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Guide
Beltane: History, Traditions and Ways to Celebrate
Beltane falls on 1 May. The Gaelic festival of summer's start, with bonfires, maypoles, May Day garlands and greenwood customs. This guide covers where Beltane comes from, its folklore, simple ways to celebrate at home or outdoors in the UK, and what to put on your altar.
History and meaning
The Gaelic festival of summer's start, with bonfires, maypoles, May Day garlands and greenwood customs. Edinburgh's Beltane Fire Festival on Calton Hill is a modern revival. As with every sabbat, modern practice blends genuine old custom with 20th-century revival, and both are part of a living tradition.
Customs in Britain and Ireland
Customs around Beltane vary by region, family and path. Look for local fairs, church festivals and folk customs near you; our town guides list heritage sites and seasonal events across the UK. Many old customs were practical, marking the farming year, the movement of animals or the turn of the light, and their meanings grew around that work.
Ways to celebrate
At home
Gather blossom (never from protected plants), dance round a maypole, jump a small safe fire or light a red candle, and wash your face in the May morning dew.
Outdoors
Walk somewhere that shows the season, such as a hill at sunrise, a wood or a stone circle. Leave nothing behind but footprints.
With others
Share food, tell stories or join an open celebration. Many Druid and pagan groups hold public rites.
Journaling
Write what this season means to you, what you want to release and what you hope to grow before Litha.
Altar ideas and colours
Traditional altar items include red and green candles, carnelian, rose incense, ribbons. Add what you find outside: leaves, flowers, seeds or stones. Keep candles on a heat-proof plate, away from anything that could catch, and never leave them alone.
Folklore
Washing in May morning dew was said to keep a face fair all year. Hawthorn was not brought indoors by tradition, except as a May garland. Padstow's 'Obby 'Oss and the Hastings Jack in the Green are famous living May customs.
Food and drink
Oatcakes (bannocks), May wine with sweet woodruff, dairy foods and the first salad leaves. In Scotland a Beltane bannock was rolled downhill for luck.
Nature at this time
Hawthorn, or may blossom, flowers in hedges, bluebells carpet the woods and the dawn chorus is at its peak.
The sky at Beltane
On 1 May 2027: In London the sun rises at about 05:34 and sets at about 20:21. In Cardiff the sun rises at about 05:46 and sets at about 20:33. In Edinburgh the sun rises at about 05:31 and sets at about 20:49. In Belfast the sun rises at about 05:47 and sets at about 20:55. The nearest new moon is on 6 May 2027. Times are calculated and approximate, in UK clock time.
Reflection prompts
Looking back
What has this last season given you, and what are you ready to let go?
Looking forward
What would you like to have grown by Litha?
Gratitude
Name three things from the natural world you noticed this week.
Where it sits on the Wheel
Beltane comes after Ostara and before Litha. The Wheel of the Year guide covers all eight festivals. UK delivery is £3.95, free on orders over £40, and usually takes 2–5 working days.
Beltane dates for 2026, 2027 and 2028
Solstice and equinox times are calculated with astronomy-engine for UK clock time. The cross-quarter festivals are kept on their fixed calendar dates by most people, though some prefer the astronomical midpoint, a few days later.
| Year | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 May 2026 | Fixed calendar date (cross-quarter day) |
| 2027 | 1 May 2027 | Fixed calendar date (cross-quarter day) |
| 2028 | 1 May 2028 | Fixed calendar date (cross-quarter day) |
Beltane on a budget
Beltane is an outdoor festival, so it costs very little: a walk to see hawthorn blossom, a picnic, a small fire in a safe fire pit or simply a candle on a windowsill. Washing your face in the morning dew on 1 May is an old British custom said to bring beauty for the year.
Ideas for families
- Make flower crowns from daisies and buttercups.
- Watch a local maypole or morris dance on May Day.
- Tie ribbons to a branch in the garden (avoid leaving plastic or ribbons on trees in the wild).
