Last Updated on May 1, 2023 by Eva Maria
Beltane 2023 is a fire festival of fertility, blooming, and approaching summer. Many pagans and witches send Beltane blessings during that time, and I also wish you the most blissful summer season ahead.
Below you can find 9 simple Beltane 2023 rituals to try this year. The best thing is to always focus on nature around you and get ready for this Happy Beltane!
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When is Beltane 2023?
Beltane Date
Beltane is celebrated on the evening of the 30th of April 2023 and traditionally starts at moonrise on the evening before the 1st of May.
Astrologically Beltane is celebrated halfway between Vernal Equinox and Summer Solstice and falls when the Sun is at 15 degrees Taurus.
Beltane is also called Roodmas, Walpurgisnacht, May Day, Calam Mai, and Floralia and is closely related to many ancient celebrations around Europe.
Many people still celebrate Beltane in various pagan cultures. There are even big festivals organized for this holiday. Most commonly is a personal celebration with simple rituals to make at home.
What is Beltane?
Beltane is a Pagan festival that historically was celebrated in Celtic culture (mostly in Ireland and Scotland). It is a celebration of the middle of the spring, abundance, growth, and upcoming summer. (read more on Wikipedia)
Many people decide to perform a Beltane ritual to bring more prosperity and healing into their life.
It is also a great time to focus on love and fertility magic.
How are you going to celebrate Beltane 2023? Here are some examples.
Beltane Meaning
Beltane’s meaning comes from the Old Irish words bel (meaning “light” or bil meaning “luck”) and ten (meaning “fire”) and literally means bright fire.
Traditionally Beltane was celebrated as a fire festival and marked the bright half of the year when people welcomed the Sun, light, and new life.
Beltane spiritual meaning and intentions:
abundance, celebration, creation, desire, energy, faeries, fertility, fire, growth, health, joy, life, love, lust, magick, manifestation, partnership, passion, protection, psychic abilities, purification, rebirth, romance, sacrifice, sensuality, sexuality, strength, union, vigor, vitality
How to celebrate Beltane 2023?
1. Decorate your Beltane altar with wildflowers
One of the most beautiful things about May Day is the abundance of flowering plants available around.
It’s great to be able to go for a walk and forage some decorations for your living space. If you feel bad about picking up flowers in nature, you can easily get potted ones in the shop.
They will definitely last longer and be more environmentally friendly!
2. Try a Beltane recipe for a fresh spring salad
Beltane activities are connected with the change that we can observe in nature.
During this time of the year, everything around blooms and grows.
If you are lucky to plant your own vegetable garden, this is the time that you are able to pick some fresh salad leaves, radishes, spinach, herbs, and other early-spring crops.
Combine them all together and you’ll have the best seasonal salad full of sun and nutrients.
3. Make a DIY Maypole
May Pole is the most recognized symbol of Beltane (sometimes also Midsummer). It has been present in many European cultures at least since medieval times and is believed to come from Germanic tradition.
Originally people were dancing around May Pole and celebrated this love and spring festival with feasting and dancing. In the 16th century in the UK, Maypole was banned because it wasn’t fully accepted by the Protestant Church. Many Maypoles were burnt but this didn’t stop people from celebrating the festival. (source Wikipedia)
How to Make a Maypole?
There are two versions of DIY Maypole. The first one you can make small for decorating your Beltane 2023 altar. The second would be a big one to place in the garden and perform some traditional Maypole dancing around.
Either way, to make a Maypole, you can follow these steps:
- Step 1 – Pick a chosen size of a straight pole, stick, branch, or even a broom handle.
- Step 2 – At the top of the Maypole attach ribbons to a crown. If you decide to dance around it, the ribbons should be at least twice the length of the pole.
- Step 3 – Decorate the Maypole crown with flowers.
- Step 4 – Attach your Maypole to the ground.
- Step 5 – Learn how to perform the Maypole on YouTube.
Watch How to Make a Maypole by Rob Palmer DIY on YouTube
4. Beltane Lemonade Recipe
Lemonade is a refreshing drink that brings the summer vibe to our lives! It’s good to combine these herbs that are associated with the Beltane celebration: lemon, lemon balm, ginger, rosemary, and spearmint.
