What structure is often danced around during Beltane?

What structure is often danced around during Beltane? A maypole is the traditional answer.

A maypole is a tall, usually wooden pole erected for seasonal folk celebrations. In a maypole dance, participants circle the pole while carrying ribbons, weaving them around it into colourful patterns. The activity is especially associated with May Day and springtime celebrations across parts of Europe.

The connection with Beltane is strongest in modern Pagan and Wiccan practice, where the maypole represents fertility, flowering life and the energy of the growing season. Beltane itself is an older Gaelic festival traditionally observed on 1 May, while maypole customs developed within the broader European May Day tradition. That means a maypole is not the only symbol associated with Beltane: bonfires, processions, flowers and communal feasting are also important.

A common mix-up is to treat the maypole as an exclusively ancient Celtic object. Its precise origins are uncertain, and historical maypole traditions appear in several European cultures. Today, it remains a vivid communal emblem of spring, whether used in a secular May Day event or a contemporary Beltane gathering.