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BELTANE
30th April / 1st May
The beginning of Summer - Summer is a comin in !
Beltane was an important festival in the Celtic calendar. The name originates from the Celtic god, Bel - the 'bright one', and the Gaelic word 'teine' meaning fire, giving the name 'bealttainn', meaning 'bright fire'.
This is the beginning of the 'lighted half' of the year when the Sun begins to set later in the evening and the hawthorn blossoms. To our ancestors Beltane was the coming of summer and fertility. Nature is in bloom and the earth is full of fecundity and life.
The Triple Goddess - worshipped by the Ancient Britons - at Beltane is now in her aspect of the Maiden : The May Queen, May Bride, Goddess of Spring, Flower Bride, Queen of the Fairies - a symbol of purity, growth and renewal.
The Crone turns to stone on Beltane Eve.
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May blossom symbolises female fertility, with its creamy/ white, fragrant flowers. Hawthorn blossom was worn during Beltane celebrations, especially by the May Queen. It is believed to be a potent magical plant and it is considered unlucky to bring the blossom inside the house, apart from on May eve.
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 Beltane -- Holiday Details and History
Author: Christina Aubin [a WitchVox Sponsor]
Posted: April 30th. 2000
Times Viewed: 118,853
Beltane is the last of the three spring fertility festivals, the others being Imbolc and Ostara. Beltane is the second principal Celtic festival (the other being Samhain). Celebrated approximately halfway between Vernal (spring) equinox and the midsummer (Summer Solstice). Beltane traditionally marked the arrival if summer in ancient times.
At Beltane the Pleiades star cluster rises just before sunrise on the morning horizon, whereas winter (Samhain) begins when the Pleiades rises at sunset. The Pleiades is a cluster of seven closely placed stars, the seven sisters, in the constellation of Taurus, near his shoulder. When looking for the Pleiades with the naked eye, remember it looks like a tiny dipper-shaped pattern of six moderately bright stars (the seventh can be seen on very dark nights) in the constellation of Taurus. It stands very low in the east-northeast sky for just a few minutes before sunrise.
Beltane, and its counterpart Samhain, divide the year into its two primary seasons, winter (Dark Part) and summer (Light Part). As Samhain is about honoring Death, Beltane, its counter part, is about honoring Life. It is the time when the sun is fully released from his bondage of winter and able to rule over summer and life once again.
Beltane, like Samhain, is a time of "no time" when the veils between the two worlds are at their thinnest. No time is when the two worlds intermingle and unite and the magic abounds! It is the time when the Faeries return from their winter respite, carefree and full of faery mischief and faery delight. On the night before Beltane, in times past, folks would place rowan branches at their windows and doors for protection, many otherworldly occurrences could transpire during this time of "no time". Traditionally on the Isle of Man, the youngest member of the family gathers primroses on the eve before Beltane and throws the flowers at the door of the home for protection. In Ireland it is believed that food left over from May Eve must not be eaten, but rather buried or left as an offering to the faery instead. Much like the tradition of leaving of whatever is not harvested from the fields on Samhain, food on the time of no time is treated with great care.
When the veils are so thin it is an extremely magical time, it is said that the Queen of the Faeries rides out on her white horse. Roving about on Beltane eve She will try to entice people away to the Faeryland. Legend has it that if you sit beneath a tree on Beltane night, you may see the Faery Queen or hear the sound of Her horse's bells as She rides through the night. Legend says if you hide your face, She will pass you by but if you look at Her, She may choose you. There is a Scottish ballad of this called Thomas the Rhymer, in which Thomas chooses to go the Faeryland with the Queen and has not been seen since.
Beltane has been an auspicious time throughout Celtic lore, it is said that the Tuatha de Danaan landed in north-west Connacht on Beltane. The Tuatha de Danaan, it is said, came from the North through the air in a mist to Ireland. After the invasion by the Milesians, the Tuatha faded into the Otherworld, the Sidhe, Tir na nOg.
The beginning of summer heralds an important time, for the winter is a difficult journey and weariness and disheartenment set in, personally one is tired down to the soul. In times past the food stocks were low; variety was a distant memory. The drab non-color of winter's end perfectly represents the dullness and fatigue that permeates on so many levels to this day. We need Beltane, as the earth needs the sun, for our very Spirit cries out for the renewal of summer jubilation.
