A Beltane ritual that we have been reviving on Mayne Island is the ancient rite of the May Pole. In this ritual, a tall pole –whose phallic shape is a symbol of fertility -- is decorated with colourful ribbons and flowers and planted into the earth. Dancers dance around the pole, interweaving the ribbons as they go. Once the pole is “wound” with ribbons it can become a focal point for easier, all-inclusive circle dances.

Here is a recipe for a May Pole celebration.

The Pole

We cut our May Pole from a tall, straight alder tree (we chose one that had fallen over in the previous winter’s storms). You could use any straight, relatively smooth staff or pole, preferably made of wood, but PVC or metal piping could work in a pinch. Our pole is about fifteen feet high, but a shorter pole would work just as well. Just make sure that the pole is higher than the dancers.

We found a metal wheel -- about six inches across with a hole at the center – at our local hardware store and fastened it with a long screwed-in bolt to the top of the pole. Mounted in this way, the wheel is able to pivot on the bolt. Then we tied 16 long ribbons to the wheel. The ribbons should be long enough that 16 dancers, each holding the end of a ribbon, can stand in a wide circle around the pole.

We reuse this pole each year, replacing the ribbons as necessary. Each new season we decorate the base of the pole with flowers and vines – whatever is blooming wild at that time of year. On Mayne Island we have a lot of Scotch Broom in early May, which is an invasive, non-native plant. We have no qualms about picking as much as we like. The flowers are a brilliant gold, and the plant is a pest so the more we pick it the less it spreads around the island!

The May Queen and the Green Man

Two traditional figures that adorn our May celebration are the May Queen and the Green Man. Each year we choose a new May Queen. This can be any girl or woman that would enjoy the honor! The May Queen dresses in whatever festive, colourful outfit she chooses. (The first year our May Queen was very feminine and floral. The second, she chose to be more earthy and leafy, for instance). After the procession of the may pole, just before it is “planted” in the park, we hold a brief ceremony during which last year’s May Queen crowns the new queen. This year we have added a retinue of young “fairies” – boys and girls from the island that want to dress up for the occasion – who will accompany the queen during her crowning. The new May Queen, once crowned, blesses the gathering and expresses hope for a bountiful and joyful summer season.

The Green Man is another fertility figure: a man, dressed entirely in green, decorated with leaves and flowers symbolizing the earth’s renewal. The Green Man in our festival for the past two years has been our resident wildlife biologist and environmentalist. He gives a blessing to the May Queen and to the general gathering as well. Together, the May Queen and the Green Man represent the female and male energies that flow through the natural world, bringing growth and rejuvenation.

The Labyrinth

Mayne Island’s SMILE society (the Society of Mayne Island Labyrinth Enthusiasts) creates a grass labyrinth in the park each year as part of the May Day celebration. This is a large labyrinth that is “mowed” into the long grass, so that the pathways are visible only for a few days until the grass is cut again. A labyrinth is not a “maze”, which is a system of confusing paths and dead ends designed to confuse and frustrate the hapless wanderer. A labyrinth is a path that spirals and winds and loops back upon itself until at last it arrives at a central space.

Labyrinths are used in many traditions as tools for meditation and prayer. Walking the labyrinth is a way of being “present”. There is no goal, nothing to accomplish other than the slow, deliberate movement inwards towards the centre, then outwards again. Our grass labyrinth creates a kind of temporary sacred space. We use it as part of our May Queen ceremony, but each of us on our own can walk its pathways, later, after the formal parts of the ritual are over, using the peaceful contemplative moments in any way we choose: as a chance to set an “intention” for the new season, to release negative thoughts or fears, or simply as an opportunity to be peaceful for a few minutes.

Last year we didn’t incorporate the labyrinth into the May Pole rite. We set it up in another corner of the park, and if they chose, people could walk the labyrinth after the May Pole dancing was done. This year we are going to incorporate the labyrinth into the ritual.

The Procession and the Planting of the Pole

For the past couple of years we have held our May Pole/Beltane festival on the third weekend in May so as to coincide with the first Farmer’s Market of the summer. The market occurs up at the Agricultural Hall whereas we hold the May Pole dance over at Miner’s Bay park, a short walk away. This gives us a chance to have a bit of a procession. During the Farmer’s Market, we set up a booth with cut vines and broom flowers, so that whoever wants to can make a flowery May crown to wear. On the posters advertising the May Day event, we also encourage people to dress up for the occasion. It is so heart-warming to look around at a crowd of people all wearing garlands and festive clothing and not taking themselves too seriously!

