The Beltane Fire Festival, held on Calton Hill on 30th April, is a neo-pagan fertility ceremony. Revellers in costume and bodypaint dance around the hill to the sound of various drummers, musicians. Bonfires rage and spectacular props abound to make the whole thing a rare and often enthralling sight. It all begins at about 9:30p when the May Queen emerges from the Acropolis with her White Women. Together with the Green Man, they process around the hill visiting sites dedicated to each of the four elements. After the Dionysian Red Men have been seen off, the Green Man is subjected to a symbolic death and resurrection before marrying the May Queen. Fires are lit and the May Queen returns to her bower as the festival continues on through the night.





Each year I go to Edinburgh I walk Carlton Hill a couple of times. The climb is moderate but the rew...
Reviewed by:A Yahoo! Contributor from on Jul 31 2006