Thursday Thirteen

Beltane is an ancient Celtic festival celebrated on May 1, marking the transition from spring to summer. Traditionally, it was a fire festival, with large bonfires lit to honor the sun and encourage fertility, growth, and protection for the coming season. In early Irish customs, cattle were driven between two fires as a ritual to safeguard them from disease before they were sent to summer pastures.

The festival is deeply connected to nature and renewal, symbolizing the union of masculine and feminine energies, often represented by the Green Man and the May Queen. People would dance around the Maypole, weave floral crowns, and engage in joyous celebrations to welcome abundance and prosperity. Beltane was also believed to be a time when the veil between the human and supernatural worlds was thin, allowing fairies and spirits to roam freely.

Modern Pagan and Wiccan communities continue to celebrate Beltane with bonfires, feasts, and rituals that honor passion, creativity, and the life-giving forces of nature. It remains a vibrant and meaningful holiday for those who embrace the rhythms of the earth and the cycles of renewal.

Here are other things than have happened on May 1:

    1. 1006 – A supernova is observed by Chinese and Egyptian astronomers in the constellation Lupus.

    2. 1308 – Albert I, King of Germany, is assassinated by his nephew John of Swabia.

    3. 1328 – The Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton ends the Wars of Scottish Independence, recognizing Scotland as an independent state.

    4. 1753 – Carl Linnaeus publishes Species Plantarum, marking the formal start of plant taxonomy.

    5. 1924 – Iodized salt is first sold in the United States to combat iodine deficiency.

    6. 1931 – The Empire State Building is officially dedicated in New York City.

    7. 1941 – Citizen Kane, often considered the greatest film ever made, premieres in New York City.

    8. 1961 – The first major airplane hijacking in the U.S. occurs, forcing a flight to detour to Cuba.

    9. 1971 – Amtrak begins service in the United States.

    10. 1991 – Baseball player Rickey Henderson steals his 939th base, breaking the MLB record.

    11. 1999 – The body of British mountaineer George Mallory is discovered on Mount Everest, 75 years after his disappearance.

    12. 2004 – The European Union expands to include 10 new member states.

    13. 2011 – Pope John Paul II is beatified in Vatican City.

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