Dancing Around The Meaning of The May Day Maypole by Marisa So...May Day.
Something about Maypoles and flower baskets, right? LikeGroundhogs' Day (aka
Imbolc) before it, May Day has yet to make much ofan impact among contemporary
American holidays. And yet this day, alsoknown as Beltane, has tremendous
significance among Pagans, second onlyto Samhain/Halloween. So maybe those
poles are worth a closer look...
As with all Pagan sabbats, Beltane parallels the wheel of the year,celebrating
the bloom of spring flowers and blessing their growth intoa bountiful harvest.
Celebrated at the mid-point between the VernalEquinox (Ostara) and the Summer
Solstice (Litha), Beltane also marked the last of the spring fertility
festivals (after Imbolc and Ostara), as the cattle were driven to pasture.
But let's get to the good stuff: fertility festivals? Just as cropsburst from
the earth and flowers expand into bloom, Pagans believe thatat Beltane the, um,
pleasures of the self are similarly awakened.That's right, from springtime
courtships to that enormous ribbonedphallus, Beltane is basically about sex.
And frankly, it isn't evendiscreet.
Young couples were encouraged to test their fertility with Beltanetrysts, and
any babies born from Beltane were believed to be blessed bythe Goddess herself.
Trial unions, called hand-fastings (as the lovers'clasped hands were bound by
ribbon), were also popular at Beltane,committing the couple to each other for
one year and a day inpreparation for a marital commitment. (Actual marriage,
however, wasdiscouraged in May, in deference to the union between Goddess and
God.)
And that sexual union? Brings us right back to the Maypole, essentiallyan
enormous phallus, thrust deep into the earth, around which young menand women
dance, weaving colored ribbons in encouragement of theearth's (and their own)
fertility. For many Pagans, dancing the Maypoleis an enchanted experience,
uniting the energy of the earth, and theenergy of the sun to yield a bountiful
harvest. So, whether yousubscribe to the more... suggestive interpretations or
not, clearly aday of celebration is upon us. We at Daily Mantra hope you enjoy.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Be a better friend, newshound, and
know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.
http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ
