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Beltane

Left; May Queen at Beltane Fire Festival 2010 – Edinburgh. Right; Walpurgisnacht (Walpurgis Night) by Falero.  Source: Left; Martin Robertson/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0, Right; Public Domain

What Are the Similarities and Differences Between Beltane and Walpurgis Night?

Beltane and Walpurgis Night are festivities with deep histories that occur in the springtime, and the two are being celebrated in various European lands this weekend. With fire being a main feature...
Beltane pagan celebration. Source: Karrrtinki / Adobe Stock.

5 Pagan Traditions That Will Leave You Spellbound (Video)

Beltane is an ancient Gaelic festival celebrating the beginning of summer and the renewal of life. The pagan traditions associated with it have survived through the centuries, with many still...
Callanish Stones (spanishjohnny72/ Adobe Stock)

The Ancient Celtic Thresholds Of Liminal Time And Space

The ‘Veil of Isis’ is an ancient metaphor and allegorical motif of mythology where nature is personified as the goddess Isis covered by a veil representing the mystery and inaccessibility of nature's...
British archaeoastronomer claims that the Blidworth Druid Stone “might” have been deliberately aligned with the sun, and that it “may” have been a central feature in ancient druid rituals. But more archaeological study is needed before reaching any conclusions. Source: Deborah McDonald / CC BY-SA 2.0

Blidworth Druid Stone: Sacred Altar or Lifeless Rock?

Referred to locally as the “Druid Stone” or “Altar Stone,” this monumental stone stands about 4 meters (13 feet) high on private land in the village of Blidworth, England, and is viewable from a...
'A May Day celebration’ by William Powell Frith.

May Day’s Weird and Wonderful Pagan Roots

May 1st is an ancient Northern Hemisphere festival, now known as ‘May Day’, which traditionally marked the return of summer. It is believed that the celebrations originated in agricultural rituals...
Beltane. Source: chrisdonia/CC BY NC SA 2.0

Beltane: Celtic Fire Festival Beckons with the Warmth of Summer

Celtic tribes celebrated Beltane to welcome the return of summer. Since at least the Iron Age, celebrations have included fire ceremonies, feasting, and fertility rites. Historically, the festival...
Solar gods were worshiped in prehistoric Ireland.

Was Prayer to the Ancient Solar Gods enough to Change the Renowned Irish Weather?

Ireland’s history is rich in dramatic myth and mysterious legends. The significance of the natural world, and most importantly the sun, was obvious in the daily lives of the pre-Christian Irish...
Detail of the Wenhaston Doom

The Wenhaston Doom: A Surprising Medieval Relic, Doomsday Message—and a Reminder of Pre-Christian Traditions

A ‘Doom’ is a remarkable survival of a type of church decoration once common in the Middle Ages but largely destroyed during the iconoclastic excesses of the English Protestant Reformation during the...