Beginning at the Agricultural Hall grounds (where the Farmer’s Market closes at 1:00) the “pole bearers” – eight or so men in festive garb – lift the pole and carry it to the park. One person walks at the head of the procession, carrying a long stick with colourful streamers. The May Queens, past and present, the Green man, and the fairies walk behind, accompanied by musicians, drummers, and the general rabble, all making as much noise as they can make.

The pole-bearers carry the pole to the edge of the labyrinth and lay it ceremonially on leaves while the crowning of the May Queen takes place. The crowning occurs at the heart of the labyrinth. The Queens, the Green man and the fairies all process to the centre while drummers drum around the edge of the labyrinth (which occupies a large circle). Once they arrive at the centre, the old Queen crowns the new, and both the Queens and the Green Man give their blessings. Then the pole bearers pick up the May Pole once more and continue to the site of the dance.

We dig the hole for the Pole ahead of time, so the planting of the pole goes fairly quickly. The pole bearers insert the pole into the hole (which is a two or three feet deep) then fill the hole with dirt and pack it in tightly. We sing the ancient English may day song Hal an Toe while the pole is being planted.

The Dance

The first dance is the “Court Dance”, performed in great state by the Queens, the Green Man and the fairies. In this dance, they each hold a ribbon but all move in the same direction, so the ribbons do not intertwine. (This is much easier than the traditional ribbon dance. The children can enjoy it without getting frustrated by tangling the ribbons!) Live musicians play for the dancing. Next up is the May Pole ribbon dance. For this dance we recruit 16 people who have practiced ahead of time.

There are different variations of the ribbon dance– some much harder than others – which you can find online. But we prefer to use the simplest form of this dance: to begin, the dancers count off “one, two” around the circle. The eight “ones” turn and face the eight “twos.” When the music starts, the “ones” begin to dance clockwise around the circle, while the “twos” dance counterclockwise. As they pass each other, first the “ones” lift their ribbons so that the “twos” can pass underneath, then the “twos” lift their ribbons, so that the next “ones” they meet pass underneath. Gradually they interweave their ribbons round and round the pole till they all arrive very close to the centre and have no more room to dance. At this point, if the ribbons have been correctly wound, the dance can be performed in reverse, so that the ribbons unwind again.

We have found that the ribbons inevitably become tangled. We try not to worry about doing the job perfectly – the point is to be merry and have a lot of fun! Usually, once the ribbons are wound around the pole there is no unwinding them! We just leave them wound up (they look beautiful and festive) and proceed to some easier, crowd-friendly circle dances –without the ribbons -- around the pole.

The Cake

After four or five big circle dances, the crowd is ready for refreshments. We offer lemonade and cake served on Maple leaves big enough to act as plates. After the cake, this year we plan to have races and games for the children (young and old). Everyone attending will have a chance to walk the labyrinth on their own, as well. Likely some folks will keep on playing music …

MORE MAY DAY PHOTOS

A More Intimate Beltane Ritual

The Mayne Island May Day celebration is big, and growing each year. It is a lot of fun and a great way for our little community to stay connected. But I also like to hold a more intimate Beltane ritual with a few friends on the actual eve of May. Here it is:

Light a Beltane fire if you can. We go to our beach and light one by the water. If you are in a city, light a fire indoors or create a circle of lit candles to represent a fire. Cast a circle. Start by doing the grounding visualization together, or a short meditation. You might want to sing a chant or two at this point. Then pass out a length of string or wool to all present. If you are able to have a fire, choose string that is flammable so that you can burn it at the end of the ritual. If you can’t burn the lengths of string, find a place in your garden or in the woods to bury them. (In which case, the string should be made of natural, biodegradable material.)

Allow a long period of silence as each person holds their string and reflects on what they would like to let go of in their lives. (This process is similar to the Cast The Old Year Into the Flame ritual – in which each person writes on a piece of paper whatever they would like to “cast away”). For every fear or emotional block or regret or habit that you would like to leave behind as you enter the new season, tie a knot in your string.

When all are ready throw your knotted strings into the fire, or ritually bury them in the earth. Everyone will feel very released and light. This is a nice moment to chant “Om”. We usually chant Om sixteen times, very slowly. One person can begin the chanting: just take a deep breath and sing “Ooooooommmmmmm” on a single note for as long as you can. Then breathe deeply and begin again.

The process of mentally letting go, then ritually casting away (burning or burying) whatever is holding you back, and then finally chanting “om” is extremely cleansing.

When you are done, you can chant or meditate, or simply close the circle and have a party!