With Beltane on the horizon I want to share some works from throughout the years that were made to h

With Beltane on the horizon I want to share some works from throughout the years that were made to honor the holiday. Circa 2014 to present.

Beltane is the ancient Gaelic fire festival that celebrates the renewal of nature & ushers in the “light” half of the year, when the Sun retakes rulership in the sky. It is a time to honor the growing season thru rituals of fertility, luck, & protection. Presently, festivities begin at sunset on May-eve (April 30th) and continue until the following sunset (May 1st).
❤️‍
Coupling is encouraged on Beltane to celebrate the union of the Sun’s potent life-force of growth with the Earth (nature itself). Embodying this union is the Maypole which has come to be one of the day’s most recognized traditions. It symbolizes Spring’s rebirth thru the phallic pole topped with the feminine wreath. With merry dancing, its ribbons are woven together in signification of the marriage of the earth’s fertility & the generative rays of the Sun.

A central tradition practiced at Beltane is the burning of a communal bonfire, representing the vigor of the Sun. This blaze is the focus of many rituals that bring luck & protection to a community and its resources. Cattle & livestock are walked between two bonfires to purify, protect, and bless the animals. The ashes are sprinkled over the fields to further aid in protection and bring a fortunate growing season. On May eve, the celebrators distinguish their individual hearth fires and relight them from the main communal bonfire in an act of protection that recognizes the Sun’s fiery energy as renewer and life-giver.

To embrace the re-emergence of nature, May-time flowers are gathered as decorations to symbolize the budding of the season. The ancient Roman festival of Floralia, honoring the goddess Flora, was celebrated during this time and is the origin of many flower-related customs of Beltane. Celtic communities recognized it was time for Beltane when the Hawthorn trees began to bloom and the constellation of Taurus appeared at 15° in the sky. Bounties of flowers were gathered to create decorative garlands & wreaths, as well as bouquets for the May Queen.

#poisonappleprintshop #beltane
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc8QmUtLmZD/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=