Also known as Mayday, Beltine, and Festival of Tana. This is a holiday of Union–both between the Goddess and the God and between man and woman. Handfastings (Pagan marriages) are traditional at this time. It is a time of fertility and harvest, the time for reaping the wealth from the seeds that we have sown. Celebrations include braiding of one’s hair (to honor the union of man and woman and Goddess and God), circling the Maypole for fertility and jumping the Beltane fire for luck. Beltane is one of the Major Sabbats of the Wiccan religion. We celebrate sexuality (something we see as holy and intrinsic to us as holy beings), we celebrate life and the unity which fosters it. The myths of Beltane state that the young God has blossomed into manhood, and the Goddess takes him on as her lover. Together, they learn the secrets of the sexual and the sensual, and through their union, all life begins. Beltane is the last of the three spring fertility festivals, and is when people, plants and animals prepare for the warm months ahead. Represents the divine union of the Lord and Lady. It is a time of joining two halves to make a whole. This is a time of joyous reveling as the first flowers of Summer are gathered. Red and white, representing the blood that flows from the woman when her purity is taken are the traditional colors of this celebration. A tree decorated with red and white ribbon is a nice way to mark this celebration. In the house bowls of white floating candles and red flowers is nice. Baskets of fresh flowers picked moments before dawn can be hung on the front door. Flower petals can be strewn about the circle and later distributed about the outside of the house for protection.