Beltane marks that the winter's journey has passed and summer has begun, it is a festival of rapturous gaiety as it joyfully heralds the arrival of summer in her full garb. Beltane, however, is still a precarious time, the crops are still very young and tender, susceptible to frost and blight. As was the way of ancient thought, the Wheel would not turn without human intervention. People did everything in their power to encourage the growth of the Sun and His light, for the Earth will not produce without the warm love of the strong Sun. Fires, celebration and rituals were an important part of the Beltane festivities, as to insure that the warmth of the Sun's light would promote the fecundity of the earth.
Beltane marks the passage into the growing season, the immediate rousing of the earth from her gently awakening slumber, a time when the pleasures of the earth and self are fully awakened. It signals a time when the bounty of the earth will once again be had. May is a time when flowers bloom, trees are green and life has again returned from the barren landscape of winter, to the hope of bountiful harvests, not too far away, and the lighthearted bliss that only summer can bring.
Beltane translated means "fire of Bel" or "bright fire" - the "bale-fire". (English - bale; Anglo-Saxon bael; Lithuanian baltas (white)) Bel (Bel, Bile, Beli, Belinus, Belenos) is the known as the bright and shinning one, a Celtic Sun God. Beli is the father, protector, and the husband of the Mother Goddess.
Beltane is the time of the yearly battle between Gwyn ap Nudd and Gwythur ap Greidawl for Creudylad in Welsh mythology. Gwyn ap Nudd the Wild Huntsman of Wales, he is a God of death and the Annwn. Creudylad is the daughter of Lludd (Nudd) of the Silver Hand (son of Beli). She is the most beautiful maiden of the Island of Mighty. A myth of the battle of winter and summer for the magnificent blossoming earth.
In the myth of Rhiannion and Pwyll, it is the evening of Beltane, that Rhiannon gives birth to their son. The midwives all fell asleep at the same time, as they were watching over Rhiannon and her new baby, during which he was taken. In order to protect themselves, they smeared blood (from a pup) all over Rhiannon, to which they claim she had eaten her son. The midwives were believed, and Rhiannon was forced to pay penance for seven years. She had to carrying people on her back from the outside of the gate to the palace, although rarely would any allow her to do so. The baby's whereabouts were a mystery. Oddly, every Beltane night, one of Pwyll's vassals, Teirnyon Twryv Vliant, had a mare that gave birth but the colt disappeared. One Beltane night Teirnyon Twryv Vliant awaited in the barn for the mare to foaled, when she did, he heard a tremendous noise and a clawed arm came through the window and grabbed the colt. Teirnyon cut off the arm with his sword, and then heard a wailing. He opened the door and found a baby, he brought it to his wife and they adopted Gwri Wallt Euryn (Gwri of the Golden Hair). As he grew he looked like Pwyll and they remembered they found him on the night Rhiannon's baby became lost. Teirnyon brought Gwri of the Golden Hair to the castle, told the story, and he was adopted back to his parents, Rhiannon and Pwyll, and and named by the head druid, Pryderi (trouble) from the first word his mother had said when he was restored to her. "Trouble is, indeed, at an end for me, if this be true".
This myth illustrates the precariousness of the Beltane season, at the threshold of Summer, the earth awakening, winter can still reach its long arm in and snatch the Sun away (Gwri of the Golden hair). "Ne'er cast a clout 'til May be out" (clout: Old English for cloth/clothing). If indeed the return of summer is true than the trouble (winter) is certainly over, however one must be vigilant.
On Beltane eve the Celts would build two large fires, Bel Fires, lit from the nine sacred woods. The Bel Fire is an invocation to Bel (Sun God) to bring His blessings and protection to the tribe. The herds were ritually driven between two needfires (fein cigin), built on a knoll. The herds were driven through to purify, bring luck and protect them as well as to insure their fertility before they were taken to summer grazing lands. An old Gaelic adage: "Eadar da theine Bhealltuinn" - "Between two Beltane fires".
