Big Beltane: May Day Song and Custom

Big Beltane: May Day Song and Custom

Author: Fair Folk April 25, 2019 Duration: 51:34
May Day, or Beltane in Scottish Gaelic, is a joyous occasion to welcome new growth and fertility in the fields, the hills and home. With its all-night bonfires, green branches, towering may poles and delicate flowers, this might be the most tactile and sensual holiday of the entire year. And it's just bursting with song. Check out my 2020 May Almanac episode and others: https://www.patreon.com/posts/generous-wood-36480866 Instagram: danica.boyce https://www.instagram.com/danica.boyce Youtube channel: Fair Folk https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw5BgVgYLuRWmEs66AHx38A/featured Music: Intro: "Forest March" by Sylvia Woods "Hal-An-Tow" by the Watersons "Arise, Arise" by Robert White "Jack in the Green" by Martin and Shan Graebe "Maypole Dance" by Richard Myhill "Searching For Lambs"(feat. Graham Coxon) by Lisa Knapp "As I Walked Through the Meadows" by Magpie Lane "As I Roved Out" by The Voice Squad "Bedfordshire May Carol" by Jack Sharp "In the Merry Month of May" by Patricia Spero "The May Morning Dew" by John Lyons "Padstow Hobby Horse" on English Customs and Traditions (album) "Padstow" by Steeleye Span "May Song" by Beggars Velvet

There's a deep, resonant history woven into the melodies passed down through generations across Europe, and Fair Folk Podcast is an invitation to listen closely. Each episode feels less like a lecture and more like a quiet conversation in a familiar room, where the focus rests entirely on the music itself-the ancient carols, the seasonal ballads, the work songs that carried people through their days. We explore these traditions not as dusty artifacts, but as living expressions of community, spirituality, and the human experience. You'll hear the songs in their raw, often haunting beauty, accompanied by reflections on their origins and the cultures that sustained them. This isn't about polished production; it's about authenticity and connection. Tuning into this podcast offers a rare space to slow down and let these timeless sounds settle in, revealing stories and emotions that feel both profoundly old and surprisingly immediate. It's a journey for anyone curious about the roots of folk music, the power of sacred song, or simply the comfort found in a melody that has weathered centuries. The Fair Folk podcast serves as a gentle guide, ensuring these resonant traditions find new ears and continue to echo into the future.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 67

Fair Folk Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Lughnasadh Special with Scottish storyteller Daniel Allison [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:29
Subscribe to my Substack newsletter: https://enthusiastica.substack.com/ Join the Cave of Dreams workshop series: https://www.houseoflegends.me/cave-of-dreams In this episode, Daniel Allison tells the story of the god Lu…
The Twelve Days: December Almanac [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:03
This episode explores folklore and pagan origins of the 12 days of Christmas, with a focus on the feminine winter figures of Perchta, Holle, and Grýla, featuring a conversation with Jenn Campus, author of A Guide to Cele…
Little Christmas: December Almanac [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:41
This episode surveys the folklore of the first half of December, including St. Nicholas' Day on Dec 6th, St. Lucia's day on Dec. 13th, and the solstice. As we approach the darkest point of winter, I ask you to follow the…
The Banquet Beyond the Veil - Halloween Almanac [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:39
In this episode I gently interrogate what we mean when we say "the veil is thin" at Halloween, and offer a vision of the whole of winter as a season of hospitality between humans and the otherworld(s) through fire, story…
Fire & Water: June Almanac [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:42
We have reached the energetic peak of the year. The main ancient and folkloric themes of June ritualise the human relationship to two of our primary life-givers, the sun and water. Our romance with these elements (and on…
The Generous Wood: May Almanac [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:11
This episode outlines the key themes of May folklore embodied in the celebrations of May 1st, aka May Day or Beltane: bonfires for purification and protection, veneration of plants and trees, the leading of animals to gr…
Bear Culture: Scandinavian bear folklore with Olle Möllervärn [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:51
This episode my guest is Olle Möllervärn, Swedish folklore and paganism researcher and bear nerd! In this episode we discuss animism and how it brings us into more ethical relationship with animals, the connection betwee…
Dawn Rising: April Almanac [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:39
This episode outlines the folklore of April in northern Europe: April Fool's day, Palm Sunday, Easter, St. George's day, and the history of gathering greenery for ritual and soups, rising at the dawn to worship a goddess…
Wolf Milk: February Almanac [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:11
This almanac episode dives into the folklore of February through the lens of the Ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia on February 15th, tracing the themes of birth, milk, wolves, wildness, purification, death, twilight,…