What is the Scottish Gaelic name for Beltane?

The Scottish Gaelic name for Beltane is Bealltainn.

Beltane is one of the four traditional Gaelic seasonal festivals, alongside Samhain, Imbolc and Lughnasadh. It falls on 1 May and traditionally marked the start of summer, especially the pastoral season when livestock were moved to higher summer grazing.

The fuller Scottish Gaelic expression is Là Bealltainn, meaning “Beltane day.” Bealltainn is the festival name itself, while Là adds “day.” A related expression, Latha Buidhe Bealltainn, means “the bright or yellow day of Beltane” and refers specifically to 1 May. That longer phrase is therefore not the ordinary answer to this question.

The Irish form is Bealtaine, while Manx Gaelic uses forms such as Boaltinn or Boaldyn. These related spellings reflect the shared Gaelic heritage of the festival, but they should not be confused with the Scottish Gaelic form Bealltainn.