Going down in flames
So, how does Beltane compare to other Scottish holidays?
Oh, well, there's Beltane, when we light bonfires and jump through them.
And then there's Up Helly Aa, when we parade though the streets with torches, pitch them into a viking longship and sing while it burns... there's the Stonehaven fireball ceremony when we parade through the streets swinging giant fireballs around our heads... and Burning the Clavie when we parade through the streets with a burning barrel full of wood & tar...
And who can forget Celtic Samhain and Halloween when we burn various bits of things; Hogmanay, when we burn juniper; and, everybody's favourite, Guy Fawkes Night, when we burn Guy Fawkes.
And ultimately there's Burns Night, when we read poetry.
Must have something to do with the climate. Imagine a lifetime of long dark, wet winters in which the sun comes up but not out... under those circumstances I'd find a lot of reasons for setting things on fire.
Posted by edgar at May 1, 2006 12:46 PM