The Bel fire is a sacred fire with healing and purifying powers. The fires further celebrate the return of life, fruitfulness to the earth and the burning away of winter. The ashes of the Beltane fires were smudged on faces and scattered in the fields. Household fires would be extinguished and re-lit with fresh fire from the Bel Fires.
Celebration includes frolicking throughout the countryside, maypole dancing, leaping over fires to ensure fertility, circling the fire three times (sun-wise) for good luck in the coming year, athletic tournaments feasting, music, drinking, children collecting the May: gathering flowers. children gathering flowers, hobby horses, May birching and folks go a maying". Flowers, flower wreaths and garlands are typical decorations for this holiday, as well as ribbons and streamers. Flowers are a crucial symbol of Beltane, they signal the victory of Summer over Winter and the blossoming of sensuality in all of nature and the bounty it will bring.
May birching or May boughing, began on Beltane Eve, it is said that young men fastened garland and boughs on the windows and doors of the young maidens upon which their sweet interest laid. Mountain ash leaves and Hawthorne branches meant indicated love whereas thorn meant disdain. This perhaps, is the forerunner of old May Day custom of hanging bouquets hooked on one's doorknob?
Young men and women wandered into the woods before daybreak of May Day morning with garlands of flowers and/or branches of trees. They would arrive; most rumpled from joyous encounters, in many areas with the maypole for the Beltane celebrations. Pre-Christian society's thoughts on human sexuality and fertility were not bound up in guilt and sin, but rather joyous in the less restraint expression of human passions. Life was not an exercise but rather a joyful dance, rich in all beauty it can afford.
In ancient Ireland there was a Sacred Tree named Bile, which was the center of the clan, or Tuatha. As the Irish Tree of Life, the Bile Pole, represents the connection between the people and the three worlds of Bith: The Skyworld (heavens), The Middleworld (our world), and The Otherworld. Although no longer the center life, the Bile pole has survived as the Beltane Maypole.
The Maypole is an important element to Beltane festivities, it is a tall pole decorated with long brightly colored ribbons, leaves, flowers and wreaths. Young maidens and lads each hold the end of a ribbon, and dance revolving around the base of the pole, interweaving the ribbons. The circle of dancers should begin, as far out from the pole as the length of ribbon allows, so the ribbons are taut. There should be an even number of boys & girls. Boys should be facing clockwise and girls counterclockwise. They each move in the direction that they are facing, weaving with the next, around to braid the ribbons over-and-under around the pole. Those passing on the inside will have to duck, those passing on the outside raise their ribbons to slide over. As the dances revolve around the pole the ribbons will weave creating a pattern, it is said that the pattern will indicate the abundance of harvest year.
In some areas there are permanent Maypoles, perhaps a recollection of ancient clan Bile Pole memory. In other areas a new Maypole is brought down on Beltane Eve out from the wood. Even the classical wood can vary according to the area tradition is pulled from, most frequently it seems to be birch as "the wood", but others are mentioned in various historical documents.
Today in some towns and villages a mummer called Jack in the Green (drawing from the Green man), wears a costume made of green leaves as he dances around the May pole. Mumming is a dramatic performance of exaggerated characters and at Beltane the characters include Jack in the Green and the Fool. The Fool, and the Fool's journey, symbolism can be understood in relation to Beltane as it is the beginning of beginnings, the emergence from the void of nothingness (winter), as one can also see the role of the green man as the re-greening of the world.
Traditionally in many areas Morris dancers can be found dancing around the Maypole. Morris dancing can be found in church records in Thame England going back to 1555. Morris dancing is thought to have originated many centuries ago as part of ancient religious ceremonies, however it seems that Morris dancing became associated with Mayday during the Tudor times, and its originating history is not all that easily traced, as is the way with many traditions.
The Maypole dance as an important aspect of encouraging the return of fertility to the earth. The pole itself is not only phallic in symbolism but also is the connector of the three worlds. Dancing the Maypole during Beltane is magical experience as it is a conduit of energy, connecting all three worlds at a time when these gateways are more easily penetrable. As people gaily dance around and around the pole holding the brightly colored ribbons, the energy it raises is sent down into the earth's womb, bringing about Her full awakening and fruitfulness.
