Beltane Customs in "A Garland of Flowers"

Representation matters! What I wanted to create with The Wheel of the Year series was a set of stories around the eight pagan high holy days for kids and families that reflected their practices, celebrations, beliefs, and lore. A Garland of Flowers is the Beltane story.

In the story, the village readies itself for the Beltane celebration. The hearth fires in all the homes are extinguished, to be relit from the communal bonfire the next day. Because they can’t cook without fires, they share bread and the first fruits of the harvest amongst the people. All of these observances are attested in lore. So is the idea that local priests frowned on pagan celebrations, but were essentially powerless to prevent them in more rural, out-of-the-way places.

Likewise, the men make use of young spring blooms to fashion garlands and poesies for those they admire and wish to court. That’s something that many families, pagan or not, create for others on May Day today as gift tokens to welcome the burgeoning season and warm weather.

Less common is using bale-fires for blessing livestock. Folks would light two big fires, leaving room for a passageway between them. Cattle and other livestock would be driven between the fires, allowing the smoke to cover them to purify and encourage fertility. In other places, animals were driven through the smoldering coals of the burning-out fires for the same purposes. After this purification, they would be taken to the summer pastures to graze.

Another aspect of Gaelic history and culture featured in Garland is the glám dicenn, the satirist's curse. A weapon exclusive to bards, a satire was an act of magic involving an extemporaneous poem, along with a series of intricate movements. Its effects were devastating. Shamed before the community, the person receiving the curse could develop blisters on their face or even have their head catch on fire or explode!

First executed by the bard Cairpre mac Étan, the son of the goddess Étan and the god Ogma, the satirist’s curse is attested, specifically in The Second Battle of Moytura, from the Mythological Cycle of Irish lore. Bards were held in high regard for this power in a time when storytellers and poets were considered on at least the same level as warriors. In Garland, the bardic character struggles with community perceptions about what it means to be a bard.

The most popular custom for modern pagans, however, is the Maypole! For most pagan groups—Wiccan, Druidic, and many others—it’s finally warm enough for an outdoor ritual. Communities erect their Maypoles and decorate them with flowers and ribbons. Lively music and an easy dance step make dancing the Maypole a memorable celebration for children and adults.

It is my hope that your Beltane celebrations this year are fun and memorable. A Garland of Flowers: A Beltane Story can be a great addition to your holiday as a fairy tale story that will reflect many of the customs and activities you and your children enjoy and give them representation in a book they can enjoy year after year!

~ Beth Buchanan is a long-time Kansas City-area pagan, Gaelic Polytheist, and author of The Wheel of the Year series. You can find her at https://bethbuchananauthor.wordpress.com