The change of the season brings with it fundamental changes to our world – the winds die down, the sea is calmer, the sun is brighter, and life begins to sprout from the ground. To represent this cycle, and how it affects our relationship with our surroundings, we have Elemental groups perform at Beltane Fire Festival.

Earth Point this year is exploring the reciprocal relationship between humans and the landscape, where we give energy to work and tend it and in return receive food and nourishment. After a long hard winter plants are at last starting to grow again, kickstarting a time defined by abundance after a long period of scarcity. This is a joyful moment, as the arrival of Spring signals that we can stop scrimping and rationing and instead enjoy the Earth’s bounty in full bloom.

At the same time, we do not reject Winter in favour of Summer. The cycle of the seasons is part of living on Earth, and we respect that rotation between growth, birth, death, and renewal. Just as, in the Beltane story, the Green Man cannot join with the May Queen without first dying and being reborn, so Springtime cannot begin without the land first being stripped bare by Winter. Earth Point will pay tribute to that cycle through storytelling and interactive conversations on the night of Beltane Fire Festival.

Featured image by Martin McCarthy for Beltane Fire Society. All rights reserved.