Beltane is halfway between the spring equinox and which event?

Beltane is halfway between the spring equinox and the summer solstice.

This placement makes Beltane one of the four traditional Gaelic seasonal festivals that fall between the astronomical equinoxes and solstices. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is traditionally observed on 1 May, roughly midway between the spring equinox in March and the summer solstice in June. Beltane therefore marks the opening of summer in the traditional Gaelic calendar, rather than the astronomical start of summer.

The other three major Gaelic festivals are Imbolc, associated with 1 February; Lughnasadh, associated with 1 August; and Samhain, associated with 1 November. Together, they divide the year into four seasonal or pastoral periods. Beltane historically marked the movement of livestock to summer grazing grounds, and protective fire rituals were performed for cattle, crops and households.

Modern Pagan calendars sometimes calculate Beltane as the exact astronomical midpoint, when the Sun reaches 45 degrees of ecliptic longitude. Others keep the traditional date or celebrate from sunset on 30 April into 1 May. This is why Beltane may appear as either a fixed May Day festival or a cross-quarter observance tied more precisely to the solar year.