Beltane: Springtime Rituals, Lore, & Celebration

Holiday Series

by Raven Grimassi

Hail Spring with a "Bright Fire" Celebration!

Discover the roots of Beltane or "bright fire," the ancient Pagan festival that celebrates spring, and the return of nature's season of growth and renewal. In the only book written solely on this ancient Pagan festival, you'll explore the evolution of the May Pole and various folklore characters connected to May Day celebrations. Raven Grimassi reveals the history behind the revelry, and shows you how to welcome this sacred season of fertility, growth, and gain  

·May Day magick and Beltane spells to attract money, success, love, and serenity; scrying with a bowl or glass
·Beltane Quick May Wine, Bacchus Pudding, May Serpent Cake, May Wreath Cake
·Seasonal Maypole centerpiece, May wreath and garland, pentacle hair braids, May Day basket
·Springtime rituals and the Maypole dance, May doll, the Mummer's Play, Beltane fires, May King and Queen
·Myths, fairy and flower Green Man, Jack-in-the-Green, Dusio, Hobby Horse; elves, trolls and fairies; spring flowers and their correspondences

This well-researched book corrects many of the common misconceptions associated with May Day, and will help you appreciate the spirituality and connection to Nature that are intimate elements of May Day Celebrations. Welcome the season of fertility, flowers, and fairies with Springtime Rituals, Lore & Celebration.

Genres: Paganism, Wicca, Witchcraft, Spirituality, Religion, Nonfiction, Magic

192 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2001

About the author

Raven Grimassi was an American author of over 20 books, and a scholar of paganism with over 40 years of research and study in the genre of Wicca, Stregheria, witchcraft and neo-paganism.

Reviews

[Heather Purri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Difficulty Level: Beginner
No magickal background necessary.

Pros:
- It's a Wiccan classic. It's *the* book on Beltane.

- Correctly credits the Etruscans, Romans, and Greeks for Wiccan customs and for the concept of fairies.
For more on this, see one of Raven Grimassi's other books - The Wiccan Mysteries.

- In-text citations! (I'd prefer more, but I'll take it!)
There's also a bibliography.

- Written for practitioners at any level.
The book discusses the symbolism and folk magick of plants traditionally associated with May or with fairies, Greco-Roman-Etruscan gods associated with May and with Beltane-related rites, and fairy and Green Man lore. There is a section devoted to fairy myths that can be read during rituals.

Cons:
- There are two things that Grimassi forgot to mention.
1. Terra Mater is a Roman epithet for the goddess Cybele. (See pgs. 9 & 124.)
2. The folkloric character La Befana is based on the Roman goddess Strenua. (See pgs. 21 & 42-44.)

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was okay. It had good history on where Beltane came from but it was limited in it's ideas for celebrating now. I probably will not touch it again for years.

[Jazzy Lemon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book for celebrating Beltane, full of crafts and recipes as well.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had some history, some folklore, and the meanings of flowers and trees, some recipes and some spells. I thought it was really informative and wouldn't mind reading her other books.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raven Grimassi does an excellent job of telling the story of the Spring ritual of Beltane. The rituals he shares and the celebrations from around the world help to explain just where and what this Sabbat is all about.

[Sara]

When you're born on a Pagan holiday that is also one hell of a sultry celebration, why not brush up on the midnight rituals. I mean more than midnight margaritas.

My birthday falls on a Sunday this year (2022) and come midnight on 4/30 some fun will be had.

[шш · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that a few chapters were valuable, but for the most part, I didn't love this book.

[Julie Decker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beltane is the early summer holiday that is usually celebrated on May 1--May Day. This book delves into various traditions and some interpretations of their roots, with suggestions for modern-day Pagans and Craft practitioners. There are also some attempts to correct misinformation. The book had far more lore and history than I really wanted in a book of this nature--I like to understand the roots, but I also want suggestions on how to bring it into my everyday life--but it was still a really nice resource.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always thought May was a special month, and May Day is beautiful. There are things to celebrate that I have not done yet, and some that I have. Special are flowers and bonfires. Also Maypoles. I didn't know about May Dolls before. So something new to plan for next year. It rained here May eve and May Day, so no bonfire. Maybe next year for that as well.

[Bladestryke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting but still pleasantly surprised. Had lots of information on the history of the sabbat how it's celebrated around the world and a large section of May season lore. Also very interesting if you are into fairy lore. Definitely worth a pickup.

[Swankivy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Awesome book about this summertime holiday from a Pagan standpoint.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

All about the major rite of Beltane - one of the eight holidays of the Pagan calendar year.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Priestess I have the entire set, they're full of wonderful ideas for the various Sabbats.

[Lisa]

new

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good one here. Worth looking at, for sure!

[Dreamersemporium]

new

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, but a huge chunk of it was just about fairies and totally lost my interest.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading about the different fairy tales and the meaning behind flowers.

[Maggie Fout · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read, with beautiful explanations of traditions old and new!

[Juli Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I skimmed this one, to be honest. I was hoping for a slightly more interactive book, like Edain McCoy's Ostara: Customs, Spells & Rituals for the Rites of Spring, but this one was mostly pseudo-historical and folkloric information. I'm sure that plenty want that, but I was mostly interested in the recipes and crafts and such. Also, as with many Llewellyn books, this one really could have used another bout of editing; lots of typos, and even some factual errors in this one.