What, exactly, is Beltane?

Beltane (Belteanne, Beltainne) is a celtic festival that is now commonly celebrated by the pagan communitiy. It is one of the two most important festivals in the pagan year, the other being Samhain. At samhain we mark the death of the year and death in general, respect for ancestors and the like. Beltane is the exact opposite (it is directly opposite Samhain in the wheel of the year) Beltane is a festival of new life, fertility, the joy of being alive. It marks the beginning of summer and the longer days of the year.

It is always celebrated on may 1st although for true beltane rituals the celebrating starts on May Eve - the night before May 1st

Beltane as a festival name has not been in use that long although it might be true in scotland that they used it before it became widespread pagan belief. What is celebrated by the whole UK is 'may day' this dates back to medieval times and has always been a day of no work. Celebrations are held all over the country, maypole dancing, fetes, morris dancers... games and a lot of fun to be had regardless of belief system. It's a folk celebration that transcends any religeous overtones (previously it had christian beliefs built upon the older pre existing pagan ones) and is just a bank holiday (no work) that everyone can enjoy. It's rituals and celebration has been noted in folk songs several hundred years old.

Scotland as a celtic country would naturally celebrate Beltane more rigorously than other areas.

Here's a youtube of a programme made by actual scots people about the celebrations

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZZPc2mbTqk

Edit - I know how to spell the other Samhain names thanks Max, the question related to Beltane I was including samhain information from the perspective of explanation without making it the main focus. However.... The celebrations of samhain predate christianity by a long way and all hallows eve (which is the christian version) therefore was invented afterwards and given the same date as an already existing event - yet another example of the christians renaming already existing pagan celebrations. It marked the 'death' of the year - the 'death' of cattle and the 'death' of vegetation, it's not just humans who die lol

Beltaine is the Gaelic word for May Day. One of 4 seasonal festivals held by the Gaelic people along with Samhain, Imbolc and Lughnasadh.

The cattle officially come out to pasture. Bonfires are lit in celebration.

Edit: Actually, Sue, aside of human sacrifice performed by Druid priests on Samhain, it had nothing to do with death. That is a very modern spin. Oh say since the 60s... It was originally the celebration of a new year. The whole death and honoring the dead was borrowed from the Catholics. It didn't hit the isles until the 11th century. And was shortly thereafter squashed by Henry VIII and even more so by his daughter Elizabeth.

If memory serves it is propery spelled Samhuinn in Scott's Gaelic and means Summer's End.

Beltane is a pagan [gaelic] celebration between the spring equinox and summer solstice.

It's commonly represented as a fire festival with festivitiess and the like. i.e.Bonfires, drinking, dancing, entertainment, flowers etc.

it marks the beginning of summer. there are some customs usually associated with beltane [ which include but not limited to the representation of fire and flowers] like all other pagan festivals associated with the celebration of the seasons [ solstices, equinoxes etc ]

Celtic festival of the god Bel... and a general fertility celebration, connected to livestock reproduction.

It is the Gaelic celebration of the beginning of Summer.

It is exactly Gaelic, and not exactly on May 1st.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beltane

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