Whatever we call it, we still, as a community, gather each spring to celebrate a fresh start after the long winter. And this year was a long winter. So, maybe that's why this spring, so long awaited, is sweeter. Life is in abundance. Flowers are blooming.
Mosquitos are hungry once again.
Allergies are acting up. And babies, puppies and kitties are in the mix. In a few countries where communist leanings remain, the Beltane is celebrated as May Day. There, the traditional dance is still performed around the May-Pole as young women dressed in the colors of spring and the sun weave together the warm hues that symbolize the return of summer. May Day in communist countries were adopted, as many festivals have been, to honor the labor force, the natural evolution of the farmers who once participated in the Beltane.