The Druids of Calton Hill - Edinburgh Beltane Fire Festival 2014

Interview with Matthew Richardson, spokesman for the Beltane Fire Festival 2014

1. Tell us about the Celtic traditions on which the Beltane Fire Festival is based.

The Beltane Fire Festival follows some of the core Celtic traditions, and features some of the key events and characters form Celtic mythology, including the Neid Fire, Beltane Bonfire and the May Queen/Green Man.  However our festival equally features new aspects and characters, drawn from other customs and traditions around the world, as well as some of our own unique customs and characters, which have developed over the last 25 years of running the festival.

2. The Blue Men are described on the Festival’s web page as keepers of “Beltane Lore”. Can you tell us more about the Blue Men? Keeper’s of Lore was, generally speaking, the role of the Druid in Celtic society as the Druidical tradition banned the writing down of knowledge and ritual practices. Is there an awareness amongst the Blue Men of the similarity between the role they play and that played by Druids in pre-Christian Celtic culture?

Many aspects of the Blues in our Beltane was originally inspired by the role of Druid in Celtic society, and many of the aspects of the Bluerole mirror the roles that would have been performed in the Druidical tradition - the passing on of stories and traditions (usually orally, rather than written down), helping to coordinate and advise on the rituals and route of the festival (both the event, and the preparation for it) and supporting the court on their journey.  The role of the Blues has changed over the years, from initially being a purely performance role, to one more involved in the rituals and traditions of the event, depending on the needs of the festival and the society.

3. Central to the Beltane ritual is the journey of the May Queen, who represents the fertility of spring, and her consort, the Green Man, through the celebrants to conclusion of the procession. Can you share with us how the May Queen and Green Man are selected?

The May Queen character is selected from existing members of the society to hold the role for a number of years, until that individual feels that they wish to move on from the role.  As such we have only had 6 May Queens over the last 25 years.  Usually the May Queen is someone who has been involved in a number of festivals (often in a role associated with the May Queen, such as the White Women), and is known to the majority of members of the society.  Selection is done by the current May Queen, with assistance from the Blues, with final say falling to the Beltane board.

The Green Man is usually selected 'fresh' each Beltane, and unlike the May Queen, is not always someone known to the society - in some years the Green Man has been a completely new introduction to the festival. The Green Man is selected from interviews by the May Queen and Blues with prospective candidates, and is chosen based on their own interpretation of the role for the current festival, and seeing how it fits in with the larger aims of the May Queen and the society for that year.

4. The villains of the Beltane festival are the Red Men who attempt to impede then journey of the May Queen and the Green Man. Tell us about the role the Red Men play at the Beltane Fire Festival.

The Red Men are perhaps best thought of as aspects of the chaos of nature and the universe - not malicious or consciously interfering with the journey of the procession, but instead getting in the way with their curiosity and inquisitiveness.  Drawn to the May Queen and Green Man like moths to a flame, they interact with the raw energy of the procession, but their advances are initially repelled.  Only later, when they see the death and rebirth of the Green Man, do they become tied to the 'here and now' and become less chaotic and more tamed, allowing a fuller interaction with the other characters.

5. Describe the logistics that go in to the lighting of the festival fires.

The Neid fire and bonfire tradition is very important to us, being one of the oldest traditions of Beltane that is known. At the start of our festival, we use a traditional bow drill to create an ember and start a fire, which we then use to light all the torches which are carried by the torch-bearers who accompany the procession. This fire then travels round the hill, lighting other points along the way, until the procession reaches the bonfire.  Here the May Queen takes the fire and uses it to light the bonfire, moving around the fire in a symbolic cleansing.  The warmth, light and smoke from the fire serves to cleanse and purify those on the hill, as was traditional for the members of the community and their livestock at Beltanes across the UK.  All fire on the hill is thus lit from the initial Neid fire, in the tradition of the original Beltanes, where fire would be taken from the Neid fire to relight the fires in the hearths of the community.