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Beltane
"Bless, O Threefold true and bountiful,
Myself, my spouse and my children,
My tender children and their beloved mother at their head,
On the fragrant plain, at the gay mountain sheiling,
On the fragrant plain, at the gay mountain sheiling.
Everything within my dwelling or in my possession,
All kine and crops, all flocks and corn,
From Hallow Eve to Beltane Eve,
With goodly progress and gentle blessing,
From sea to sea, and every river mouth,
From wave to wave, and base of waterfall."
Happy Beltane and May Day! As we celebrate, the lush greens of leafy trees and the vivid hues of bluebells and budding flowers inspire the Craobh tartan, which means 'tree' in Scottish Gaelic. This tartan reflects the significance of trees and flowers in the Beltane festival (Latha Bealltainn), historically celebrated across Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. Beltane heralds the beginning of summer, marking the time when cattle were sent to summer pastures. The festival's traditions included adorning May bushes, scattering flowers, and the ritualistic cutting and burning of wood from thorn trees. These trees are closely associated with the 'aos si'—the spirits or fairies believed to be especially active during Beltane and Samhain. Such practices were thought to safeguard cattle, crops, and people, fostering growth. Bonfires, believed to possess protective powers, were lit, their flames, smoke, and ashes used to shield homes, windows, barns, and livestock. Decorations often featured white or yellow May flowers like primrose, rowan, hawthorn, gorse, hazel, and marsh marigolds. In Celtic traditions, many trees and woody shrubs—such as oak, ash, birch, rowan, willow, alder, white-thorn, and hazel—were revered as sacred, either as symbols, for their medicinal properties, or as dwellings of particular nature spirits. 💜 💚 💙 🌳 🔥 🌼 💙 💚 💜
Designed by Claire Hunter, the Craobh tartan is intended to capture the spirit and beauty of Scotland's wild woodlands. The design represents the rich tapestry of the forest with streams, flora and fauna adding colour and vibrancy.
The mountain ash, rowan, or quicken tree is particularly prominent in Scottish and Irish folklore.
There are several recorded instances in which people refused to cut an ash, even when wood was scarce, for fear of having their own cabins consumed with flame. The ash tree itself is thought to have been used in May Day (Beltaine) rites.
The ash also gives its name to the letter N in the ogham alphabet as part of the Old Irish word nin. Together with the oak and thorn, the ash tree forms a magical trilogy in fairy lore.
Ash seedpods may be used in divination, and the wood has the power to ward off fairies, especially on the Isle of Man. And in Scotland, children were given the astringent sap of the tree as a medicine and as a protection against witch-craft.
The medieval Welsh poem Cad Goddeu (The Battle of the Trees) is believed to contain Celtic tree lore, possibly relating to the crann ogham, the branch of the ogham alphabet where tree names are used as mnemonic devices.
Ogham is an Early Medieval alphabet used primarily to write the early Irish language in the 4th to 6th centuries and later the Old Irish language through the 9th century. Out of twenty letter names, eight are the names of trees, which has led the alphabet to be referred to as the Celtic tree alphabet. Ogham inscriptions are found in Ireland and Wales, with a few in southwest England (Devon and Cornwall), the Isle of Man, and Scotland, including Shetland and a single example from Silchester in England. They were mainly employed as territorial markers and memorials (grave stones).
For more about the Ogham alphabet, click the trees in flower.