Dreams for Beltane
local writers celebrate the First of May
Thursday 1 May, Zoom, 7.00pm
Tickets: £3/£2*
(Writers selected to read admitted free)
The First of May resounds with cultural and social associations. It was celebrated by the ancient Romans as Floralia, a festival of Flora their goddess of flowers, and in Graeco-Syrian culture as Maiouma, a hedonistic celeration of Dionysus and Aphrodite. Celtic and Pagan tradition have long celebrated Beltane – or Saint Walpurgis Day - which traditionally marks the start of summer and is associated with feasting, the lighting of symbolic bonfires (where people often leap over the flames), and rituals to protect cattle, people and crops, and encourage growth.
But the First of May also marks a very different celebration – International Workers’ Day, a national public holiday in many countries. The date was chosen by the American Federation of Labor to commemorate a general strike that had begun on 1 May 1886. It became a yearly event for trade unions of all countries to demonstrate for the legal establishment of the eight-hour day, for the demands of the working classes, and for universal peace. The Catholic Church more recently dedicated 1 May to Saint Joseph the Worker, the patron saint of workers and craftsmen.
The date has marked many significant historic events: the abolition of the slave trade in Europe, the Act of Union of England and Scotland, the launch of the Penny Black stamp, the announcement of the death of Adolf Hitler, Fidel Castro declaring Cuba a socialist nation, the 1997 Labour victory in the UK general election...
We're inviting local writers to submit a story (fictional or factual) or a poem on any of these themes to share with us all. Beyond being topical (and broadcastable, of course), there are no rules: you may write in any genre and any of this date's associations - pagan ritual, the arrival of summer blossom, feasting, the turn of the seasons, workers rights campaigns or marches, histories of social struggle, the hope for universal peace - are equally valid to explore.
Entries will close on 12 April, with shortlisted writers notified by 23 April.