Beltane Festival

Chaos reigns, while fire balls swing, painted bodies dance to a procession of drummers, extravagant costumes dazzle the skyline and a crowd of around 12, 000 revellers gather in Edinburgh to celebrate the two thousand year old Celtic Festival, Beltane. Calton Hill, rising up from the centre of Scotlands capital, is the site for this mesmerising event that occurs every year on 30th April. The Beltane Society was founded in 1988 by Angus Farquhar who aimed to reinvent this Pagan fertility rite in a modern form. The society operates as a charitable organisation open to any volunteers who want to be involved. It constitutes one of the quarter day festivals, along with Samhuinn (halloween), Imbolc and Lughnasadh.

The central character of the nightly procession is the May Queen, accompanied by her band of white warrior women. The Blue man acts as her consort and spiritual guide, along with his counterpart, the Green Man. The procession winds its way around the hill, accompanied by numerous drummers and torch bearers and excited onlookers, visiting each of the four element sites. The May Queen is greeted by a sensual dance at each space, and accepts symbolic offerings. The peformers from the air, water and earth site all join the procession until arriving at the fire site.

At this point, dancing naked red bodies, the agents of mischief and misrule, taunt the May Queen in an erotic and heated display, while mocking the white women whose stern expressions never alter. Resisting even these craze driven fiends, the May Queen leads the procession to the sacred fire, where she dances with the Green Man and a huge bonfire is lit. The red men proceed to seduce the white women, and performers and audience together party until dawn when the mist, or dragons breath can be seen swirling around the hill.

Tradition has it that such a welcoming rite to celebrate the arrival of summer, would guarantee a healthy yield of crops, and give hope to yearning youths, who could be seen searching the dew drops on May Day for the reflection of their lovers face.