Happy May Day! Beltane/Beltaine/Bealtaine is the Gaelic May Day festival, held midway between the spring equinox and summer solstice - commonly May 1. It celebrates the beginning of summer and the end of the dark winter half of the year. Clodagh Doyle highlights some of the customs and traditions of May Day on the "Our Irish Heritage" website:

• Flowers, dancing and bonfires are frequently featured in May Day festivities.
• Superstitious practices were intended to protect homes and livestock against supernatural forces.
• Bushes (the May Bush) are still decorated with ribbons, streamers, tinsel, or sometimes candles. "Long life, A pretty wife, and a candle for the May Bush" was a rhyme Dublin children chanted when asking for contributions, candles or sweets for their May Day celebrations.
• Flowers are placed on doorsteps and windowsills. Supposedly this prevents fairies from entering homes because they wouldn't be able to pass by sweet-smelling flowers.

Doyle's complete article about May Day can be read at: www.ouririshheritage.org/page_id__131.aspx The first Monday in May is now officially celebrated as Labour Day or International Workers Day. May 4, 2015 is a bank holiday in Ireland.