Which season does Beltane mark the beginning of?

Beltane marks the beginning of summer in the traditional Gaelic seasonal calendar. Unlike the astronomical summer that begins at the June solstice, Beltane places summer at May 1, one of the year’s four major seasonal turning points.

Historically, this date had a practical pastoral meaning. In Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man, communities associated Beltane with taking cattle out to summer pasture. Rituals were intended to protect livestock, people, crops, and dairy products during the transition into the warmer grazing season.

The other traditional Gaelic divisions were Imbolc, beginning spring on February 1; Lughnasadh, beginning the harvest season on August 1; and Samhain, beginning winter on November 1. Together, these festivals divided the year differently from the modern meteorological or astronomical seasons.

Beltane is therefore sometimes called the Celtic or Gaelic beginning of summer, but that description refers to a traditional calendar, not a universal scientific definition. Modern Wiccan and neopagan observances generally retain this seasonal symbolism, although their ceremonies may combine older Gaelic customs with newer practices.