Here comes the summer
May Day is steeped in ancient traditions
TODAY is May Day, a date that has been celebrated for thousands of years, going back millennia and also known as Bealtaine.
From May flowers to the May bush, Marian processions, bonfires and butter-stealing, there are many Irish traditions associated with our first day of summer.
May 1 has evolved across the centuries, taking forms that included pagan festivals and marches to highlight workers’ demands.
It has significance in Ireland particularly because of what it symbolised and for its religious connections, customs and traditions.
The National Museum of Ireland details how the May bush, which in rural areas was left outside the house, while it was erected in a communal place in towns.
The tradition was strongest in Leinster and the midlands, stretching west to Galway and northwards to south Ulster, including parts of Donegal.
The bush was often made of hawthorn and the decoration consisted of ribbons and cloth streamers.
May poles indicate an English influence and were popular in Kilkenny, Kildare and Longford, where festivals were staged to welcome in the summer.
FERTILITY
Tall trees were used in the early festivals, but were replaced over time by formal poles erected in the town centre and decorated with flowers and ribbons.
Historians believe the first May pole folk dance originated as part of a fertility ritual, where the pole symbolised male fertility and baskets and wreaths were symbols of female fertility.
Dancing became a feature of the May pole, much like the bonfire celebrations and the burning of the May bush.
The Irish expression “idir dha thine Bhealtaine” means “between the two fires of May”.
In a modern contest, this is similar in meaning to the expression of being “between a rock and a hard place”.
Such was the belief in the health inspiring properties of May Day that farmers would drive cattle through the embers of May fires to gain good fortune.
Bonfires were a feature of May Eve and the tradition survived mainly in the east of Ireland and in parts of Munster.
Although there were small bonfires to ensure good luck, the tradition of larger communal fires survived in cities like Limerick
and Belfast.
Dr Karen Ward of Dublin City University explained: “Directly translated, Bealtaine means ‘mouth of fire’.
“It comes from the Irish Gaelic word Beal (mouth) and tine ( fire) referring to the sun as its light and heat rise further and further towards the Summer Solstice.
“However, others relate the first part of name to the old Irish God ‘Bel’ and also the word ‘Bright’ whereas in our sister Celtic countries this early Summer Festival is called Beltane.”
Pagans, or Druids, faced opposition from the Christian Church. But the celebration of May Day did not change to a purely Christian
one, instead it developed into a secular celebration about labour and farming.
A Bealtaine fire had been lit at the Hill of Uisneach, near Mullingar in Co Westmeath, for a decade by President Michael D Higgins until the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
The hill as chosen because pagans thought it was the centre of the country.
Traditions of lighting fires at sunset on Oiche Bealtaine or May Eve, April 30, still survive in parts of Munster.
People would walk between the fires to bring them luck, while jumping over the bonfire was said to ensure fertility.
The May 1 festival was one of the most significant dates in prehistoric and early historic Ireland. It marked the midway point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice.
May Day was especially associated with butter-stealing.
A spokesperson for The National Museum of Ireland said: “All those who visited the house at this time were encouraged to take a dash of the churn. They usually accompanied this with a prayer such as God Bless the Work.
“Holy water was often sprinkled on the animals, the churn and all objects associated with dairying. May butter was often kept and used in small quantities to add to the churn and dairy items for good luck and protection.”
May Day is also called Workers’ Day to remember the struggles and gains made by unions.
For more details on events go to feilenabealtaine.ie.