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Beltane Has Scottish Gaelic Roots
To the ancient Celts, May Day marked the start of summer, and a critical time when the boundaries between the human and supernatural worlds were removed, requiring that people take special measures to protect themselves against enchantments. The Beltane fire festival originated in a summer ritual in which cattle were herded between two huge bonfires to protect them from evil and disease. The word Beltane has been used in English since the 15th century, but the earliest known instance of the word in print—as well as the description of that summer ritual—appears in an Irish glossary commonly attributed to Cormac, a king and bishop who lived in the south of Ireland near the end of the first millennium.
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“Beltane.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Beltane. Accessed 31 Jul. 2026.
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