The word Beltane means bel-fire (of bale-fire) which was the fire of the Celtic God Bel (whose name is traceable to the Middle Eastern God Baal - which simply means ‘Lord’). Bel-fires were lit on hilltops to celebrate the return of life and fertility to the world. It is traditional in many lands for people to jump the balefire. It was jumped to bring a husband or wife, to ensure safe travels; pregnant women even jumped it to ensure an easy delivery. Cattle were driven through the ashes of the fire or between two balefires to ensure a good milk yield
It is traditional to take home a piece of the Beltane bale-fire and start the first cookfire of the summer season with it. (To use old fire was to invite bad luck, perhaps even bringing the winter back to stay.) But, you must not ask for a piece of the fire, you must just take it. There is a strong taboo in Scotland and Ireland against giving away any portion of the Beltane fire because of the belief of most Europeans that fairies could not make their own fires and had to get them from a human source. It was believed that to achieve this, fairies came to the Beltane celebration disguised as humans and would ask for a part of the Beltane fire to take with them. If given a piece, the fairies would then have a measure of power over the giver.
In Sweden, the balefire must be lit by two people striking flints together. This is symbolic of the sexual union of God and Goddess. Beltane circles were once constructed with the May-pole at the center and a balefire at a distance at one or all four cardinal points.
Possibly the most well known Beltane custom is that of the May pole. It used to be that the May-pole was made from the communal pine tree from which all but the uppermost branches had been removed. Red and white ribbons were attached to the top (white for the Goddess and red for the God). Traditionally, there were eight dancers (one person for each Sabbat), paired into four couples. The men would grasp the red ribbons and the women the white and together they would weave the birth canal by moving in circles around the pole, weaving under each other’s interlocked, upheld arms in mock sexual union. The May-pole itself is the phallic symbol, impregnating the birth canal being woven around it by the dancers.
Making and exchanging wreaths of flowers or foliage is also a very old Beltane tradition. The wreaths were kept as amulets from Beltane until June, when they were placed on the Midsummer fire or in sacred groves or sanctuaries.
