Beltane at Thornborough Henge 2009

Sunday May 3rd - Starts at 12 Noon

Admission FREE - Everyone Welcome!

At Thornborough Henge, near Ripon in North Yorkshire, Brigantia, England, UK.

Latest News:

Beltane at Thornborough Henge 2010 will take place on
Sunday May 2nd (camping arrangements for Saturday and Sunday nights have yet to be confirmed).

The Sacred Brigantia Players present a Mystery Play:

To be performed at Beltane at Thornborough Henge.

Children coming to the event are invited to bring
water pistols so that they can participate in the play!

English Beltane or Mayday celebrations, depicted in 1884.

The Ancient Celtic Festival of Beltane..

Article from: bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/paganism/

Beltane is a Celtic word which means 'fires of Bel' (Bel was a Celtic deity). It is a fire festival that celebrates of the coming of summer and the fertility of the coming year.

Celtic festivals often tied in with the needs of the community. In spring time, at the beginning of the farming calendar, everybody would be hoping for a fruitful year for their families and fields.

Beltane rituals would often include courting: for example, young men and women collecting blossoms in the woods and lighting fires in the evening. These rituals would often lead to matches and marriages, either immediately in the coming summer or autumn.

Other festivities involved fire which was thought to cleanse, purify and increase fertility. Cattle were often passed between two fires and the properties of the flame and the smoke were seen to ensure the fertility of the herd.

Today Pagans believe that at Beltane the God (to whom the Goddess gave birth at the Winter Solstice) achieves the strength and maturity to court and become lover to the Goddess. So although what happens in the fields has lost its significance for most Pagans today, the creation of fertility is still an important issue.

Emma Restall Orr, a modern day Druid, speaks of the 'fertility of our personal creativity'. She is referring to the need for active and creative lives. We need fertile minds for our work, our families and our interests.

Fire is still the most important element of most Beltane celebrations and there are many traditions associated with it. It is seen to have purifying qualities which cleanse and revitalise. People leap over the Beltane fire to bring good fortune, fertility (of mind, body and spirit) and happiness through the coming year.

Beltane at Thornborough Henge is an event open to anyone, regardless of their particular religious, spiritual or personal beliefs. So come along and join in the fun!