Beltane Beltane BELTANE!

[Kaylara]

What are some ideas for celebrating Beltane with family?

Kaylara

[reanna]

Great question Kaylara. I am really looking forward to seeing some ideas. I read some of Litha's posts so far, great ideas.

[mol]

A nice campfire and roasting marshmallows!

[Hestia]

I just picked up the book Circle Round- Raising Children in Goddess Traditions by Starhawk, Diane Baker and Anne Hill. There are some great ideas in it for all the sabbats. One of the ones I thought might be fun to do with my 4 yr old is called Feeding the Fairies. I thought we could also take it one step further and make a fairy house (maybe decorate a bird house) that we could leave out in a special spot in the garden. In lieu of having a maypole I thought we could tie festive ribbons on the branches of our trees to go along with our May Day feasting.

[reanna]

I may have to go looking for the book tomorrow.
Thanks for posting.
:)

[Earth Walker]

Maypole Centerpiece

Items needed:

* 18" wood dowel or thin brach
* 6-9" diameter flat round plaque
* One small grapevine wreath approximately 6-8" in
diameter, decorated on both sides.
* one yard each of red and white ribbon
* scissors
* drill and 1/4" drill bit
* one 1-1/4" length flat-head wood screw(adjust
length to thickness of wood plaque as screw will
need to extend through the plaque to secure the
dowel on the other side)
* hot glue gun and glue stick

1. Drill hole through bottom of center of plaque and
drill a hole 1/2" deep into the bottom of the dowel.
2. Glue ribbons crossed on top of dowel.
3. Attach dowel to stand by screwing the screw
through the plaque, and then screw dowel onto the screw.
4. Glue wreath on top of the dowel by melting a medium dab of glue on top of the crossed ribbons and to the bottom of the wreath, then join the wreath to the top of the dowel. To make more secure, wait a few
minutes and then glue around the edge of the wreath
where it meets the dowel, filling in gaps.
5. Braid the ribbons--one color going left and under the other color, which is moving right. Braid about 2"
down dowel and tack to dowel with hot glue gun to keep it in place. When set, tack the ends of the ribbon
to the edge of the wood plaque with hot glue.
6. You can also add a small figurine, bird figure, or
other symbolic items in the opening of the wreath.

[MammaStar]

Great ideas!

My son and I want to make May baskets this year and leave them for a few of our neighbors.

They don't have to be very big, and you can put a little trinket or treat in it. Just make sure no one sees you. That's part of the fun!

[Earth Walker]

May Serpent Cake

Ingredients(makes two cakes):

* 3/4 cup of sugar
* 1/2 tsp. of ground cloves
* 1-1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
* grated zest of one orange
* 1 tsp. salt
* 4-1/2 cups plus 2 tbsp. unbleached all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup unsalted butter
* 3/4 cup plus 3 tbsp. honey, boiling
* 1/2 cup strong brewed espresso coffee
* 1 egg
* 1/3 cup amaretto or rum
* 1/3 cup jam; wild cherry or raspberry
* coffee beans and cancied orange peel for garnish
* 1 tsp. baking soda

Mix the sugar, spices, orange zest, baking soda, and
salt into the flour. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender
until it is the size of small pebbles. Pour in the boiling honey, coffee, and liquer and mix until smooth. Let cool
and then turn out onto a floured surface.
Divide the dough in half. Roll the first half into an 18-inch long cylinder. Make a deep trough down the center
and carefully place it, seam side down, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Be sure that the
smooth side is up. Bend the dough carefully into a circle
and fashion the snake's head at one end, making a
triangle shape. Taper the other end to make the tail.
Firmly set two coffee beans for the snake's eyes.
Bake the cakes at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes.

[Fawn]

I am giving my child an adult gift this year. A razor. Also love the ideas. I will be celebrating in the usual ways.

[reanna]

Thank you for sharing. :)

[Mairwen]

Originally posted by Mystique
4. Glue wreath on top of the dowel by melting a medium dab of glue on top of the crossed ribbons and to the bottom of the wreath, then join the wreath to the top of the dowel. To make more secure, wait a few
minutes and then glue around the edge of the wreath
where it meets the dowel, filling in gaps.


Aack. Maybe I just don't have a good visual here, but how do you glue the wreath to the top of the dowel?!