Ancient Beltane Festival at Glastonbury Tor

From the collection of

The Box
Established in 1992, the South West Film & Television Archive collection spans from 1893 to the present day containing more than 250,000 items. Formed from a variety of depositors, including broadcast news and programmes material from the Westward and TSW archive. In 2018 the archive collection transferred to The Box in Plymouth.

Ancient Beltane Festival at Glastonbury Tor


Rite of spring is celebrated to signify renewal

The Beltane Celebrations at Glastonbury Tor are a celebration of the ancient Celtic pagan fertility rite of spring. The Glastonbury Order of Druids holds the celebration to usher out winter and welcome in spring and a time of renewal. Ceremonies are held every year with a community group running celebrations at the White Spring, Market Cross and Bushey Comne in the centre of the town. The day culminates in a Beltane fire and service at the Abbey.

Pagans worship the spirit of nature. Druids, Heathens, Odinists, Sacred Ecologists, Shamans, Wiccans form part of the Pagan community. At the spring equinox, the sun is rising and plants growing and pagans prepare for the gifts of summer. Stone circles such as Stonehenge near Glastonbury are oriented towards the sun and an obvious place of worship. Ley lines are believed to be spiritual or mystical geographical alignments and thought to converge around Glastonbury.


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