Beltane 2018

Beltane & Hekate: Goddess of the Sacred Pole
APRIL 5, 2018 BY SORITA D'ESTE
The goddess Hekate is only rarely associated with the festival of Beltane celebrated by contemporary Pagans on the 1st of May. This festival draws together an incredible spectrum of folklore and mythology from all over Europe into a vibrant and colourful celebration of the coming of Summer and perhaps most obviously, the fertility of the land and all that lives upon it. In short, Beltane tends to be a fire festival celebration of sex and sexuality in its most pleasurable and fruitful manifestations. This is symbolised, for some, by the May Pole celebrations where dancers weave ribbons around a decorated pole – widely believed to be a remnant of an older Pagan tradition linked to fertility. This presents a potential problem for devotees of the Goddess Hekate who wants to also celebrate the Wheel of the Year Sabbats – as Hekate is historically described and invoked as a Virgin Goddess, a maiden like her cousin Artemis with whom she is so often conflated.
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Triple formed goddess Hekate – the goddess is shown around a central pillar and also wearing a polos (stylised pole) on her head. Drawing by Richard Cosway (5 November 1742 – 4 July 1821)

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Beltane Traditions
APRIL 23, 2014 BY JASON MANKEY

Beltane is a holiday rich in tradition. Its celebrated with both centuries old customs and modern practices. Many of those modern practices vary from group to group and path to path. In my younger days in Michigan my local Pagan community celebrated Beltane with a campout, a dance around the Maypole, and at least two rituals most times. It was a celebration of friendship and extended family, and often marked our first “outdoor ritual” of the new calendar year. In my group of friends back then Beltane was a very big deal; it was the most important community sabbat we celebrated all year. No matter the physical distances between us as we all grew into true adulthood, Beltane was an event worth coming back “home” for.

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