May Day and Beltane

My Clothes still smell like campfire from this morning, and here's why...


I woke up naturally at 4 a.m. this lovely May-day morning, I blame the jet lag. I figured since I'm up I might as well participate in one of Edinburgh's May-day traditions.


I dressed for the cold and caught a taxi out to Arthur's Seat, the extinct volcano overlooking Edinburgh. Legend says that if a woman washes her face with the dew from the slopes of Arthur's seat on the first of May at dawn, she will be granted everlasting beauty. Now, I don't believe there's any truth to this claim, but its a fun tradition and I've tried haggis so nothing scares me.


I rode around to the highest point so I wouldn't have too far of a walk up to the top. It was cold, mystical and incredibly gorgeous but I couldn't see the sunrise because it was so misty. I didn't know when I needed to brave the dew so I walked back down far enough so I could see the city. I still couldn't see the sunrise with all the clouds in the way but I took a guess and washed my face. It was very peaceful up there, I loved the solitude and didn't even mind the cold.


At this time I began to get hungry. I started back down the slope intending to get breakfast in town when I happened upon a gathering of hippies covered in paint and playing with fire and drums. I literally just rounded the corner and they appeared there. My journalistic curiosity kicked in and I decided to see what was up. A very nice gentleman wearing red paint and almost nothing else kindly invited me to join them and I made my way over to them taking in the unusual sight. There were plenty of, for lack of a better word, normal people there mixed in with all the painted, costumed and horned specimens so I didn't feel like an outsider. I even saw one guy in a suit.


It turns out they took part in the annual Beltane celebration, which is an ancient pagan practice in which people drive the spirits of winter away to make way for spring. The party took place last night up on Calton Hill, then made its way to the after party in a local club. I caught the after-after party where the participants decided to gather together on the slopes of Arthur's Seat to eat, drink, smoke, play with fire, beat drums, and I'm pretty sure I saw the beginnings of an orgy.


My clothes smell like campfire because I was naturally attracted to the warmest spot. They were burning goarse bushes and I could have sworn they would catch themselves on fire but they apparently knew more than they let on. There I met a few friends who told me a little bit about the ceremony and offered me food and drink. Yes one of those drinks was tequila, and the other was Baileys but a Scottish shot is not going to kill me.


It was getting on in the morning (seven or so) and I had to get some food and find someplace warm. Another nice gentleman, this time with blue paint, walked with me and explained a little more about the tradition. It all begins with the Green Man. He is the symbol of spring, planting, growing, rebirth, fertility, etc. Every year in the beginning of winter the Winter King kills the Green Man and he is reborn or resurrected in the spring representing the Green Man's renewed reign over the world. The May Queen is kind of like the earth mother. According to the different legends she leaves the Winter King and either resurrects the Green Man and marries him, or gives birth to the Green Man and the spring cycle begins again. Either way the May Queen sounds like kind of a hussy. The Winter King kills the Green Man and she walks off with her child/husband's killer until such time as the Green Man returns.


In the celebration there are three main types of painted people. The red ones are supposed to represent chaos, they are all the bad spirits that the pagans are hoping to drive away. They typically play drums, dance and work with fire. The white ones represent the May Queen and her maidens (although I saw a guy in white wearing a corset). And of course the green represent the Green Man himself. Apparently these celebrations have nearly 10,000 people crammed on the hill together on April 30. I missed the party last night and it was pure luck that I happened upon it this morning. I should have charged my camera so I could get a few decent pictures, but I guess something like that is not easy to forget. All I know is I had an awesome time, I made some great new friends, and it's not every day you get to take part in a pagan ritual.


Happy Beltane everyone!