Happy Beltane!

April 30th is a day steeped in tradition in Sweden. We call it Valborgsmässoafton (Valborg's Mass Eve) and it's tradition to light big bonfires and students put their graduation caps on and sing songs welcoming spring. Something about scaring witches away as well, I believe, but we're not that easily scared. There's Walpurgisnacht in Germany as well, but not exactly what the traditions are there, but I'm guessing it probably has the same Pagan roots as Valborg does.

On Beltane, the Wiccan tradition is that the God is a young man who meets and falls in love with the Goddess. They unite, and she becomes pregnant. In nature, animal babies are starting to take their first gentle steps into the new, green world. Bonfires are traditional, especially leaping across them, to ensure fertility during the year.

This is the sort of thing that'll be happening
back home in Sweden roundabout now.
Here, the magnolia has already finished.

As I've had a fever and a cold the past week, there's no real chance of me jumping over anything, except maybe breakfast (... okay, no, admittedly that joke works better in Swedish). But, there are other reasons to jump. It's my third wedding anniversary. :) When we were trying to set a date, I phoned the registry office with a list of different dates, as I wanted it to be a "special" date, so preferably one of the Pagan holidays. First one on the list was April 30, and they said it was free, so I didn't even have to check the rest!

The irony is that some years later, we found out that it was also the wedding date chosen by a certain genocidal, Austrian-born dictator who would celebrate his new-found marital bliss by committing suicide in a German bunker. He too had had chosen it because it was a "significant" date. Kinda puts a damper on things.

Still, in this house, it's our day, not anyone elses'. And we're planning on having a good day. So I wish you too have a good day and a wonderful Beltane. Hopefully the weather holds up!