THOUSANDS of revellers gathered on Calton Hill last night to take part in an ancient Celtic ritual to welcome the arrival of the summer months of the year.
The Beltane Fire Festival has become a cultural staple in Edinburgh and is one of Scotland’s most popular events.
The festival, led by the May Queen and her court, included a spectacular fire show set against the night sky.
Organisers estimate that more than eight thousand people watched the Calton Hill spectacle and, despite the initial ‘cloud-kissed’ beginnings, the sky cleared up beautifully and gave way to an extraordinary and spectacular event!
Copyright Ross Cameron for Beltane Fire Society. All Rights Reserved. www.beltane.org / www.facebook.com/beltanefiresociety
Festival Coordinator Tom Watton said: “It’s such an achievement that so many dedicated volunteers come together to keep this beautiful festival alive. Once again the community and our loyal audiences came together to toast the Earth and mark the turning of the year.”
The modern Beltane Festival has been running since 1988 and is the spring/summer counterpart to the Samhuinn Fire Festival which is held in the city centre on 31 October. The events are ‘modern re-imaginings’ of ancient Celtic festivals to mark the turning seasons.
The Beltane Fire Society is a charity run by volunteers, dedicated to marking the fire festivals of the ancient Celtic calendar and keeping traditional Scottish skills of street theatre, music and pageantry alive.
May Day is a unique occasion in our calendar. It’s when we celebrate the bonds that unite workers and trade unionists across the world. When we reflect on our shared values of equality, justice and solidarity. And when we remember the huge advances won by the collective struggles of working people (writes TUC General Secretary PAUL NOWAK).
And this year, May Day has a special resonance. The cost-of-living crisis shows few signs of easing. Food prices are now rising at almost 20 per cent, hitting the poorest hardest. And across the economy, in both private and public sectors, hundreds of thousands of workers are striking for fair pay. I’ve been proud to visit scores of picket lines, meeting inspirational reps and workers, many on strike for the first time. Unions don’t accept we have to become poorer.
In the public sector, the government is refusing to deliver decent pay rises for the workers it lauded as heroes during the pandemic. Ministers had to be dragged kicking and screaming to the negotiating table following industrial action by health and education unions. But they are still failing to negotiate in the civil service – and the TUC will resist any attempts to play one group of workers against another.
Meanwhile, in the private sector, unions have been winning some impressive deals for their members. And a special mention to workers at Amazon in Coventry, who have been taking historic strike action for fair pay and union recognition.
But as workers fight for a fair deal, the Conservative government is attacking our right to strike. Their Anti Strikes Bill is undemocratic, unworkable and probably unlawful. It makes the UK an international outlier by imposing yet more draconian restrictions and penalties on unions.
Small wonder the legislation has been condemned by employment law experts and, earlier this week, by over 100 politicians worldwide. And on Wednesday, Labour, Lib Dem and crossbench peers in the House of Lords defeated the government four times on the bill.
That’s why the TUC has called an emergency “reject and repeal” protest outside Parliament to coincide with the final Commons votes on the bill. We can’t be sure about exact dates just yet, but it’s likely to be sometime in mid May.
Full details will be posted on our website as soon as possible. This is a big opportunity for us to put our concerns firmly in the political, media and public spotlight.
As working families struggle to stay afloat, those at the top are raking it in. Chief executives continue to trouser massive pay packages. Shareholder dividends have gone up three times faster than wages. And bankers in the City of London have just enjoyed the biggest bonus round since the crash. Britain is increasingly unequal: as hospitals set up food banks to feed their own staff, Porsche dealers report record sales.
Instead, we need an economy that rewards work not wealth. The TUC is demanding fair taxes, including a proper windfall tax on obscene energy profits. We want a £15 minimum wage, better pensions and a boost to Universal Credit. And we want stronger collective bargaining rights for unions, so we can win fair pay for all and ensure the gains of tech change and AI are shared fairly.
We’re also campaigning for political change and the election of a new government on a worker- and union-friendly manifesto. But whatever happens, we must rebuild our collective strength, advancing our membership and organisation right across the economy.
My overwhelming priority remains to build a stronger, more diverse, more inclusive movement. And whether it’s fighting racism, rooting out sexual harassment or resisting the government’s spiteful Illegal Migration Bill, there’s plenty we can do. This May Day, let’s resolve to fight for all working people, in all our wonderful diversity. Ultimately, that’s the best way to win the change we need.
