April 30th / May 1   Beltane Teen / Young Adult Activities

Dancing around a May pole is a popular and fun tradition of this sabbat. If you don’t have a tall pole available, use a tree on your property, at a local park or in a wooded area.  Attach ribbons to the pole so that each participant has their own ribbon. They should be long enough that the participant can stand 4 to 6 yards from the pole while holding the ribbon. Every-other person will be facing right and holding a ribbon in the left hand, and the alternate people will be facing left, holding the ribbon in the right hand.

As you start the music (drumming, chanting, or whatever you prefer), everyone begins to move in the direction they are facing. The people going left (clockwise) should hold their ribbons up first, allowing the person going right who is approaching them (counter-clockwise) to go beneath it. After going under one ribbon, the people going right should move out and hold up their ribbon, allowing the person approaching them to go beneath it. Everyone should be going in a pattern so that they are going under, then over, then under, then over each person they pass. Don’t worry if you make a mistake or bump into each other. Just laugh it off and keep going. Weave in and out this way until your ribbon is so tightly wound around the pole you can go no more, then tie the ribbon off.

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