Column: Ancient traditions of Bealtaine - or May Day - have come full circle

It’s funny how things come full circle. I remember years ago when it came to voting on various EU treaties, a commonly heard argument was that Ireland would be subsumed into a European superstate.

There were fears that within a short space of time, we would lose all of our cultural identity. And yet, it feels like in many ways, the opposite has happened.

The way in which we mark the Bealtaine Festival is one of many examples of how we are reaching far into our past to express and celebrate how we, as Irish people, see ourselves today.

In celebrating Bealtaine, we are reaching back across a very long timeline.

It is believed to go back to ancient times when there were eight significant dates throughout the year. These were of major importance for our early ancestors who were evolving from being hunter gatherers to farmers.

Festivals such as the winter solstice meant that they knew when they were entering the second half of the winter. This was vital information in the rationing of stored food. 

As well as the winter and summer solstices and the vernal and autumnal equinoxes, there were four festivals known as cross-quarters.

Bealtaine was one of these, falling midway between the vernal equinox on March 20 and the summer solstice on or around June 21. 

While different countries have their own definition of when summer officially begins, here in Ireland we mark its beginning on May 1, or Bealtaine.

Also known as May Day, the festival is also celebrated in other Celtic nations, with similar rituals and traditions in many northern hemisphere cultures. 

In ancient times, Bealtaine was the time to move animals to summer pastures and to focus attention on crops as they entered the prime growth period.

There were many other rituals associated with Bealtaine. Some of these live on in pockets of the country, while others have died out.

One of the main traditions was the lighting of bonfires. The ritual was to let hearth fires die out on May Day eve and reignite them the following day using  the embers of the Bealtaine bonfire. 

Ashes from bonfires were sprinkled on land to encourage crop growth. 

In some areas, two bonfires were lit and householders walked between them, often with their livestock.

Bealtaine is also strongly associated with fairy lore. Cattle were sometimes walked to fairy mounds and bled as an offering to the little folk. A fire would be lit on the spot where the blood soaked the ground.

As with Samhain (Halloween), the fairy folk were believed to be particularly  active around Bealtaine. 

Houses, trees and barns were decorated with coloured cloth and flowers to appease the fairies in the hope that the householders and their animals would be spared the fairys' mischief.

May flowers were commonly  thrown onto the roofs of houses for good luck and protection.

It was also believed that the weather on May 1 was a sign of what lay ahead for the remainder of the summer. 

While the idea of throwing flowers on the roof or leaving tokens for fairies seem very dated, it is wonderful to see the huge revival in Bealtaine celebrations in Donegal in recent times. 

The annual Bealtaine Festival focuses on older people, creating activities and events that bring people together and help combat mental and physical ill health while celebrating older people's  valuable contribution to society. 

This is very much in the spirit of Bealtaine - celebrating our elders and all the knowledge and culture that has been passed down through countless generations.