In Padstow, Cornwall, Beltane morning a procession is led by the "obby oss" a costumed horse figure, in a large circular banded frock and mask. The procession is full of song, drums and accordions. Professor Ronald Hutton of Bristol University points out that the first account of the Padstow May Day 'Obby 'Oss revelries was written in 1803. He offers evidence however that, like English Morris Dancing, its origins lie in English medieval times. This does not discount the possibility that its roots lay in the foundation of the fertility rites of Beltane, a more politically correct transmutation of fertility acts.
There is also a Queen of May. She is said in many areas to have worn a gold crown with a single, gold leaf at its front, in other areas her crown was made of fresh flowers. She was typically chosen at the start of the Beltane festival, which in time past was after sundown on the eve before Beltane day. Many accounts mention both a May Queen and King being chosen, whom would reign from sundown the eve before the Beltane day to sunset on Beltane. Among their duties would be to announce the Beltane games and award the prizes to the victors. The rudimentary base of this practice can be drawn back to the roots of Beltane festivities, the union of the Goddess and Her Consort, the joining of earth and sun, the endowment of summer. The Goddess has many guises: Danu - The Great Mother, Blodeuwedd (the Flower Bride), Isolt (Iseult, Isolde) and many, many others. The consort can also take many forms including the Green Man, Cernunnos or Tristan.
As Beltane marks this handfasting (wedding) of the Goddess and God, it too marks the reawakening of the earth's fertility in its fullest. This is the union between the Great Mother and her Young Consort, this coupling brings new life on earth. It is on a Spiritual level, the unifying of the Divine Masculine and the Divine Feminine to bring forth the third, consciousness. On the physical, it is the union of the Earth and Sun to bring about the fruitfulness of the growing season.
It is customary that trial unions, for a year and a day, occur at this time. More or less these were statements of intent between couples, which were not legally binding. The trial marriages (engagements) typically occurred between a couple before deciding to take a further step into a legally binding union. It seems ancient wisdom understood that one does not really know another until they have lived with them, and when you live together things change and we change, as well. With this understanding unions were entered upon, first as a test period, and then if desired, a further commitment could be taken. It through always knowing that it is only through the choice of both to remain, that the relationship exists favorably.
May, however, according to old folklore is not a favorable time for marriages in the legal and permanent sense. There is reference after reference in the old books of this belief, and according to my Irish grandmother, May is not the month to marry, woe is to had by those who do. I can understand the premise of this folklore, May is the Goddess and God's handfasting month, all honor would be Hers and His.
Water is another important association of Beltane, water is refreshing and rejuvenating, it is also imperative to life. It is said that if you bathe in the dew gathered before dawn on Beltane morn, your beauty will flourish throughout the year. Those who are sprinkled with May dew are insured of health and happiness. There are other folk customs such as drinking from the well before sunrise on Beltane Morn to insure good health and fortune.
The central color of Beltane is green. Green is the color of growth, abundance, plentiful harvest, abundant crops, fertility, and luck. White is another color that is customary, white brings the energies of cleansing, peace, spirituality, and the power to dispel negativity. Another color is red who brings along the qualities of energy, strength, sex, vibrancy, quickening, health, consummation and retention. Sun energy, life force and happiness are brought to Beltane by the color yellow. Blues and purples (Sagittarius energies: expansion, Good Fortune, magic, spiritual power, Success), and pinks (Venus energies). Beltane is rich in vibrant color, lighting the eyes and cheering the Spirit as we leave the dreariness of winter behind.
It is customary to bake a colorful fruit and spiced filled bread for festivals in the Celtic lands, traditionally this festival bread is sweet dough made with sweetmeat and spices. In Scotland they are the bannock - Bonnach Bealtain - for Beltane, in Wales - Bara Brith, Ireland it is Barm Brack and in Brittany Morlaix Brioche. For Beltane this bread was made the eve before Beltane day, is it said that the bread should not allow it to come into contact with steel during preparation (steel is harmful, deadly to the faery folk).
