Beltane is the great fire feast, second only in importance to Samhain for Pagans everywhere. This is a time of abundance and plenty. It is also the night when the God and Goddess consummate their love and conceive a child - the child that will be the God at Yule.

A number of traditions surround this particular night, but one thing is constant in almost all of them. The sexual symbolism, and even the outright sex, is literally everywhere. Huge bonfires are built. Couples jump the fires in the nude, holding hands, and then wander off into the wild woods – ostensibly to gather flowers for the morning’s May Pole, but really for love play. Herdsmen drive cattle between the fires to ensure fertility. Children conceived on this night are considered especially blessed.

The corresponding Christian observance is May Day, but even May Day has some very phallic Pagan roots. This is our holiday, in every aspect, and it is all about love and lovers and sheer fun.

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