For this Beltane Lemonade you will need:
- 1,5 l of spring water
- 1 organic sliced lemon
- 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon balm
- 1 teaspoon of fresh mint
- 1 sprig of rosemary
- 1 inch (2,5 cm) of freshly chopped ginger
To make the lemonade combine all the ingredients and drink it on the first day of May to celebrate this festival. You can sweeten the Lemonade with honey or a sweetener of your choice.
5. Make a flower wreath to decorate your home
Beltane season offers an abundance of flowers to choose from.
Depending on the place where you live, you can create a beautiful wreath that will decorate your altar or living room.
I made a simple tutorial on lavender wreath making and you can check it on my Instagram profile.
6. Plant flowers to attract honey bees
As a green witch, I admire and preserve the natural environment as much as I can. And what is the best way to bring more balance into our ecosystem? Planting flowers that honey bees love, pollinate and make this golden nectar from!
It is so important to support the bee population. Literally, our lives depend on it so much!
You can simply buy a bag of wildflower seeds and spread them around your neighborhood, in the park, or in the green wasteland fields.
Let’s make this Beltane activity a new tradition to help our future planet!
7. Create a flower and crystal grid
One of the great activities that you can make during Beltane 2023 is to create a grid that will bring you fertility, harmony, and abundance.
For that, you can use freshly picked up flowers, leaves and petals, and your favorite crystals. Set up a beautiful shape and leave it on your altar.
There is something very magical about creating mandalas. Originally they represent the impermanence and vastness of the world around us. As well as observing the changeable nature of life.
Let’s enjoy the fertility and growth season as long as it lasts!
8. Make a campfire to celebrate Fire Festival (or simply light a green candle) for your personal Beltane 2023 celebration
In many traditions, Beltane is known as a Fire Festival.
People in many cultures around the world lit campfires that symbolize the power of the Sun. They used to jump over bonfires to cleanse and purify their spiritual body.
It’s a great time to gather with your friends to dance, sing, play music and feast.
You can also do a simple fire ritual at home, using candles, a fireplace, or a grill to connect with fire energy.
9. Beltane activities are great to celebrate together with your loved ones
This is a great opportunity to get closer to people you love and make something special together.
You can go for a walk in nature, have a picnic, prepare a lovely dinner or bake a cake with your kids.
Every occasion is a great opportunity to get closer to each other and spend some quality time together. Even if it means watching your favorite Netflix series in the evening. Magic can be found in the simplest activities combined with the right intentions!
FAQ – Beltane 2023
What is Beltane the celebration of?
Beltane is the celebration of spring, life, fire, sun, new beginnings, and love. Beltane is also called May Day which is celebrated between the 30th of April and the 1st of May in the Pagan community. It is a great festival to celebrate abundance, passion, and rebirth. Traditionally it was observed in Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man.
Who are the God and Goddess of Beltane?
The most common Goddess of Beltane is Walpurga. In Germany, the tradition of celebrating Walpurgis Night on the 30th of April is very common in Pagan Community. Walpurga was an Anglo-Saxon missionary in the Frankish empire in the 8th century. The day of her canonization (1st of May) became a celebration of the end of winter and the arrival of spring.
Walpurga is the Goddess of Beltane and represents beauty, fertility, the renewal of life, and grain. Walpurga’s personification is a white lady with long, flowing hair, carrying a spindle and triangular mirror that reveals the future.
The most common God of Beltane is Balor. His other names are Bel, Belanus, Belen, Belenos, Belinus (meaning: Bright, Shining One). It might be an etymological derivative of the word Beltane. He symbolizes a solar deity of the old day, growth, death, and rebirth.
What religions celebrate Beltane?
Nowadays Beltane is mostly celebrated as a part of Celtic Neo-Pagan and Wiccan Religions. Historically it was a Gaelic holiday observed in Ireland, Scotland, and Galicia. More and more witches and magic practitioners around the world see it as the natural festival of the beginning of summer and decide to perform rituals and spells to honor the change on the Wheel of the Year.
BONUS – Beltane BOS pages!
These are the two printables that I have done a year apart. The first one is from Beltane 2020 and the second one from Beltane 2021.
Which style do you like more?
Would you like to add this to your Grimoire?
To obtain the full, 10 pages bundle on Beltane, become a Patreon. It is only €6 and you will get access to plenty of useful Book of Shadow pages!
If you enjoyed this post, please share it with people that might be interested in celebrating Beltane 2023 together with you.
Thank you for being on this path with me!
Thank you this was very helpful.