[The Beltane fires on the first of May in the Highlands of Scotland; description of the Beltane fires by John Ramsay of Ochtertyre in the eighteenth century.]

In the central Highlands of Scotland bonfires, known as the Beltane fires, were formerly kindled with great ceremony on the first of May, and the traces of human sacrifices at them were particularly clear and unequivocal.  The custom of lighting the bonfires lasted in various places far into the eighteenth century, and the descriptions of the ceremony by writers of that period present such a curious and interesting picture of ancient heathendom surviving in our own country that I will reproduce them in the words of their authors.  The fullest of the descriptions, so far as I know, is the one bequeathed to us by John Ramsay, laird of Ochtertyre, near Crieff, the patron of Burns and the friend of Sir Walter Scott.  From his voluminous manuscripts, written in the last quarter of the eighteenth century, a selection was published in the latter part of the nineteenth century.  The following account of Beltane is extracted from a chapter dealing with Highland superstitions.  Ramsay says:  “But the most considerable of the Druidical festivals is that of Beltane, or May-day, which was lately observed in some parts of the Highlands with extraordinary ceremonies.  Of later years it is chiefly attended to by young people, persons advanced in years considering it as inconsistent with their gravity to give it any countenance.  Yet a number of circumstances relative to it may be collected from tradition, or the conversation of very old people, who witnessed this feast in their youth, when the ancient rites were better observed.

[Need-fire.]

“This festival is called in Gaelic Beal-tene—­i.e., the fire of Bel....  Like the other public worship of the Druids, the Beltane feast seems to have been performed on hills or eminences.  They thought it degrading to him whose temple is the universe, to suppose that he would dwell in any house made with hands.  Their sacrifices were therefore offered in the open air, frequently upon the tops of hills, where they were presented with the grandest views of nature, and were nearest the seat of warmth and order.  And, according to tradition, such was the manner of celebrating this festival in the Highlands within the last hundred years.  But since the decline of superstition, it has been celebrated by the people of each hamlet on some hill or rising ground around which their cattle were pasturing.  Thither the young folks repaired in the morning, and cut a trench, on the summit of which a seat of turf was formed for the company.  And in the middle a pile of wood or other fuel was placed, which of old they kindled with tein-eigin—­ i.e., forced-fire or need-fire.  Although, for many years past, they have been contented with common fire, yet we shall now describe the process, because it will hereafter appear that recourse is still had to the tein-eigin upon extraordinary emergencies.