As the landscape shifts from the pale green mist of April into the frothy bloom of May, nature enters a crescendo. This is the season of Beltane — a time of fertility, fire, and folklore; of burgeoning growth, wild revelry, and encounters with the Otherworld.
In ancient Celtic tradition, the year was divided into two halves: the dark and the light. Beltane, falling on 1 May, marks the turning point — the liminal threshold where spring gives way to summer. It’s a moment of transformation, both natural and mythic. In Welsh legend, immortal rivals Gwyn ap Nudd and Gwythyr ap Greidawl do battle on the eve of Calan Mai for the soul of the season. Elsewhere in Celtic myth, dragons clash in the twilight hours, fighting for dominance as warmth returns to the land.
Fire and Fertility: The Heart of Beltane
The name ‘Beltane’ is often translated as ‘bright fire’, and it is with fire that this festival has been celebrated for centuries. Bonfires were lit to mimic the power of the sun and to encourage its warmth to grow through the coming months. In a world deeply connected to the rhythms of the land, these flames held magical significance — their smoke and ashes used to bless livestock and homes, ensuring protection and prosperity for the season ahead.
Dancing around the fire — always sunwise, or clockwise — brought fertility and good fortune. Some Beltane traditions saw the crowning of a May King and Queen, who might leap over the flames in symbolic sacrifice or ecstatic celebration. Modern communities, like the Beltane Fire Society in Edinburgh, have revived these rituals with theatrical flair, reconnecting urban lives with wilder roots.
Bringing in the May
As the bonfires faded, the blossoms took centre stage. May Day morning was — and still is — a time for gathering flowers and greenery from the woods and fields to decorate homes and public spaces. This act of ‘bringing in the May’ was both celebration and spell: a joyful welcoming of nature’s abundance, and an invitation to life and luck.
Hawthorn, also known as the ‘May tree’, is the most iconic bloom of this season. Once fully aligned with May Day in the old Julian calendar, it is woven through folklore and song. Bright white and laden with scent, its blossoms symbolise fertility and are believed to be favoured by fairies. But take heed — outside of May, bringing hawthorn indoors is said to bring ill fortune.
Other green boughs — birch, sycamore, gorse, rowan, hazel — reflect the local landscape and ancient customs. Their verdant presence in homes and village greens serves as a threshold gesture: a rewilding of our spaces, just as we are drawn outwards by spring’s siren song.
Rise with the Sun, Dance with the Dawn
May Morning has long been celebrated with early rising and sunrise ceremonies. There’s something deeply stirring about watching the first light spill across the land while birdsong rings out — especially when accompanied by the jingle and leap of Morris dancers on a dew-soaked hillside.
In Cerne Abbas, dancers greet the dawn on Giant Hill, where the chalk figure carved into the landscape receives a ritual toast of ale. In Padstow and Helston, Cornish streets come alive with the swirling energy of the ’Obby ’Oss and Flora Day — age-old festivals rich in rhythm, colour, and communal joy.
Garland Day in Abbotsbury, Dorset, is another flower-filled celebration, originally tied to fishing fortunes. Children carry decorated garlands down to the sea in a local expression of blessing and renewal.
Maypoles, Green Men, and the Wildwood
Maypoles — once simple green boughs, now festooned with ribbons — form the centrepiece of many village celebrations. Their origins may lie in ancient fertility rites or even the Norse World Tree, Yggdrasil. Today, they remain vibrant symbols of seasonal joy, especially where Morris dancers and mummers gather to perform.
And then there’s the Green Man: the leafy face of May, whose ancient image peers from medieval churches and pub signs alike. His modern incarnation, Jack-in-the-Green, is brought to life in cities and towns, particularly by chimney sweeps and community groups. In his dancing, leafy form, nature walks amongst us — a living spirit of the season.
The Darling Buds of May
With hawthorn, bluebells, cow parsley, and orchard blossom all erupting in frothy beauty, May truly is the floweriest month of the year. The Romans honoured this time with Floralia, a five-day festival for the goddess Flora. The very name of May comes from Maia, a Greek deity of growth and renewal.
This floral abundance has always suggested passion, fecundity — and a certain mischievous abandon. Old proverbs warn against weddings in May, hinting at the wild energies afoot. The woods, it seems, are not just alive with flowers, but with fairies, too.
Bluebell woods, in particular, are places of magic and mystery. Said to be haunted by fairies whose bells summon them to dance, these ethereal glades have long captured the imagination. The tale of Thomas the Rhymer tells of a man drawn into Faerie beneath the bluebells — a place of truth, enchantment, and no easy return.
Milk Moon and May Wine
In the Anglo-Saxon calendar, May was Thrimilce: the ‘month of three milkings’, as livestock fed on lush pasture and dairy production flourished. The full moon in May was — and still is — known as the Milk Moon. At this time, milkmaids would dance in the streets, often accompanied by Jack-in-the-Green, celebrating the return of fresh produce.
To toast the season, try a glass of traditional May wine, infused with sweet woodruff. This herb — with its notes of hay, vanilla and cardamom when dried — is foraged from springtime woodlands and steeped in wine to create a subtle, fragrant drink.
Beating the Bounds and Blessing the Trees
Other May customs are more grounded, quite literally. ‘Beating the bounds’ — a Rogationtide ritual — involved parishioners walking the boundaries of their community, blessing the land and remembering its features. In some places, the tradition continues as a civic ceremony or hearty group ramble.
May ends with a trio of tree-related celebrations on the 29th. Oak Apple Day commemorates King Charles II’s escape by hiding in an oak tree. In Aston-on-Clun, Shropshire, Arbor Day sees flags hoisted into a black poplar, with May merriment all around. And in Great Wishford, villagers rise early to gather oak and hazel boughs from Grovely Woods and proclaim their ancient rights to the forest within Salisbury Cathedral.
A Month of Magic and Community
Though Beltane has ancient roots, its essence remains timely: it is a festival of flourishing, connection, and shared celebration. Whether we’re bringing in the May, dancing at dawn, or simply stopping to admire a hawthorn in full bloom, this month invites us to step into a richer rhythm — one where nature, folklore, and community come gloriously together.
So go out, gather blossoms, toast the sunrise, and listen closely — you might just hear the bluebells ringing.
Step into May at the Weald & Downland Living Museum, where the ancient rhythms of the Ritual Year come to life.
May is a time of merriment, renewal, and deep-rooted tradition in the rural calendar—and across our historic downland landscape, we celebrate it just as our ancestors once did. From Anglo-Saxon to Victorian times, May was filled with age-old customs that honoured the land’s awakening and the turning of the farming year.
Come and walk in the footsteps of those who came before, and experience the joy, hope, and tradition that May has always brought to the English countryside.
To discover how we’re celebrating May and how you can take part in our events, workshops, and Ritual Year traditions, visit our What’s On page!
