Beltane Festival: Ready to Burn

Feature by Shelley Blake.
Published 01 April 2008

 

Off with the extra pair of socks: Spring is slowly seeping in. These last few weeks have seen daylight lingering for longer, signs of blossom sprinkled throughout the streets and smiles appearing on gloomy winter faces. What better way to welcome the sunshine than a crazy, entertaining gathering and colourful fire festival.

A celebration of spring centred around Celtic and Gaelic traditions, this year's Beltane Festival welcomes back one of the co-founders and original choreographers, Lindsay John. Since taking part in the original festival in the late '80s, John has embarked on a stunning career as a sculptor, dancer and performance artist.

The Beltane ceremony, translated as 'bright and sacred fire', was traditionally celebrated to mark the blossoming of Spring and welcome the turning of the seasons. Now in its 21st year, this spectacular annual event gathers a crowd of 15,000 people to Calton Hill and involves over 300 volunteers from throughout the community.

Get ready to welcome the sunshine with this fanatically fun and entertaining ceremony.

 

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  • Thanks for using my picture for your article on Beltane without giving me credit!

    Posted by Ramsay McIver | Sunday March 2010 @ 23:46

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