Easter Beltane?

As you know, I love a good holiday.  I love them so much I will gladly celebrate secular versions of any of the major religious observances.  Easter is an interesting problem this year.  Normally, it is so much closer to the Spring Equinox.  Since the typical symbols of Easter are actually more appropriate for the Spring Equinox it was always such an easy fit.  But this year, with Easter on April 24th, it is actually much closer to Beltane. I have written about Persephone's Beltane before.

I decided with Easter and Beltane just around the corner, it was time again to consult the Hellenic Cuisine Cookbook and find and appropriate offering for the holiday feast. 

The cookbook conveniently references May Day or Protomayia in Greek.  They suggest that it is "traditionally a day for an outing for which we suggest the following menu:"

Lamb Cooked in Foil

Pastitsio (Baked Macaroni)

Dolmathes (Stuffed Grape Leaves)

Vegetable Platter

Greek Cheese Pie

Greek Bread

Coffee or Cool Drinks

Pasta Flora

Fresh Fruit

In only the way that this cookbook can do, it doesn't provide any information on some of these recipes.  I couldn't find the "Pasta Flora" at all so I had to google it. It also seems that Pastitsio is a staple and since it is one of my favorites I have posted the recipe here before.  I love the lushness of this menu, too.  The foods seem so sensual and rich, which is perfect.  I decided to share a Dolmathes recipe here, which not only would honor Persephone this Beltane but also her brother, Dionysos who embodies much of what Beltane means. 

And, true to form, the cookbook doesn't offer just a regular Dolmathes recipe.  But I did fine one titled "Vine Leaves Stuffed With Rice".  I present it to you unedited for your reading and cooking pleasure.  I can never get enough of the way these old recipes are written even if it means I go "huh?" when I try to cook one. 

Needed:

50 Vine Leaves, Fresh or Canned

2 cups Rice

3 Medium Onions, Chopped

1.5 cups olive oil

1 lemon

1 cup chopped parsley

2 tablespoons pignolia nuts (pine nuts) and currants (optional)

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Prepare as follows: fry the chopped onions in oil until golden brown.  Add the washed rice and rest of ingredients and about 1 cup of water.  Cover and let simmer for a few minutes.  Let mixture cool.  Rinse and drain vine leaves.  Fill each leaf carefully, using one large or two small leaves for each dolma, making sure that the shiny side of the leaves remain on outside.  A teaspoon of the filling is sufficient and do not roll too tightly to allow room for rice to expand.  Place a few coarse leaves on bottom of pot, and arrange domathes side by side and layer upon layer until all leaves and filling are used.  Add three cups of water, a little salt, oil and the juice of one lemon.  Cover with a heavy plate and let simmer for 40-45 minutes or until the rice is cooked.  Serve cold. 

The Marriage of Land and Sea

Back in 2005, I was part of a Celtic Spirituality group here in Atlanta.  That year, I wrote a Beltane ritual that unfortunately never got used.  The premise was the marriage of Land and Sea using the gods Manannan Mac Lir and Dana.  I was thinking today about the myth of Demeter and the story where Poseidon pursues her so she turns into a mare to escape him and he turns into a stallion to seduce her.  The marriage of Land and Sea!  From Theoi.com:

"When Demeter was wandering in search of her daughter, she was followed, it is said, by Poseidon, who lusted after her. So she turned, the story runs, into a mare, and grazed with the mares of Ogkios [in Arkadia]; realising that he was outwitted, Poseidon changed into a stallion and enjoyed Demeter. At first, they say, Demeter was angry at what had happened, but later on she laid aside her wrath and wished to bathe in the Ladon ... Demeter, they say, had by Poseidon a daughter, whose name they are not wont to divulge to the uninitiated, and a horse called Areion ... In the Iliad there are verses about Areion himself: ‘Not even if he drive divine Areion behind, the swift horse of Adrastos, who was of the race of the gods.’


In the Thebaid it is said that Adrastos fled from Thebes: ‘Wearing wretched clothes, and with him dark-maned Areion.’ They will have it that the verses obscurely hint that Poseidon was father to Areion, but Antimakhos says that Gaia (Earth) was his mother." - Pausanias, Guide to Greece 8.25.

I thought I would share the original script even though it names the Celtic gods.  But it could easily be reworked for a Poseidon and Demeter ritual.

Beltane  2005

Open the ceremony with the traditional lighting of the Beltane fires.

