Beltane Fire Festival marks arrival of summer in Edinburgh

Thousands of people have gathered in Edinburgh to mark the arrival of summer at the annual Beltane Fire Festival.

Revellers flocked to the city’s Calton Hill on Wednesday night for the traditional Celtic ritual display celebrating the turning of the seasons.

About 7,000 people were in attendance to see the hill lit up with fire-filled displays soundtracked by thunderous drumming and performers in striking costumes.

The festival has been celebrated in the city on 30 April every year since 1988, but its traditions are thousands of years old.

Elders known as the “Blues” provide space for the community to tell the traditional stories of the May Queen, and the death and rebirth of the Green Man.

The role of May Queen, a mother goddess figure, is usually held by the performer for several years.

The story dictates the transition from winter to summer, which can only happen when the Green Man, an archetypal figure in folklore all over the UK, dies and is reborn again.

He does so in order to shake off the last vestiges of winter.

In October, the Samhuinn Fire Festival takes place at Holyrood Park, marking the transition back to the winter months.

Jenny Bloom, chair of the Beltane Fire Society, said: “Another year, another magical Beltane.

“As we roll into summer and carry the May Queen’s message of renewal with us, a huge thank you to the hundreds of volunteers and thousands of witnesses who made it all happen.”