Beltaine

Happy Beltaine, my friends! With the most joyful of joys the most mythological of days has arrived! In celebration, there has been planned a May Day festival in Oxnard, mostly by people who have no idea what they are doing, I think. There will be poetry, music, dancing, feasting, and a Maypole. This is all fine, but not without qualification. Poetry is a particularly excellent idea, being that poetry was practically equated with magical power and authority in the tales of yesteryear. Thus this was the wisest inclusion for the festival, as long as it is done well, with knowledge of bardic practices. Even a pale imitation of proper bardhood would do.

Next, the music must be played on the proper instruments, limited basically to the bagpipes, the Irish harp, early percussive instruments, and the human voice. Violins, violas, guitars, flutes, and the like are perfectly acceptable, but not authentic. Personally, I suspect that the music might be a-poppin' and a-hip-hop happenin', but I leave myself to my fantasies nonetheless.

As to the feasting, there ought to be cakes of some kind, which serve two purposes. First, they are to be offered alongside libations to the faeries and leprechauns, and second, they are to be used in casting lots for the symbolic human sacrifice. Ever since the Romans (and later, Christians) decided to dissuade the practice of human sacrifice, we have slowly forgotten that human sacrifice is what the traditional bonfires are all about. Speaking of bonfires, the May Day carnival really needs one of those, too. How else are we to appease Nature and her spirits? The druids knew that which was at stake, for as Caesar records of them, "unless the life of a man was repaid for the life of a man, the will of the immortal gods could not be appeased." So there had better be bonfires at the festival. There should be no feast without sacrifice.

The Maypole is the most important part of this festival, naturally, for it allows us to commune with Nature and gleefully rejoice that the Sun has once again subjected Death in their perpetual struggle. Thus the earth is awoken from its slumber once more and things begin to grow. It must disappoint the Sun that we did not welcome him this morning by decking our halls with tree branches and other such growing things; however, may the Maypole and the bonfires compensate! Let us dance around the Maypole, acknowledging that once again the cycle has turned to summertime! 'Tis the season for rebirth! 'Tis the season to be jolly! Let us now be festive as the Druids intended.