Huge crowds turn out for Beltane celebrations in Glastonbury
HUNDREDS of people took to the streets of Glastonbury to celebrate Beltane, or May Day, in a colourful procession and a series of live performances.
In Glastonbury, May Day celebrations, also known as Beltane, is a Pagan celebration of the start of the summer and the halfway point between the spring equinox and summer solstice.
The festivities prominently feature a procession of giant red and white dragon figures, a May Pole, musicians, drummers, Morris Dancers, fire-keepers and ribbon bearers.
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The dragons are said to symbolize the transition from winter to summer and are a central part of a neopagan celebration in Glastonbury that includes other traditional elements such as naming the May King and Queen.
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Mike Jeffries said: 'The red dragon represents summer, while the white dragon represents winter, and a battle between them is sometimes staged before the main procession.'
The 2025 May Queen and May King are Thomas Irvine and Eva Margarethe.
They said: 'Beltane is about fertility in every sense. A new growth, new energy, new connection, and we all saw it in motion yesterday.
'We feel so blessed to hold the roles of May Queen and May King this year. This isn't just a title to us, but a responsibility, a gift and an honour to receive this blessing from the community.'
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