks, which is an interesting peek into this greater culture see http://funologist.org/2012/05/02/willow-is-fire/