Beltane - is celebrated on MAY 1, It is the beginning of the Light half of the Year, Beltane is the polar opposite of Samhain, and is the Festival of Life. It is the second most important festival of the year, a day when the veil between the worlds is thin. Beltane comes from the Gaelic �La Bealteinne� (pro; �Law BALL-tuh-nuh), and refers to the sacred Balefires; bonfires which were lit in ancient times for the God Bel, or Belenos. It celebrates the union of Goddess and God. Sacred Marriage, All New Life, Fertility for ALL Living Things, End of Winter (Celtic).
Beltane is a Lunar or Grand Sabbat, and is sacred to the Great Mother Goddess, Who brings fertility. Trickster Gods, such as Pan, Puck and Loki can also be invoked now, but beware of the consequences! Beltane is also known as Beltane, Kalenda Maia, Roodmas, Walpugis, , Walpurgisnacht, Walpurgiseve, May Day, Celtic Summer, or simply May.
Colors - Bright red and silver and green and gold
Symbols -Eggs, Flowers, Chalice, May Pole, Flower Chaplet, May Baskets.
Herbs and Plants - Primrose, Cowslip, Hawthorn, Rose, Birch, Rosemary, Lilac.
Stones - Sapphire, Bloodstone.
Food - Dairy, vanilla ice cream. Oatmeal cakes, Roast pork, the first picnic of the year, Chicken recipes are also good, to drink - Mead
Deities - All Mother Goddesses. All Virgin Mother Goddesses, All Goddesses of Song and Dance, All Flower Goddesses, All Goddesses of the Hunt, All Fertility Goddesses- All Gods of the Hunt, All Fertility Gods, All Gods of Love, All Young Father Gods
Traditional Activities -Wrapping the May Pole, The Great Rite, Gathering Flowers. Weaving and plaiting
Recipe
Beltane Cream Pie
(Makes 1 nine inch pie)
1 cup whole milk
1 cup rich cream
1/2 cup butter (NOT margarine)
3 tablespoons cornstarch
11/2 cups sugar
11/4 teaspoons vanilla
11/4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 prepared pie crust, baked
Melt the butter in a wide pan over medium heat. In a seperate bowl slowly add the milk to the cornstarch, making sure it is fully dissolved and absorbed before adding more milk. When the cornstarch is fully blended, add this and all of the other ingredients, except the vanilla, to the cooking pan. Stir conastanly over medium heat until the mixture becomes thick. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour the mixture into the waiting pie shell and sprinkle with nutmeg. The Pie may be eaten while it is still warm, as long as it has cooled enough to set. Or the pie may be chilled and eaten later.
Recipe From Edain McCoy
