“Arctic Wolf Fire”
By Tom-in-Silence
The Festival of Bel’s Fire
May You Have A Wonderful Holiday Celebration!
By the Solar Calendar, the holiday is celebrated on May 1st. But by the Lunar Calendar it’s honored on May 6th.
The early Celts were very balanced in the way they scheduled their lives. One of the places this is seen most clearly are in the High Holy days.
Each festival fell in between a solstice or equinox. February 6 for Imbolg, May 6th for Beltaine and August 6th for Lughnasadh as examples.
With the advent of the modern calendar, the festivals were assigned to dates based on solar cycles. And most Pagan Metaphysical traditions follow this selection of dates for their holiday observances. To some degree this does throw off the balance intended for the cycle of the lunar year. This is also one reason varying traditions hold their festivals on different days. Wicca for instance recognizes May 1st as the date for Beltaine. Where as my tradition, Deborean, still recognizes May 6th as the date to honor Bel.
Learn more about Beltaine, or you might enjoy reading about the Celtic Lunar Tree Calendar to further your research.
© 2013 Springwolf, D.D., Ph.D. Springwolf Reflections / Springs Haven, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
