Beltane - May Day Memories

Good Beltane to all. Well, the wish is slightly early if you celebrate on Sunday, but on time if you celebrate today. Heck - give yourself permission to spend an entire weekend celebrating the end of winter and beginning of spring. 

May Pole dancing for Beltane dates back into the Middle Ages and
probably much earlier. I've watched a lot of really bad May Pole
dancing over the years, but it's what's in the heart that counts. 

It's the weekend of May Day. In the modern world this has often meant military parades and shows of armed might marching down main streets to impress the other nations of the world. I remember seeing parades of tanks, vehicles, and thousands of soldiers marching in Red Square as I was growing up. Every May Day's news reports from around the world would show the current Soviet leaders standing atop the Kremlin wall watching the might of the nation parade in front of them. Then, often, there would also be a long speech exhorting and entertaining the people of the extensive land, telling them that because they had all of this might ready to go to war on their behalf, they were the best nation in the world. 

The large marches and parades in Red Square were a part of my
childhood memories, watching them on the TV news that night. 

How did that go, oh Soviet Union? Well, not so good, really. A war or 'military action' in Afghanistan - a disaster that the US is also finding out. Apparently there's something really difficult about mountains, deep valleys, narrow roads, animal tracks through the cliffs, and a people who don't want to be changed. Afghanistan was a disaster for the might of the Soviets and it may well also survive the US's attempts at cracking the windows to the outside world. 

The Soviets were in Afghanistan several times, and now the
US is there. One small nation that seems to be of great interest
to a lot of different world governments. 

Then there was Chechnya, another disaster for the Soviet Union's might and I'm sure there were others. Military might always seems more impressive in the country of origin than out in the field. 

Go ahead - hug a tree to celebrate Beltane. Trees always give
back so much more than we give them. Acknowledge them, love
them, and show them they are appreciated. 

I'm going to celebrate Beltane in a more benign way - I'll talk to my trees, I'll hug a few of them, I might decorate one or two of my favorite maple trees, and I'll see if there's a virtual May Pole that I can dance around since DH wouldn't do such a thing and there's no May Pole anywhere near me. It is the beginning of one of my favorite months, so I'm looking forward to my weekend. Hope yours is fantastic too. Good Beltane to all!