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Beltane Festival

yangguangwenhua 2011-03-16 23:05:16 总第096期 放大 缩小

April 30th is undoubtedly one of the oldest and most important spring holidays in Europe, and is known as Beltane or May Eve. The name itself is thought to have derived from a Celtic word meaning “bright or sacred fire.” It is held to mark and celebrate the blossoming of spring.

It is a celebration of the fertility of the land and their animals. The main traditional element which was common to all Beltane festivals was the fire which gave it its name. All the fires of the community would be extinguished and a new, sacred fire was lit by either the village head or spiritual leader. From this source two bonfires were lit, and the animals of the community would be driven through or between them. It was believed that the smoke and flame of the fires would purify the herd, protecting them in the year to come and ensuring a good number of offspring. The inhabitants of the village would then take some of the fire to their homes and relight their hearths, and dance clockwise around the bonfires to ensure good portents for them and their families.

Across England people would go May Birching: getting sprigs during the dead of night and placing them on their doors. Rowan sprigs were taken from the Isle of Man to make the “crosh cuirn”, a cross made from twigs of rowan bound together with sheep’s wool. The rowan was a tree imbued with magical powers since pre-Christian times, and people would walk considerable distances to collect it. The twigs had always to be broken, and never cut with a knife. It was always placed above the door of the cottage, and no evil thing could pass in where the “crosh cuirn” was. In addition, the “crosh cuirn” would be tied to the tails of cows or placed in the cowshed, to protect the cattle from harm. Fishermen would also hide a “crosh cuirn” somewhere in their boat to protect them from ill-luck.

One of the Beltane rites, called “Hand Fasting,” is in fact the pagan version of the modern marriage ceremony.

On Beltane Eve, a very long time ago, the young men of the village would go into the woods and don stag horns and skins in a kind of “play fight” with the rutting stags to see which was bravest. The man who got the better of the stags would take on the role of the Stag Lord for the Beltane revels on May Day. This is still called the “Stag Night”.

The Goddess at this time of year is dressed in white. Her head is wreathed with May blossoms and a veil hides her face. This aspect of the pagan Goddess represents the young maiden who is about to become a mother. We often still see the May Queen being paraded through village streets as the Morris Dancers wear antlers and dance around her with their bells ringing. And, of course, the white wedding dress festooned with tiny flowers is still very special.

For the Beltane rite, these two young people are ceremonially bound together to represent the coming together of the male and female aspects of the divine. Ribbons of red, black and gold are wrapped about their hands and rings and fasten them together. This represents the eternal cycle where life, death and rebirth are exchanged. In this ceremony, performed when the May blossoms are falling and the first of the summer’s sun is shining again, the two people are bound together for a year and a day—or as long as love remains between them. The following year they give their blessings to the couple chosen for the rite and so the tradition continues from generation to generation.

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