It’s May Day. And Beltane, which is a Celtic celebration that played a big part in FAERIE FATE, in case y’all want to go back and reread it. I spent a lot of time listening to Loreena McKinnett, Enya, and other Celtic artists. At Beltane, the Celts would sweep out all the fireplaces and lay new wood. It was a time to celebrate the end of winter and the coming of summer, a time when shepherds moved their herds to greener grass to graze. On Beltane, two bonfires would be lit, words said by the Druid priest and then all the animals would be driven between the fires to guard them against pestilence and predators. Then the people would dance between and around the fires, for the same reasons, and to help promote fertility. At the end of the evening, when the fires burned low, the people would light torches and return to their homes to light the home fires from the Beltane fires. For luck.

So for your enjoyment, Loreena McKinnett’s “Huron Beltane Fires.” Happy Beltane.

May your home fires always burn bright.