Explore Beltane through 10+ example sentences from English, with an explanation of the meaning. Ideal for language learners, writers and word enthusiasts.
Beltane in a sentence
Beltane meaning
- The first day of May (since 1752); May Day, a Scottish quarter day, sometimes associated by Christians with the nearest Church Feast, the Invention of the Cross (3 May), and Whitsunday (15 May).
- An ancient Gaelic/Celtic May Day holiday celebration, at which large bonfires were built on the hilltops, revived by Celtic neopagans.
Using Beltane
- The main meaning on this page is: The first day of May (since 1752); May Day, a Scottish quarter day, sometimes associated by Christians with the nearest Church Feast, the Invention of the Cross (3 May), and Whitsunday (15 May). | An ancient Gaelic/Celtic May Day holiday celebration, at which large bonfires were built on the hilltops, revived by Celtic neopagans.
- In the example corpus, beltane often appears in combinations such as: the beltane, beltane bonfire, of beltane.
Context around Beltane
- Average sentence length in these examples: 20.7 words
- Position in the sentence: 6 start, 8 middle, 6 end
- Sentence types: 20 statements, 0 questions, 0 exclamations
Corpus analysis for Beltane
- In this selection, "beltane" usually appears in the middle of the sentence. The average example has 20.7 words, and this corpus slice is mostly made up of statements.
- Around the word, spring, era, wiccan, bonfire, rituals and studios stand out and add context to how "beltane" is used.
- Recognizable usage signals include 1 february beltane 1 may and active at beltane as at. That gives this page its own corpus information beyond isolated example sentences.
- By corpus frequency, "beltane" sits close to words such as aare, aarti and abl, which helps place it inside the broader word index.
Example types with beltane
The same corpus examples are grouped by length and sentence type, making it easier to see the contexts in which the word appears:
Neopagan handfasting ceremony at Avebury (Beltane 2005). (7 words)
Beltane celebrates the seasons in the natural world. (8 words)
Alternatively it could be a field where the Beltane festival was celebrated. (12 words)
During the design phase, the appointed artist, Ruaraig Maciver from Beltane Studios, consulted with the community to learn about local and find out what cultural and heritage aspects of the area could be incorporated. (34 words)
The aos sí (often referred to as spirits or fairies) were thought to be especially active at Beltane (as at Samhain) and the goal of many Beltane rituals was to appease them. (32 words)
She immediately decided to take action and looked up the details of her local Slimming World Group which was held the next day in the Beltane Bowling Club in Wishaw. (30 words)
Example sentences (20)
The aos sí (often referred to as spirits or fairies) were thought to be especially active at Beltane (as at Samhain) and the goal of many Beltane rituals was to appease them.
During the design phase, the appointed artist, Ruaraig Maciver from Beltane Studios, consulted with the community to learn about local and find out what cultural and heritage aspects of the area could be incorporated.
Beltane celebrates the seasons in the natural world.
It is followed by Imbolc on February 1, marking the return of spring; Beltane on May 1, welcoming summer; and Lughnasa on August 1, celebrating the fruit harvest.
She immediately decided to take action and looked up the details of her local Slimming World Group which was held the next day in the Beltane Bowling Club in Wishaw.
All household fires would be doused and then re-lit from the Beltane bonfire.
Alternatively it could be a field where the Beltane festival was celebrated.
At dawn on Beltane, maidens would roll in the dew or wash their faces with it.
Before the modern era Beltane (the beginning of summer) and Samhain (the beginning of winter) are thought to have been the most important of the four Gaelic festivals.
Beltane celebrations had largely died out by the mid-20th century, although some of its customs continued and in some places it has been revived as a cultural event.
Bonfires A Beltane bonfire at Butser Ancient Farm Bonfires continued to be a key part of the festival in the modern era.
Everyone present would then take an oatmeal cake, called the bannoch Bealltainn or "Beltane bannock ".
Holy wells were also visited, while Beltane dew was thought to bring beauty and maintain youthfulness.
Holy wells were visited at Imbolc, and at the other Gaelic festivals of Beltane and Lughnasa.
However, his source is unknown, and Ronald Hutton supposes that Keating had mistaken a Beltane custom for a Samhain one.
However there is no authentic connection of Tara with Babylon, nor any known connection of Tara with Beltane.
In general, the Wiccan Beltane is more akin to the Germanic/English May Day festival, both in its significance (focusing on fertility) and its rituals (such as maypole dancing).
It was one of four Gaelic seasonal festivals: Samhain (~1 November), Imbolc (~1 February), Beltane (~1 May) and Lughnasadh (~1 August).
Neopagan handfasting ceremony at Avebury (Beltane 2005).
Neopagans in the Southern Hemisphere often celebrate Beltane at the other end of the year (around 1 November).
Common combinations with beltane
These word pairs occur most frequently in English texts:
- the beltane 3×
- beltane bonfire 3×
- of beltane 2×
- beltane and 2×