It's May Day - so Happy Beltane!

**bb1** Wed May 01, 2013 2:44 pm

Edinburgh Beltane Festival marks start of summer

It's May Day - so Happy Beltane! 2304260888

Published on 01/05/2013 07:50

Fire illuminated the Edinburgh sky as thousands of people gathered to watch a modern take on an ancient Gaelic festival.

The Beltane Fire festival on Edinburgh’s Calton Hill is held to mark the start of summer each year with theatre displays, dance and acrobatics.

Starting as darkness fell over the capital, a fire procession wound its way up the hill, stopping at set locations where different groups performed.

The festival is focused on two central figures, the May Queen and the Green Man, who led the procession to a massive bonfire which is lit to welcome what participants see as the first morning of summer.

Organised by the Beltane Fire Society, the modern festival started in 1988 as a community event which has grown each year as more acts join the line-up.

The ancient Beltane was historically held on the mid point between the spring equinox and summer solstice and fire was used to encourage crops to grow and cattle to produce during the summer.

It's May Day - so Happy Beltane! 2431655380

It's May Day - so Happy Beltane! 2431655380

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**bb1** Wed May 01, 2013 2:49 pm

More pics from Sky:

It's May Day - so Happy Beltane! 167819058-10-1-778x437

The event celebrates the ending of winter and is a revival of the ancient Celtic and Pagan festival of Beltane, the Gaelic name for the month of May.

It's May Day - so Happy Beltane! 167830284-10-1-778x437

It's May Day - so Happy Beltane! 167830284-10-1-778x437

Morris Dancers welcome May Day at Glastonbury Tor.

It's May Day - so Happy Beltane!

It's May Day - so Happy Beltane!

Re: It's May Day - so Happy Beltane!