Beltane: 7 things I do to celebrate

It’s that time of the year again! The first flowers are popping up, the first leaves are springing out, the birds are chirping all around and everything is just about to turn green. It is the time of Beltane, or as we call it here in the north, Valborg. For us it is a good time to welcome spring and saying a definite goodbye to winter. We can still have freezing temperatures during night though, in Norway it is actually recommended not to plant or sow seeds outside until late May. Here I will give some tips about how I create an enchanting night at 1st of May! But first I have to say, you can just as well choose a date which fits your schedule better or which coinsides with a weekend.

1. Decorate
   Every autumn I take down most of my garden decorations. Before Beltane I try to put it all back. The garden furniture, the fairy lights, the statues, the bed canopy, the festive flags and other deco. I make sure our campfire place is in good shape, with enough firewood. Then put out pillows and blankets and lanterns.
   
   2. Invite good friends
   Ok, since I live very remotely I must admit Beltane is often spent alone, just me and my partner. But that is wonderful as well, a chance for a truly romantic evening! Ideally though, we would spend the time with a small group of friends, and occasionally do.
   
   3. Dress up!
   Just experiement with what you have. When Beltane arrives and I feel all romantic and want to wear pretty dresses, I make sure to keep warm as well. I always wear white on this day, usually the only day during a year that I do. I combine the white with something green. Other spring colors could be nice as well. And I make sure to always wear flowers in my hair! This time we put on elf ears just for the fun of it. You should never take things too seriously.
   
   4. Make good food
   On a campfire evening, the food I make often consists of a rich salad, stick bread, cheese bites and whatever I have at the moment, and something good to drink. At this time of the year I always have birch sap available! I guess a good spring soup would be appropriate (based on nettles and wild garlic), and you can forage for spring greens to add to the salad as well. And I love to make milk based on rowan buds!
   
   This time we made sweet potato brownies for dessert, in hollowed-out oranges baked on the fire. Success! Recipe at the bottom of this blog entry.
   
   5. Light a campfire/bonfire
   Find a nice spot out in nature. We just do it in our garden as we have a lot of space and it’s easiest when we have a lot to carry.
   
   6. Put on good music
   I bring either a cd-player or a bluetooth speaker for my music. I personally like to listen to enchanting and festive music, and at least some of it will be inspired by spring. I have an abundance of such music, but if you need a tip, I would say things like Loreena McKennitt, Faun or Wardruna. Or bring your own instruments, like drums and flutes!
   
   7. Have a great time
   Do what you love. Hang out with your friends. Chat. Pet your cat. Dance around the fire. Gaze at the stars. Think about the beauty of spring and the summer to come. Let your body reconnect to nature and feel grounded after a long winter. Let go of your worries and feel the joy coming from nature all around you, the excitement and anticipation and the love in the air!

Sweet Potato Brownies

Sweet potatoes are perfect to make healthy vegan desserts. I’ve used this recipe regularly the last years and I prefer it to all other chocolate cakes. I like to put a cacao glaze on top, when I make it as a regular cake.

Ingredients

• 2 sweet potatoes (700 g)
• Almonds (100 g)
• 1 cup oats (100 g)
• 12 tbsp cocoa powder
• 10 dates
• Stevia to taste
• A pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Peel the sweet potatoes, chop them and steam or boil them until soft (about 25 minutes).
2. Preheat the oven to 355ºF or 180ºC.
3. When the sweet potatoes are cool, place the almonds in a food processor and blend them to make almond flour.
4. Add the oats and blend again.
5. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend one more time.
6. Place the batter into a baking dish and bake for 45 minutes. Baking time may vary depending on the oven you’re using. Then let it cool down.

What I did here was to hollow out oranges, and pour the batter into them. I first added some orange flesh/peel to the batter. And a pinch of vanilla. Then put them in the embers of the fire. The orange peel should protect them from getting burnt, but if you want you can also wrap them in tin foil. We also sometimes bake bananas on the fire.

Here are a few pictures from another Beltane celebration we had, equally lovely and magical! I wish I could have shown more from after it got dark, but alas I am not that good with cameras yet.

I would love to know: What do you on the eve of Beltane? Or what do you dream of doing?

For more inspiration, check out this earlier post about celebrating Beltane! Click here