- Stay up to watch the sunset and note how late it is now.
After Beltane
Beltane opens summer in the old calendar. It is a good time to start projects you have been planning since Imbolc.
Sunrise and sunset across the UK on Beltane, 1 May 2027
Calculated with astronomy-engine for each city, in UK clock time. Day length grows the further north you go in summer and shrinks in winter.
| City | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | 05:33 | 20:23 | 14h 50m |
| Cardiff | 05:45 | 20:35 | 14h 50m |
| Birmingham | 05:36 | 20:33 | 14h 57m |
| Manchester | 05:35 | 20:38 | 15h 3m |
| Belfast | 05:45 | 20:57 | 15h 11m |
| Edinburgh | 05:29 | 20:51 | 15h 22m |
| Inverness | 05:27 | 21:01 | 15h 34m |
The moon on the day
- 1 May 2027: waning crescent, 22% lit.
- 1 May 2028: first quarter, 48% lit.
Crystals, herbs and colours for Beltane
- Carnelian: courage, creativity and get-up-and-go
- Emerald: rich grass-green
- Rose quartz: love, kindness and self-care, the 'love stone'
- Garnet: most often deep wine red; also orange, green and purple
- Moss agate: gardens, growth and abundance, the 'gardener's stone'
- Herbs and scents: rose, hawthorn blossom, jasmine.
- Colours: green, red and white, the colours of the May.
Seasonal pieces from the shop
Real pieces in stock today, with current prices. Each product page lists size, materials and what is included.
- Celestial Energy Atlas Oracle Cards - Spiritual Deck: £3.20.
- Manifest Magic Candles (pack of 12) - Violet - Crown Chakra: £1.72.
- Manifest Magic Candles (pack of 12) - Indigo - Third Eye Chakra: £1.72.
- Esoteric Fringed Altar Cloth - Moon & Sun Chart: £4.00.
- Hop Hare Crystal Magic Flower Candle - The Moon: £11.96.
- Ancient Witch Ritual Water - Fountain of Youth: £6.40.
- Magic Spell Candle - Protection: £11.20.
- Magic Spell Candle - Prosperity: £11.20.
Words worth knowing
- Wheel of the Year: the modern pagan cycle of eight seasonal festivals, popularised in Britain in the 1950s and 60s.
- Sabbat: one of those eight festivals.
- Quarter day: a solstice or equinox, fixed by the sun.
- Cross-quarter day: a festival roughly halfway between a solstice and an equinox: Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh and Samhain.
- Esbat: a full moon gathering or ritual, as opposed to a sabbat.
- Altar: a surface set aside for seasonal and ritual objects.
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Questions answered
When is Beltane?
1 May.
How is Beltane celebrated?
Gather blossom (never from protected plants), dance round a maypole, jump a small safe fire or light a red candle, and wash your face in the May morning dew.
What colours are used for Beltane?
Common choices include red and green candles.
Do I need special tools for Beltane?
No. A candle, something seasonal and a quiet moment are enough.
When should I order for Beltane?
Allow about five working days before the date. UK delivery is £3.95, free on orders over £40, and usually takes 2–5 working days.
Is Beltane a pagan festival?
Beltane is one of the eight festivals of the modern pagan Wheel of the Year, marking the start of summer, fire and fertility. Some of its customs are old folk traditions in Britain and Ireland; the name and the eight-festival cycle in its current form date from the 20th century.
How can I celebrate Beltane on my own?
Light a candle, go for a walk to notice the season, cook something seasonal and write a few lines about what Beltane means to you this year. Solitary celebration is completely normal in modern paganism.
What food is eaten at Beltane?
Traditional and seasonal choices include oatcakes, honey, May wine and fresh herbs.
Can children join in with Beltane?
Yes. Crafts, seasonal walks, baking and decorating are all easy ways to include children. Keep candles and fires supervised.
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