Chant:

Spirit of fire carry me
Spirit of fire carry me
Spirit of fire carry me home
To myself 
(This is a chant I learned in Ireland at a St. Brigid's Day Celebration.  I do not know who wrote it, but the nuns at Kildare taught it to us)

Opening meditation/opening of the gates

Should include this somehow:
“Manaunaun was the Irish god of motion, who sent tremendous tides sweeping through the universe to keep its particles fresh until the time should come for the gods to make of them stars, seas, suns and worlds.” - Liner notes from “The Tides of Manaunaun” c. 1912. Henry Cowell

Introduction of Manannan Mac Lir.  (A participant dressed as the god of the ocean enters the ritual space and says:)

Ebb and Flow, the tide rolls out
the sea is the blood of the earth
The light of the sea and the pull of the moon
the waters within us are the same waters for generations
the same waters the flow and run through the land
the same waters that come in on the tide with the sea
(Invocation by Me)

Chant:

Spirit of water carry me
Spirit of water carry me
Spirit of water carry me home
To myself

Dana and the 4 treasures* enter the circle

Introduction of Dana (A participant dressed at the goddess of the earth enters the ritual space and says:)
The heart of the earth beats within all people
the light of the earth is resonate within usThrough the land we grow the roots that connect us with all things
There is a place in our hearts
a light in our hearts
that connects us to the land of our ancestors
and the land on which we live
(invocation by me)

Chant:

Spirit of the earth carry me
Spirit of the earth carry me
Spirit of the earth carry me home
To myself

The Wedding of The Land and the Sea

The god and goddess approach and face one another. They alternate lines (should be obvious) and both say the last stanza together.  ("Vows" written by me)

I roll in on the tides
As the ancient tales abide


I am the mother who gives birth
To the plants and trees and the earth


I am water’s ebb and flow
You are the grains that we grow


I am the goddess of the land
As your waves approach the sand


I am the rains that bring to life
I ask the land to be my wife


I know your waters, streams and lakes
I do agree and your hand I take


I myself do vow to thee
The marriage of the land and sea

They should take each other’s hands at this time and kiss once on each cheek. Perhaps embracing at this time, as they are comfortable.

The presentation of the 4 gifts:

The stone of destiny is brought in and presented to the “couple” with some appropriate words. Then a basket or bag of small stones is presented to the group.

The sword of the warrior is brought in and presented to the “couple” with some appropriate words. Then a warrior blessing is offered to the entire group.

The spear of the druid is brought in and presented to the “couple” with some appropriate words. Then a druid blessing is offered to the entire group.

The Dagda’s Cauldron is brought in and presented to the “couple” with some appropriate words. Then “cakes and ale” is presented as the bounty to the entire group.

Closing words or “meditation”

Sing "Walk with Wisdom". (This was a chant we used to close all our circles, but unfortunately I don't remember who wrote it or what the words were.  If anyone knows, please feel free to shout it out!)

Persephone's Beltane

Tomorrow is Beltane. Or tonight, depending on your calculations. I completely recognize and understand that Beltane is not at all a Hellenic holiday.  I also believe that the Gods are real and not contained in a tiny little Hellenic-only bubble and that they are everywhere and see and know everything.  Including Beltane. 

And I think Beltane makes Persephone sad.  She is the very symbol of growth and fertility, and yet for this festival she has been snatched away from her husband.  She doesn't get to feel his touch or his kiss on this day.  Warning, do not click on this hyperlink if you are sensitive to harsh language or sex.

What I do think Persephone loves about this season is the Flowers.  They are occasionally described as "Springing from her steps".  Tomorrow is a great time to celebrate her along with the flowers of the season. 

I will celebrate the irises outside my door.

And the pretty little flowers on the dwarf mountain laurel.

And the Indigo that was given to us as a housewarming present by some friends.  (I also plan to smuggle that out of here when we move!)

Spring Cocktail

I have a longer post brewing about my perceptions of the Persephone Myth in relation to the Beltane Season.  For now, I'll just say that even though she is frequently a symbol of springtime and the earth's fertility, she is unable to spend the Beltane holiday with her lover, and that must make her sad. 

So, to cheer her up, here is a link to a site to make festive cocktails out of sparkling wine. 

Cheers, Persephone!

Oh, and by the way... it would probably not be a good idea to mix any sort of mint based drink for her.  It doesn't make her feel very good.