Last time we danced around the maypole. Tonight we go back much further, to the old festivals of the first of May. For the ancient Irish and Scots, this was Beltane: the beginning of summer, the night of great fires on the hills.
Learn from Songs · Festivals: May Day · Part 2 of 3 · B1–B2
Beltane: First of May
Part 2: the old festivals behind May Day. Beltane, the Gaelic fire festival at the start of summer, the Roman Floralia, Walpurgis Night, and the goddess Maia who gave May its name, with the Bee Gees’ gentle song about childhood and growing up. used to and would for memories, the past simple and the present perfect (we were small / we’ve grown up), when and since, and the language of seasons and festivals, with Philo, Sophia, Marcos and Demetria.
SOPHIA
PHILO
Another festival of light, like the solstice, but in spring.
SOPHIA
Exactly. And our song is a gentle one about a different kind of season: growing up. The Bee Gees sing about two children who used to play together, and how everything changes when you grow older.
DEMETRIA
That sounds a little sad.
Before you listen: the song
Ireland, Scotland and Rome
Beltane (Irish Bealtaine, also the Irish word for May) was one of the four great feasts of the old Gaelic year, with Samhain, Imbolc and Lughnasa. It marked the beginning of summer, when cattle were taken up to the summer pastures. Medieval Irish texts say that two great bonfires were lit, and the cattle were driven between them for protection; fires in the houses were put out and lit again from the Beltane fire. People used to decorate doors with yellow May flowers and would wash their faces in the dew on May morning for beauty. The festival almost disappeared in the 20th century, but since 1988 a great Beltane Fire Festival has been held every year on Calton Hill in Edinburgh.
Other May festivals: the Romans held the Floralia, for Flora, the goddess of flowers, from late April to 3 May, with games and plays. The month of May is probably named after Maia, a goddess of growth. In Germany and Scandinavia, Walpurgis Night (30 April) is celebrated with bonfires, and in German legend witches were said to gather on the Brocken mountain that night. Maypoles were first recorded in Britain in the Middle Ages; the Puritans banned them in the 1640s, and they came back with the king in 1660.
Our song: the Bee Gees, the brothers Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb, were born in the Isle of Man and grew up in England and Australia. “First of May” (1969) is sung by Barry. It remembers two children who used to play together and how they have grown up and apart. Choosing it as a single, instead of a song by Robin, helped cause a famous quarrel between the brothers, who later made up.
Seasons turn, people grow, and old festivals return in new forms.
Listen: growing up
PHILO
Listen once. Who is the song about? What did they do when they were small? What has changed?
SOPHIA
Then answer Section A.
🔥 Listen to the song: “First of May” (Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb, 1969), by the Bee Gees.Listen to the official recording →
📜 Read the words while you listen: “First of May”, Bee Gees.Read the lyrics →
Used to and would for memories
MARCOS
When we were small, we used to play under the trees. We would run to the river every morning. I didn’t use to like vegetables.
SOPHIA
used to + verb for past habits and states (I used to have long hair). would + verb for repeated past actions only: Every May we would dance. Not for states: ✗ I would have long hair.
Past simple and present perfect
DEMETRIA
When we were children, we played together. Now we’ve grown up. I haven’t seen her since we left school.
SOPHIA
Past simple for finished times (when we were small, in 1969). Present perfect for the connection to now (we’ve grown up). since + past simple: since we left school.
Customs: the passive and was said to
PHILO
Fires were lit on the hills. The cattle were driven between them. Witches were said to meet on the mountain.
SOPHIA
The passive for old customs. be said / believed / thought to + verb for legends: The dew was believed to make you beautiful.
Sophia’s comparison: the first sheaf, and Flora
PHILO
In spring we count the days from Passover to Shavuot, and on the second day of Passover the first sheaf of barley is waved before God in the Temple. The first harvest belongs to him: a festival of beginnings.
SOPHIA
And the Romans in our city are already preparing the Floralia, with flowers in their hair and plays in the theatre. Flora, they say, makes everything bloom. Every people celebrates the moment when the year turns green.
Sophia’s summary
| Words and forms | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| used to / would + verb | past habits (would: actions only) | We used to play together. |
| past simple vs present perfect | finished time vs connection to now | We were small; we’ve grown up. |
| since + past simple | from a point in the past | since we left school |
| were lit / were driven | the passive for customs | Fires were lit on the hills. |
| was said / believed to + verb | legends | Witches were said to meet there. |
Practice
Listen to the song for Section A, then do the rest. Press “Check my answers” at the end. You can try again as many times as you like.
A · Listen: the song
Listen to the song and choose the best answer.
1. What did Beltane mark?
2. What were the cattle driven between?
3. Where is the Beltane Fire Festival held today?
4. Who was Flora?
5. Who sings “First of May”?
6. What is the song about?
B · Grammar and vocabulary
Write the missing word or words.
7. We to play under the trees. (habit)
8. Every May we dance in the square. (repeated action)
9. Now we’ve up. (grow)
10. I haven’t seen her we left school.
11. Fires were on the hills. (light)
12. Witches were said meet on the mountain.
C · Right or wrong?
Is the sentence correct English?
13. “When I was small, I would have long hair.”
14. “We’ve grown up since we left school.”
15. “I didn’t used to like it.”
16. “Fires were lit on the hills.”
Talk and write
Discussion and writing
Then and now. In pairs, tell each other about your childhood: I used to…, every summer we would…, but now I’ve…
Discuss. 1. Why do you think old festivals like Beltane have come back? 2. Do you lose touch with childhood friends as you grow up? 3. Which spring traditions does your country have?
Write (120–150 words). The first of May when I was small. Write about a spring you remember, using used to / would, the past simple and the present perfect.
Now play the gamebook: two old friends, a tree they planted as children, and the first day of the flower festival.Play the gamebook →