Bannocks are actually uncut scones originally cooked on a griddle. Wheat does not grow well in the Highlands, originally bannocks were made with oat or barley flour made into dough with little water and no leavening. Traditionally, a portion of the cake was burned or marked with ashes. The recipient of the burnt cake jumped over a small fire three times to purify and cleanse him or herself of any ill fortune. Offerings of bannocks and drink are traditionally left on doorsteps and roadways for the Faeries as an offering, in hope of faery blessings.
May is the month of sensuality and sexuality revitalized, the reawakening of the earth and Her Children. It is the time when we reawaken to the vivid colors, vibrant scents, tingling summer breezes, and the rapture of summer after a long dormant winter. It is a time of extraordinary expression of earth, animal, and person a time of great enchantment and celebration.
The excitement and beauty of Beltane can not be better expressed than through the gaiety and joy of our children. There is not doubt "spring fever" hits at Beltane, and hits hard. Children are full of unbridled energy charged up and ready to go! Children always amplify the seasonal energies and the thrill of their change, they bring richness and merriment wherever they go.
It is the child's unrestrained expression of bliss and delight that is what Beltane is all about. It is the sheer joy of running through fields, picking flowers, rapturing in the sunlight, delighting in the fragrance of spring, dancing in the fresh dew covered grass. Our children guide us through the natural abandonment of our adult sensibilities and show us how to take grand pleasure, warmth and bliss from the gift of Beltane.
Blessed Beltane to you and yours!
Christina Aubin
Beltaine 2000 |
HANDFASTING !!!
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Handfasting
By
Willow
The Great Wheel turns yet again, the year moves on and Spring is in the air. The nights are drawing out, the days are becoming brighter and warmer and our hearts lift with the joy the season brings. Now is the time of the growing love between the Young Buck God and the Maiden Goddess as they move towards their Sacred Union at Beltane, sharing their love and fiery passion with all those folk who are aware! Within our souls and hearts the joy of the new season brings an awakening to our own desires, both sexual and loving. Lets face it we can hardly avoid it! After all, it's going on all around us - with the courtship of the birds, the new born lambs in the fields, and the mating of a myriad other wild creatures - it's a time for loving! As the world around us wakes, so do we and our thoughts turn to love. From Imbolc onwards is the start of the Handfasting season! Those who are in love and in a strong and long lasting relationship may wish to celebrate their joining and choose to become Handfast - which simply put is a Pagan marriage.
This lovely ritual has it roots in ancient times and many believe that it developed in the Celtic cultures of Europe and the British Isles. Originally it was a betrothal or a promise of marriage between two people who would then spend a traditional term of a year and day together to see if they were compatible. After this time, and if they were in agreement the vows could be taken again and they would be considered married. The Handfasting ritual takes its name from the joining and tying of the hands of the couple to be wed, usually with cords. This is where the term "tying the knot" comes from today in reference to getting married. The Handfasting ritual would have been performed by an important member of the community - chieftain, Priest, Priestess, Shaman or Elder, who would have guided the couple through the ritual and presided over them as they exchanged vows in front of witnesses, probably the whole community. The witnessing of the ritual by friends and the community would make it law in the eyes of the community as no official records would have been kept until the introduction of a "Church based" wedding.
This custom spanned the centuries and was still legal in many parts until 1753 when one Lord Hardwick passed an Act through Parliament declaring that marriages in England could only be legal if sanctioned by the Church. This law however was exempt in both Scotland and the Channel Islands. The Act set the precedence for modern Church marriages in the UK ever since with some updates being allowed for modern times. However Handfastings continued to be legal in Scotland up until 1939, particularly in the Highlands and Islands where they may not have had a permanent Clergyman. If this was the case a Handfasting ritual could be performed and then when a travelling Clergyman visited the community the marriage could then be legalised by the Church. As a direct result of Lord Hardwick's Act and its strict marriage laws the famous town of Gretna Green became popular with English couples running away to get married as Scotland was outside the jurisdiction of English law. Gretna Green is still a popular choice for marriage because of the romantic associations it has had of eloping lovers running away to seal their love against all odds!
