May Day and Beltane

[View Online]( INSPIRATION [May Day and Beltane]( Celebrate May Day by giving flowers or baskets of flowers to friends and neighbors. Throughout history, humankind has celebrated the transition from season to season. The festival of May Day takes place on May 1 at the halfway point between the beginning of spring and the start of summer and originated in ancient times as a celebration of fertility, life, sexuality, and nature’s renewal. Still observed by many people today, May Day has many colorful and unique customs associated with it and is intimately bound to the Gaelic and pagan fire festival of Beltane. Both celebratory rites take place on the same day and are believed to have originated from the ancient Roman feast of Floralia, which honored Flora, the goddess of spring and flowers, as she returned to the earth to bring the fields back to life with her touch. Traditionally, May Day celebrations began on April 30, when men and women spent the whole night in the woods where they would dance and play games. On the morning of May 1, they would emerge carrying freshly budded green boughs and flowers that were in bloom. A tree was felled and resurrected as the May Pole around which young people would twine ribbons in the hope of becoming entwined with a new love. Houses were decorated with freshly cut foliage to attract the blessings of earth spirits that were said to walk the land on the first of May. A May King and May Queen were chosen to represent fertility gods and goddesses. Beltane, while also a festival of fertility and sensuality, remains primarily a festival of fire. The Beltane bonfire fire not only blesses the coming season, but also invites luck into one’s life. Jumping over a Beltane fire, walking between two fires, or burning sacred wood and dried herbs in a fire guarantees an auspicious season. Often, people would put out their fires and rekindle their hearth using a flame taken from the bonfire. Both May Day and Beltane can be observed to celebrate the return of passion and vitality that we feel as the weather grows warmer and the world grows greener. You can celebrate these festivals by decorating your home with flowers, blessing your garden, or filling baskets with fresh produce and giving them to loved ones. Each festival represents a wonderful opportunity to mark the end of winter’s darkness and ruminate on what the light-filled days of the coming months may bring.   DailyOM Course Spotlight [Sacred Beekeeping Secrets]( By Shonagh Home Embark on a practical and mystical journey onto the sacred path of the bee priestess with shamanic therapist and bee expert Shonagh Home. You’ll explore the honeybee with wisdom and reverence, learning both practical hive medicine and caretaking, as well as guided practices for connecting to the divine mystery of creation through the bees. By the end, you’ll have a deeper understanding of bees, the medicine that comes from the hives, and the spiritual nature of our sacred pollinators. [Learn More]( New Courses - [Soul-to-Soul Communication With Animals]( - [Powerful Wisdom to End Your Financial Worries]( - [The Binaural Beat Method for Better Sleep]( - [The Intuitive Power Behind Angel Numbers]( Recommended For You [Stretching]( [Speak With Purpose, Not Impulse]( [Discover]( [Stretching]( [How to Parent Like A Buddhist]( [Discover]( [Stretching]( [Overcoming Creative Anxiety]( [Discover](   Top 10 Courses 1. [Holistic Vagus Nerve Stretches for Immediate Relief]( 2. [The 9-Minute Science-Based Workout]( 3. [The Art of Intuitive Tarot]( 4. [Talking to Dead People]( 5. [The Binaural Beat Method for Better Sleep]( 6. [Gentle Exercises to Eliminate Your Neck Hump]( 7. [Shedding Your Menopausal Middle in 10 Days]( 8. [Overcoming Body Stiffness]( 9. [Reinvent Your Self-Image]( 10. [Lose Emotional and Physical Weight With Tapping]( Explore 350+ Courses There's something for everyone. What do you want to learn today? [Browse by Topic]( [DailyOM Logo](   [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Pinterest]( [Twitter]( You are receiving this email because you are signed up to receive emails from DailyOM. You are registered with {EMAIL}. [Inspirations]( | [Courses]( | [Horoscopes]( [Remove me from this list]( | [Help/FAQ]( Copyright © 2023 [Everyday Health, Inc.]( All rights reserved. DailyOM is among the federally registered trademarks of Everyday Health, Inc. and may not be used by third parties without explicit permission. 114 Fifth Avenue, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10011 Subject to our [terms of service]( and [privacy policy](