Which Celtic festival is celebrated on May 1st and marks the start of summer? Beltane is the Gaelic May Day festival traditionally held on May 1 and associated with the beginning of summer.
Beltane was one of four major Gaelic seasonal festivals, alongside Imbolc on February 1, Lughnasadh on August 1, and Samhain on November 1. Historically, it marked the transition into the pastoral summer season, when livestock were moved to higher or summer grazing grounds.
Fire was central to many Beltane customs. Communities lit ceremonial bonfires, and people or cattle might pass between them or around them as a protective ritual. Household fires were sometimes extinguished and relit from the festival fire, whose flames, smoke, and ashes were believed to guard people, animals, crops, and dairy products.
Beltane is associated especially with Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. It is often confused with Samhain, which marks the beginning of winter, while Imbolc signals the beginning of spring. Modern celebrations also include flowers, May bushes, feasting, and visits to holy wells.