Gretna Green Wedding
Today, Handfasting is the choice of many Pagans and Magical Folk when choosing to commit to a partner. It is sometimes, although not always preceded by a civil ceremony. Whether or not the marriage has been legally performed, in the eyes of the pagan community the couple Handfasted are seen as married within Pagan tradition. For those people who follow a Pagan Path the vows taken within a Handfasting ceremony are no less binding than those taken in a Church or Registry Office.
There are many different types of ritual for Handfastings and indeed many couples prefer to write their own. Whatever the choice of ceremony a Handfasting is a very beautiful and meaningful rite and one that is most personal to the participants, being a sacred and public declaration of two peoples love and commitment to each other and their decision to bond together. At its most basic it is a ritual to show just this but at a deeper level a Handfasting is a Binding Spell, designed to keep two people together and as such should not be entered into lightly. When walking a Magical Path, often in ones training we are taught that Binding Spells are not to be undertaken as this type of magic is often of the more grey area and more often than not performed without the consent of the person to be bound. This is a whole article in itself! But, never the less this is exactly what a Handfasting Ceremony is and so the two people should be fully aware of this and any consequences that may follow. This is why it is MOST important to get the wording on the ritual absolutely correct for each Handfasting performed.
In my experience many in the first throws of love and passion, newly together but blissfully happy, the most sensible option is to be Handfasted for the traditional year and a day, renewing the vows if it is still desired when the time is up. This gives the couple time to grow with each other and to see if their love will last the distance. If a couple is in a more established relationship then they may not want to bother with the year and day option, but opt for the "as long as love lasts". This means that they will be married in Pagan tradition for as long as they are together and love is shared between them. If love fades they are free to go their separate ways, no longer one bound to the other. Sometimes couples will want to be Handfast for "this lifetime and all others to come". This is the one I am most wary about and will refuse to perform. This is a Binding Spell for eternity and often people will not have thought this through! If it is your Soul Path to be together in this life time then so be it, but that does not necessarily mean that this will be the way for you both forever. Being bound together in this way could stop your respective souls from continuing whatever path they have in store - new loves, new experience etc. Also if all goes very wrong in your relationship you may have to replay it life after life! So, much care should be given when deciding which vows you may wish to make and the wording of them
The most symbolic part of the ritual itself is the tying of the hands. This fastening of hands is steeped in tradition and magical meaning. In some rituals the hands are tied just for the duration of the ritual, in others they are left tied until the marriage is consummated physically. One traditional way of tying the hands is to have the couple face each other, right hands together and left together to create the symbol for infinity while the cord is tied around their joined hands and knotted. This ancient sign in the form of a figure 8 symbolises the male and female conjunction, the two circles entwined one representing the Sun and the other the Moon. In times past this form of two handed Handfasting was the form that was seen as a legal contract between the couple throughout Europe whether the blessing of the Church was sought or not. However it was still recommended that the bride and groom attended Church as soon as possible after the Handfasting to sign the Register. Some people opted for right hands only being joined, with the cord knotted around the wrist, but for those who had their left hands joined without the tying of a knot it usually meant that the woman was being taken as the Mistress and therefore would not be able to make a claim on the mans fortune when he died - this was left to the real wife, but for the duration of their joining the Mistress would be under the mans protection. The offspring of this union, however, would be recognised as legal heirs second to any children he may have with his legal wife. All other forms of Handfasting (accept the left hand ritual) were seen as legally binding contracts either for engagement or marriage purposes.
