THE WILD HUNT – The Wheel of the Year has turned again!
Today, May 1st, is one of the most widely-celebrated holidays in the modern Pagan movement. While Beltane is the most commonly-celebrated name for the day, Floralia, Walpurgis Night, Protomayia, Calan Mai, and, of course, May Day are also celebrated.
Image credit: Jengod. Wikimedia Commons.
Beltane represents the beginning of the summer season in the northern hemisphere, situated between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice. In some modern Pagan traditions, Beltane signifies a time of new possibility, a time when the future greets the present, much as the present embraces the past at Samhain. Two common features of Beltane celebrations are the bonfire, taken from the Gaelic tradition, and the Maypole, historically found in English and Scandinavian traditions.
Meanwhile, in the southern hemisphere, some Pagans today celebrate Samhain as they move into their winter season.
In ancient Greece, the holiday of Anthesteria was celebrated at this time of year. Today it is more commonly called Protomagia. It is a day that recognizes the rebirth of nature and is associated with the well-known story of Persephone’s ascent from the underworld. While some modern Hellenic polytheists celebrate this day in February, many celebrate it on the first of May, and not long after, as spring continues its dance, some modern Pagans celebrate Thargelia, which is a birthday celebration for Apollon and Artemis.
And for Witches, the celebration may be less about today and more about last night – Walpurgis Night is named for St. Walpurga, who is invoked for protection against Witchcraft – and whose holiday is now, ironically, mainly known as a great night for Witches to gather and plot their magic.
In ancient Rome during the Republican era, Floralia was celebrated from about April 27 to about May 3, in honor of Flora, a goddess of flowers, vegetation, and fertility. She is one of the most ancient goddesses of the Roman Religion. Flora was one of the 15 deities to have her priests supported by the Roman state, and her altar was established in “antiquity” having been founded by the Sabine king, Titus Tatius.
Maypole on May Day in Padstow _ Image credit: Rod Allday, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13403368
In a secular context, today is also International Worker’s Day, most often simply called May Day. Across the world, May Day celebrates working people and the labor movement. Although not a religious holiday in the strictest sense, May Day has often drawn on the iconography of the same folk festivals modern Pagans draw on. One such example is A Garland for May Day 1895, from Cartoons for a Cause by Walter Crane, the children’s book illustrator and a romantic socialist in the vein of William Morris.
A Garland for May Day 1895, Walter Crane [public domain]
Finally, this is a special day for us as a publication. May 1st is The Wild Hunt‘s birthday – today we are celebrating 22 years since our esteemed founder Jason Pitzl-Waters began this experiment in news by and for the modern Pagan movement. We are grateful to still be publishing nearly a quarter-century later, and hope that our community of readers still finds this Beltane ritual worthwhile as we move forward.
May all be blessed at this turning of the wheel!
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