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Beltane
Beltane ()〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Beltane?s=t )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beltane )〕 is the anglicised name for the Gaelic May Day festival. Most commonly it is held on 1 May, or about halfway between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. Historically, it was widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. In Irish the name for the festival day is ''Lá Bealtaine'' ((:l̪ˠaː ˈbʲal̪ˠt̪ˠənʲə)), in Scottish Gaelic ''Là Bealltainn'' ((:l̪ˠa: ˈpjaul̪ˠt̪ˠɪɲ)) and in Manx Gaelic ''Laa Boaltinn/Boaldyn''. It is one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals—along with Samhain, Imbolc and Lughnasadh—and is similar to the Welsh Calan Mai.
Beltane is mentioned in some of the earliest Irish literature and it is associated with important events in Irish mythology. It marked the beginning of summer and was when cattle were driven out to the summer pastures. Rituals were performed to protect the cattle, crops and people, and to encourage growth. Special bonfires were kindled, and their flames, smoke and ashes were deemed to have protective powers. The people and their cattle would walk around the bonfire or between two bonfires, and sometimes leap over the flames or embers. All household fires would be doused and then re-lit from the Beltane bonfire. These gatherings would be accompanied by a feast, and some of the food and drink would be offered to the ''aos sí''. Doors, windows, byres and the cattle themselves would be decorated with yellow May flowers, perhaps because they evoked fire. In parts of Ireland, people would make a May Bush: a thorn bush decorated with flowers, ribbons and bright shells. Holy wells were also visited, while Beltane dew was thought to bring beauty and maintain youthfulness. Many of these customs were part of May Day or Midsummer festivals in other parts of Great Britain and Europe.
Beltane celebrations had largely died out by the mid-20th century, although some of its customs continued and in some places it has been revived as a cultural event. Since the late 20th century, Celtic neopagans and Wiccans have observed Beltane, or something based on it, as a religious holiday. Neopagans in the Southern Hemisphere often celebrate Beltane at the other end of the year (around 1 November).
==Historic Beltane customs==
Beltane was one of four Gaelic seasonal festivals: Samhain (~1 November), Imbolc (~1 February), Beltane (~1 May) and Lughnasadh (~1 August). Beltane marked the beginning of the pastoral summer season, when livestock were driven out to the summer pastures.〔Hutton, Ronald. ''The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain''. Oxford University Press, 1996. pp. 218–225〕〔Koch, John T. ''Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia''. 2006. p. 202〕 Rituals were held at that time to protect them from harm, both natural and supernatural, and this mainly involved the "symbolic use of fire".〔 There were also rituals to protect crops, dairy products and people, and to encourage growth. The ''aos sí'' (often referred to as spirits or fairies) were thought to be especially active at Beltane (as at Samhain)〔 and the goal of many Beltane rituals was to appease them. Most scholars see the ''aos sí'' as remnants of the pagan gods and nature spirits.〔Santino, Jack. ''The Hallowed Eve: Dimensions of Culture in a Calendar Festival of Northern Ireland''. University Press of Kentucky, 1998. p. 105〕 Beltaine was a "spring time festival of optimism" during which "fertility ritual again was important, perhaps connecting with the waxing power of the sun".〔
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