Handfastings today still contains much ancient symbology such as the tying of the hands with cords. The colours of the cords can also be important to each individual couple, as colour has always been linked with symbology and magic. Below is a list of just a few of the colours and their meanings all of which may be taken into account when a couple is planning their Handfasting:
Red - Signifies: will, passion, strength, fertility, courage, health, vigour, lust, danger, Holiday: Yule, Planet: Mars, Day: Tuesday Astrological: Scorpio
Orange - Signifies: encouragement, adaptability, stimulation, attraction, plenty, kindness. Holiday: Candlemas, Deities: Brigit, Planets: Sun, Mars, Mercury Days: Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday
Yellow - Signifies: attraction, charm, confidence, balance, harmony, knowledge, learning, concentration, persuasion, jealousy, joy, comfort, Planet: Mercury, Day: Wednesday, Astrological: Gemini, Leo
Green - Signifies: finances, fertility, luck, success energy, charity, growth, rejuvenation, prosperity, nurturing, beauty, health, ambition, counteract greed and jealousy, plants kingdom including herbal healing, Planets: Venus, Mercury, Days: Friday, Wednesday Holidays: Spring Equinox, Beltane, Astrological: Taurus Deities: Persephone, Hestia
Blue - Signifies: tranquillity, understanding, patience, health, truth, devotion, sincerity, honour, loyalty, peace, wisdom, protection during sleep, astral projection Light Blue: tranquillity, understanding, patience, health Dark Blue: for a safe journey, longevity, strength Planets: Moon, Venus, Saturn, Jupiter Days: Monday, Friday, Saturday, Thursday Astrological: Libra, Sagittarius
Purple - Signifies: power, piety, sanctity, sentimentality, tension, sadness amplification of other energies. wisdom, high ideals, spiritual protection and healing, psychic ability, protective energy, strength, progress Planet: Jupiter, Day: Thursday Astrological: Sagittarius
Pink - Signifies: unity, honor, truth, romance, happiness, healing, familial or emotional love (rather than sexual), friendship, affections, unselfish emotions, spiritual healing, banishing hatred Gem: rose quartz Planet: Venus, Day: Friday
Another symbol of the joining of the man to the woman is the jumping of the Besom Broom. The broom is symbolic of the sexual union between man and woman - the handle or shaft of the broom represents the phallus whilst the brush is the vagina. In many traditional hand crafted besom brooms it is common to carve an image of a penis in the end that attaches to the brush. Witches and Pagans keep broomsticks as a reminder of mans joining to woman, and of the sacred union of the Goddess and God. The besom broom is used during a Handfasting ritual at the end when the vows have been taken. This is the time when the couple "jump the Broom" and seal their union symbolically. Not only is the besom broom representative of the sexual union but it also symbolises a threshold that the couple are about to cross - one that leads to a new beginning as husband and wife. They jump the besom together, hand in hand to show that they are two parts of a whole, working together towards a bright new future and all it holds. This jumping of the besom becomes a leap of faith so to speak that they take together. Faith in each other to face what life has ahead for them both good and bad. The besom broom is taken home by the couple and hung over the bed or over the front door - bringing fertility and blessings to the relationship and their home.
However, the besom broom has been associated with weddings for many centuries. It first became popular with the African American population during the time of slavery. Slaves had no rights to marry as the Slaveholders considered them purely as property, so they had no rights under the American law. Marriage rituals were important to the Africans as they had marriage customs from their own cultures, so to be denied this custom was anathema to them and they soon developed new rituals within their "slave" communities using what they had to hand. Taking vows in front of witnesses, much as our Celtic ancestors did, and then jumping over the besom broom for many of the reason we still do today, became a recognised union within their own community. The jumping of the broom is still incorporated in many African American weddings today to honour the slaves from the past and celebrate their cultural heritage.
Today many Handfastings are performed all over the world. Where there are Pagans and Witches this ceremony will always be recognised within these communities. Handfastings are still performed by a qualified person - usually a Priest and Priestess known to the couple. A scared space is created in a place of the couples choosing, usually outdoors. The Altar is set up and decorated with flowers and sacred symbols. The Circle is created to make the space a Temple, a place apart from the mundane world where the energy can be built up and contained. Friends and family gather around the outside of the Circle, to bear witness as is tradition, to the vows taken by the couple and their joining of hands. Once this has been done, rings have been exchanged and the besom has been jumped there is much celebration. Handfastings, like any other weddings are a wonderful, romantic and joyous occasion to be celebrated by all who are involved. The couple are blessed by one and all for a bright and happy future and they carry their love forward with them.
So, from the mists of time this beautiful ceremony comes down to and is still very important to today's Pagans and like minded folk. Not much seems to have changed really, except maybe the ceremony is more relevant to the 21st century. But the ancient traditions from many cultures and the energies these carry come down through time to empower each and every Handfasting and bestow their blessings. Even though it is not recognised by law as yet in this country, it is still a binding and sacred ritual entered into with love and foresight and Handfastings will continue from the past and well into the future.
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